Revelation 18 · Verse 20

Revelation 18:20

Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

Revelation 18:20, King James Version

Revelation 18:20 in other translations

BSB	Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.
WEB	“Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets, for God has judged your judgment on her.”
ASV	Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her.
YLT	‘Be glad over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, because God did judge your judgment of her!'
DARBY	Rejoice over her, heaven, and ye saints and apostles and prophets; for God has judged your judgment upon her.
BBE	Be glad over her, heaven, and you saints, and Apostles, and prophets; because she has been judged by God on your account.
Webster	Rejoice over her thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

What does Revelation 18:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

20. holy apostles--So C reads. But A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and Andreas read, "Ye saints and ye apostles." avenged you on her--Greek, "judged your judgment on (literally, exacting it from) her." "There is more joy in heaven at the harlot's downfall than at that of the two beasts. For the most heinous of all sin is the sin of those who know God's word of grace, and keep it not. The worldliness of the Church is the most worldly of all worldliness. Hence, Babylon, in Revelation, has not only Israel's sins, but also the sins of the heathen; and John dwells longer on the abominations and judgments of the harlot than on those of the beast. The term 'harlot' describes the false Church's essential character. She retains her human shape as the woman, does not become a beast: she has the form of godliness, but denies its power. Her rightful lord and husband, Jehovah-Christ, and the joys and goods of His house, are no longer her all in all, but she runs after the visible and vain things of the world, in its manifold forms. The fullest form of her whoredom is, where the Church wishes to be itself a worldly power, uses politics and diplomacy, makes flesh her arm, uses unholy means for holy ends, spreads her dominion by sword or money, fascinates men by sensual ritualism, becomes 'mistress of ceremonies' to the dignitaries of the world, flatters prince or people, and like Israel, seeks the help of one world power against the danger threatening from another" [Auberlen]. Judgment, therefore, begins with the harlot, as in privileges the house of God.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 20. Rejoice over her. Over her ruin. There is a strong contrast between this language and that which precedes. Kings, merchants, and seamen, who had been countenanced and sustained by her in the indulgence of corrupt passions, or who had been enriched by traffic with her, would have occasion to mourn. But not so they who had been persecuted by her. Not so the church of the redeemed. Not so heaven itself. The great oppressor of the church, and the corrupter of the world, was now destroyed; the grand hindrance to the spread of the gospel was now removed, and all the holy in heaven and on earth would have occasion to rejoice. This is not the language of vengeance, but it is the language of exultation and rejoicing in view of the fact that the cause of truth might now spread without hindrance through the earth.

Thou heaven. The inhabitants of heaven. Compare Isa 1:2. The meaning here is, that the dwellers in heaven--the holy angels and the redeemed--had occasion to rejoice over the downfall of the great enemy of the church.

And ye holy apostles. Professor Stuart renders this, "Ye saints, and apostles, and prophets." In the common Greek text it is, as in our version, "holy apostles and prophets." In the text of Griesbach, Hahn, and Tittman, the word και (and) is interposed between the world "holy" and "apostle." This is, doubtless, the true reading. The meaning then is, that the saints in heaven are called on to rejoice over the fall of the mystical Babylon.

Apostles. The twelve who were chosen by the Saviour to be his witnesses on earth. 1Cor 9:1. The word is commonly limited to the twelve, but in a larger sense it is applied to other distinguished teachers and preachers of the gospel. Acts 14:14. There is no impropriety, however, in supposing that the apostles are referred to here as such, since they would have occasion to rejoice that the great obstacle to the reign of the Redeemer was now taken away, and that that cause in which they had suffered and died was now to be triumphant.

And prophets. Prophets of the Old Testament, and distinguished teachers of the New. Rom 12:6. All these would have occasion to rejoice in the prospect of the final triumph of the true religion.

For God hath avenged you on her. Has taken vengeance on her for her treatment of you. That is, as she had persecuted the church as such, they all might be regarded as interested in it, and affected by it. All the redeemed, therefore, in earth and in heaven, are interested in whatever tends to retard or to promote the cause of truth. All have occasion to mourn when the enemies of the truth triumph; to rejoice when they fall.

(e) "Rejoice" Jer 51:48 (f) "avenged" Rev 19:2, De 32:48, Lk 18:7,8

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven - This is grand and sublime; the fall of this bad city was cause of grief to bad men. But as this city was a persecutor of the godly, and an enemy to the works of God, angels, apostles, and prophets are called to rejoice over her fall.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 18:20-24

That which is matter of rejoicing to the servants of God on earth, is matter of rejoicing to the angels in heaven. The apostles, who are honoured and daily worshipped at Rome in an idolatrous manner, will rejoice in her fall. The fall of Babylon was an act of God's justice. And because it was a final ruin, this enemy should never molest them any more; of this they were assured by a sign. Let us take warning from the things which brought others to destruction, and let us set our affections on things above, when we consider the changeable nature of earthly things.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Revelation 18:20 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

εὐφραίνουeuphrainoudo rejoiceG2165

ἐπ᾽ep᾽overG1909

αὐτῇ,autēaher,G846

οὐρανὲouraneO heavenG3772

καὶkaiandG2532

οἱhoiyouG3588

ἅγιοιhagioisaintsG40

οἱhoiyouG3588

ἀπόστολοιapostoloiapostlesG652

καὶkaiandG2532

οἱhoiyouG3588

προφῆται,prophētaiprophets,G4396

ὅτιhotibecauseG3754

ἔκρινενekrinendid judgeG2919

ὁho<the>G3588

θεὸςtheosGodG2316

τὸtotheG3588

κρίμαkrimajudgmentG2917

ὑμῶνhumōnfor youG4771

ἐξexagainstG1537

αὐτῆς.¶autēsher.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Revelation 18:20

Revelation 6:10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Revelation 12:12
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Revelation 19:1-3
And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Luke 18:7-8
And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Isaiah 26:21
For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
2 Peter 3:2
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Proverbs 11:10
When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
Psalms 58:10
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Jeremiah 51:47-48
Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the Lord.
Luke 11:49-50
Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Ephesians 2:20
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Psalms 109:28
Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Rejoice.
19:1-3; Jud 5:31; Ps 48:11; 58:10; 96:11-13; 107:42; 109:28
Pr 11:10; Isa 44:23; 49:13; Jer 51:47,48
and ye.It is peculiarly worthy of remark, that the apostles, who are idolatrously honoured at Rome, and daily worshipped, should be specially mentioned as rejoicing in her fall; as if it "avenged them" on her, for the dishonour cast on their characters, while it vindicated the glory of God.
Eph 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; 2Pe 3:2; Jude 1:17
God.
6:10; 19:2; De 32:42; Ps 18:47; 94:1; Isa 26:21; Lu 11:49,50; 18:7,8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Revelation 18:19
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Revelation 18:20
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Revelation 18:21
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Read all of Revelation 18

Revelation 18:20 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Alégrate sobre ella, cielo, y vosotros, santos, apóstoles, y profetas; porque Dios ha vengado vuestra causa en ella.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Ô ciel, réjouis-toi sur elle, et vous les saints et les apôtres et les prophètes! car Dieu a jugé votre cause en tirant vengeance d’elle.
German Elberfelder 1871	Sei fröhlich über sie, du Himmel, und ihr Heiligen und ihr Apostel und ihr Propheten! denn Gott hat euer Urteil an ihr vollzogen.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Exsulta super eam cælum, et sancti apostoli, et prophetæ: quoniam judicavit Deus judicium vestrum de illa.