TRV
Translation
King James Version
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
KJV (with Strong's)
And G2532 the great G3173 city G4172 was divided G1096 into G1519 three G5140 parts G3313, and G2532 the cities G4172 of the nations G1484 fell G4098: and G2532 great G3173 Babylon G897 came in remembrance G3415 before G1799 God G2316, to give G1325 unto her G846 the cup G4221 of the wine G3631 of the fierceness G2372 of his G846 wrath G3709.
Complete Jewish Bible
The great city was split into three parts, the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Bavel the Great and made her drink the wine from the cup of his raging fury.
Berean Standard Bible
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.
American Standard Version
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
World English Bible Messianic
The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And the great citie was deuided into three partes, and the cities of the nations fell: and that great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to giue vnto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of his wrath.
Young's Literal Translation
And it came--the great city--into three parts, and the cities of the nations did fall, and Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the wrath of His anger,
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In the KJVVerse 30,974 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Revelation 16 verses 17–21
17 ¶ And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Here we have an account of the seventh and last angel pouring forth his vial, contributing his part towards the accomplishment of the downfall of Babylon, which was the finishing stroke. And here, as before, observe,
I. Where this plague fell - on the air, upon the prince of the power of the air, that is, the devil. His powers were restrained, his policies confounded; he was bound in God's chain: the sword of God was upon his eye and upon his arm; for he, as well as the powers of the earth, is subject to the almighty power of God. He had used all possible means to preserve the antichristian interest, and to prevent the fall of Babylon - all the influence that he has upon the minds of men, blinding their judgments and perverting them, hardening their hearts, raising their enmity to the gospel as high as could be. But now here is a vial poured out upon his kingdom, and he is not able to support his tottering cause and interest any longer.
II. What it produced, 1. A thankful voice from heaven, pronouncing that now the work was done. The church triumphant in heaven saw it, and rejoiced; the church militant on earth saw it, and became triumphant. It is finished. 2. A mighty commotion on the earth - an earthquake, so great as never was before, shaking the very centre, and this ushered in by the usual concomitants of thunder and lightnings. 3. The fall of Babylon, which was divided into three parts, called the cities of the nations (Rev 16:19); having had rule over the nations, and taken in the idolatry of the nations, incorporating into her religion something of the Jewish, something of the pagan, and something of the Christian religion, she was as three cities in one. God now remembered this great and wicked city. Though for some time he seemed to have forgotten her idolatry and cruelty, yet now he gives unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And this downfall extended further than to the seat of antichrist; it reached from the centre to the circumference; and every island and every mountain, that seemed by nature and situation the most secured, were carried away in the deluge of this ruin.
III. How the antichristian party were affected with it. Though it fell upon them as a dreadful storm, as if the stones of the city, tossed up into the air, came down upon their heads, like hailstones of a talent weight each, yet they were so far from repenting that they blasphemed that God who thus punished them. Here was a dreadful plague of the heart, a spiritual judgment more dreadful and destructive than all the rest. Observe, 1. The greatest calamities that can befall men will not bring them to repentance without the grace of God working with them. 2. Those that are not made better by the judgments of God are always the worse for them. 3. To be hardened in sin and enmity against God by his righteous judgments is a certain token of utter destruction.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 17–21. Public domain.
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Caesarius of ArlesAD 542
EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 16:19, HOMILY 13
This great city is to be understood as in general every people that is under heaven and that is seen to be in three parts when the church is divided [into three parts]. And so, the Gentiles are considered to be one part, the heretics and false Christians [are] another part, and the catholic church [is] the third part.
Primasius of HadrumetumAD 560
COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 16:19
The city that was great because of the size of its population and that was haughty and arrogant because of its immodest enterprises shall fall into three parts. One part will be of the Gentiles, another of the heretics and the Jews, and the third part which is of the false brothers is rejected, for they “confess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed.” The passage continues, “The cities of the nations fell,” that is, all the strength and confidence of the nations fell. “And that great Babylon was remembered and came under the sight of God.” This indicates that the multitude of all of the damned were confused. “And he gave to her from the wine of the fury of his wrath.” It describes the wicked receiving the retribution of that revenge that they merited.
Andreas of CaesareaAD 614
COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 16:19
We understand Jerusalem to be a “great city” not because of the number and size of its buildings but as that which is the most ancient and greatest in regard to godliness, in as much as it was made great by the sufferings of Christ and is to be distinguished from the cities of the nations. We think that the division of this city into three parts suggests the division between the Christians and the Jews and the Samaritans who live in it. Or the division is of those who are steadfast in faith and those who have defiled their baptism with filthy works and the Jews who have in no way received the proclamation.… For at the present time the Jews and Samaritans hide their real intentions out of fear of our pious rulers, and they seem to be associated with us, not daring to separate themselves with their own people. It is similar to the fact that those who are truly Christians are intermingled with those who possess the name [of Christian] alone. But when the cleansing fire of temptations will unmask them, then there will occur the division of these people into the three groups of the impious, the pious and the sinners, and these will gather together with those of like habits and be associated with their own kind. The falling of the cities of the nations indicates either their destruction or the cessation of the pagan manner of life at the coming of the kingdom of God, which, according to Daniel, the saints will possess. “And God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.” The thronging multitude, confounded by the meaningless distractions of life and made great by the wealth of their injustices, will drink the cup of the wrath of God. It is as though they went from a merciful forgetfulness [of God] to a remembrance and now faced the retribution for their trampling of the righteous One and for the impiety of their words and deeds.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Revelation
And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, etc. Then Babylon falls, or drinks the wrath of God, when it receives power against Jerusalem, especially in the final days. Therefore he said that it fell by the earthquake that affects the Church. But if you refer this to the day of judgment, then the impious will come into remembrance before God, who now says in his heart: God has forgotten.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Revelation
And the cities of the nations fell. That is, all the strength and confidence of the nations. For the joy of the wicked is a great ruin, and the joy of the unrighteous is destruction.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Revelation
And the great city was divided into three parts. The impious city inflicts a threefold war upon the Church of Christ. Which the Gentiles and Jews openly with combat, heretics with deceitful defection, false brethren with corrupt examples assail. Which was also figured above in the three bad horses, the red, black, and pale.
OecumeniusAD 990
Commentary on Revelation
And he says the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Concerning Jerusalem he says the great city, and it is clear from what he contrasts with it the cities of the nations; for in the divine Scripture, it is customary to call Israel, apart from the other peoples, a nation. And he calls it great, as infamous.
And all the cities fell; for when the land was being transformed and made new, how could the cities standing in it remain untouched, defiled by the dwelling of sinners?
And Babylon, he says, the Great, was remembered before God to be given the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. In what it said previously, And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon the great has fallen;" (Rev. 14:8) but in the present passage he wants us to understand that he does not mean that Babylon, but signifies another. And I think he means Rome and those who will then occupy it, as the discourse to follow will teach.
Therefore he says that great Babylon was remembered before God. That is, the memory of her former sins, when they persecuted and killed the saints, came before God; and the cup of the wine of the wrath of God is already interpreted; therefore there is no need to speak at length.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Revelation 16:19 vividly portrays the catastrophic climax of God's judgment upon the rebellious world, focusing on the symbolic "great city" identified as Babylon. Following an unprecedented earthquake, this verse describes the fragmentation of the world's dominant anti-God system and the collapse of all nations' cities, culminating in God's definitive remembrance of Babylon's accumulated sins and the pouring out of the full measure of His fierce wrath upon her. It marks the decisive end of human rebellion and the triumph of divine justice.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Revelation 16:19 is rich with Symbolism. "The great city" and "Babylon" are not merely geographical locations but powerful symbols representing the totality of human rebellion against God, encompassing political, economic, and spiritual systems that have opposed His kingdom. The "three parts" into which the city is divided is also symbolic, likely signifying complete and utter destruction or a comprehensive breakdown of its various facets. The "cities of the nations" symbolize all human power structures and civilizations that have rejected divine authority. The most prominent Metaphor is "the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath," which vividly portrays divine judgment as a bitter draught that must be fully consumed, signifying the full measure of God's righteous indignation. The phrase "came in remembrance before God" employs Anthropomorphism, attributing human-like memory and judicial action to God, emphasizing His active engagement in bringing justice. The scale of destruction, with the "great city" divided and "cities of the nations" falling, also employs Hyperbole to convey the unparalleled and comprehensive nature of this final, cataclysmic judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Revelation 16:19 powerfully articulates the biblical truth of God's ultimate sovereignty and His unwavering commitment to justice. It demonstrates that no human system, no matter how powerful or entrenched, can ultimately defy the divine will. The "remembrance" of Babylon's sins before God underscores the principle that God is a righteous judge who sees and records every act of injustice, oppression, and rebellion, and that there will be a day of reckoning for all who have rejected His authority and persecuted His people. This verse serves as a profound theological statement that evil will not triumph indefinitely; rather, it will meet its just and decisive end at the hand of a holy and righteous God. It affirms the certainty of divine retribution and the ultimate vindication of God's people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Revelation 16:19 offers both a stark warning and a profound comfort. For those who align themselves with systems of rebellion, injustice, and self-sufficiency apart from God, it serves as a solemn reminder that all such human constructs, no matter how grand or seemingly invincible, are ultimately fragile and destined for collapse under the weight of divine judgment. This should prompt a serious examination of where our loyalties lie and what foundations we are building our lives upon. For believers, this verse provides immense comfort and assurance. It reaffirms God's perfect justice and His unwavering commitment to right all wrongs. In a world often marked by apparent injustice and the triumph of evil, Revelation 16:19 declares that God is not passive; He remembers, He sees, and He will act decisively to bring about His righteous kingdom. This truth should inspire patience, perseverance in faith, and renewed confidence in the ultimate victory of Christ. It calls us to live with an eternal perspective, investing in God's kingdom rather than in the transient systems of this world, and to share the urgent message of repentance and salvation.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the "great city" mentioned in this verse?
Answer: While the "great city" is not explicitly named in this specific verse, the broader context of Revelation, particularly Revelation 17:18 and Revelation 18, clearly identifies it with "Babylon." This "Babylon" is widely understood not as a literal historical city but as a powerful symbol. It represents the totality of human rebellion against God, encompassing all anti-God political, economic, and religious systems throughout history, often seen as a symbolic representation of imperial Rome in John's day, but also applicable to any global system that opposes God and persecutes His people.
Why is God described as "remembering" Babylon? Does God forget?
Answer: The phrase "came in remembrance before God" does not imply that God literally forgot Babylon and then suddenly recalled her. Instead, it is an anthropomorphic expression, attributing human characteristics to God to convey a profound theological truth. In biblical terms, for God to "remember" often means that He is now acting decisively based on what He has observed and recorded. In Babylon's case, it signifies that her accumulated sins, injustices, and acts of rebellion have reached their full measure, and the appointed time for divine judgment and retribution has arrived. It emphasizes God's perfect knowledge, His unwavering justice, and His active intervention in history to bring about His purposes.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Revelation 16:19, with its depiction of the ultimate judgment upon rebellious human systems, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the one through whom all things were created, and by whom all things will be judged (John 1:3; John 5:22). The "fierceness of his wrath" poured out upon Babylon is not arbitrary but is the righteous indignation of God against sin, which Jesus Himself bore on the cross for those who believe (Romans 5:9). His sacrifice on Calvary absorbed the full "cup of wrath" that humanity deserved, offering a path to salvation from this very judgment for all who trust in Him (Isaiah 53:5-6). Ultimately, this judgment on Babylon foreshadows Christ's final victory as the King of kings and Lord of lords, who will utterly defeat all opposing powers and establish His eternal kingdom, where righteousness dwells and there is no more rebellion (Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 21:1-4). Thus, the destruction of Babylon highlights the necessity and glory of Christ's redemptive work and His ultimate reign.