Revelation 18 · Verse 5

Revelation 18:5

For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Revelation 18:5, King James Version

Revelation 18:5 in other translations

BSBFor her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
WEBfor her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities.
ASVfor her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
YLTbecause her sins did follow--unto the heaven, and God did remember her unrighteousness.
DARBYfor her sins have been heaped on one another up to the heaven, and God has remembered her unrighteousnesses.
BBEFor her sins have gone up even to heaven, and God has taken note of her evil-doing.
WebsterFor her sins have reached to heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

What does Revelation 18:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. her sins--as a great heap. reached--Greek, "reached so far as to come into close contact with, and to cleave unto."

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 5. For her sins have reached unto heaven. So in Jer 51:9, speaking of Babylon, it is said, "For her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies." The meaning is not that the sins of this mystical Babylon were like a mass or pile so high as to reach to heaven, but that it had become so prominent as to attract the attention of God. Compare Gen 4:10, "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." See also Gen 18:20.

And God hath remembered, her iniquities. He had seemed to forget them, or not to notice them, but now he acted as if they had come to his recollection. Rev 16:19.

(g) "reached unto heaven" (h) "remembered" Rev 16:19

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Her sins have reached unto heaven - They are become so great and enormous that the long-suffering of God must give place to his justice.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 18:1-8

The downfal and destruction of the mystical Babylon are determined in the counsels of God. Another angel comes from heaven. This seems to be Christ himself, coming to destroy his enemies, and to shed abroad the light of his gospel through all nations. The wickedness of this Babylon was very great; she had forsaken the true God, and set up idols, and had drawn all sorts of men into spiritual adultery, and by her…

Read the full comment on Revelation 18:1-8 →

Revelation 18:5 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.

ὅτιhotiForG3754
ἐκολλήθησανekollēthēsanthey were heapedG2853
αὐτῆςautēsin herG846
αἱhai<the>G3588
ἁμαρτίαιhamartiaisinsG266
ἄχριachrias high asG891
τοῦtou<the>G3588
οὐρανοῦ,ouranouheaven,G3772
καὶkaiandG2532
ἐμνημόνευσενemnēmoneusenhas rememberedG3421
ὁho<the>G3588
θεὸςtheosGodG2316
τὰtatheG3588
ἀδικήματαadikēmatainiquitiesG92
αὐτῆς.autēsof her.G846

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

Cross references for Revelation 18:5

  • Genesis 18:20-21

    And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

  • Ezra 9:6

    And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

  • Revelation 16:19

    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.

  • Jeremiah 51:9

    We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

  • Jonah 1:2

    Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

  • 2 Chronicles 28:9

    But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
reached.
Ge 18:20,21; 2Ch 28:9; Ezr 9:6; Jer 51:9; Jon 1:2
and.
16:19

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

Context

  • Revelation 18:4

    And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

  • Revelation 18:5

    For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

  • Revelation 18:6

    Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

Read all of Revelation 18

Revelation 18:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque sus pecados han llegado hasta el cielo, y Dios se ha acordado de sus maldades.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		car ses péchés se sont amoncelés jusqu’au ciel, et Dieu s’est souvenu de ses iniquités.
German
Elberfelder 1871		denn ihre Sünden sind aufgehäuft bis zum Himmel, und Gott hat ihrer Ungerechtigkeiten gedacht.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quoniam pervenerunt peccata ejus usque ad cælum, et recordatus est Dominus iniquitatum ejus.