Revelation 2 · Verse 22

Revelation 2:22

Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Revelation 2:22, King James Version

Revelation 2:22 in other translations

BSBBehold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.
WEBBehold, I will throw her and those who commit adultery with her into a bed of great oppression, unless they repent of her works.
ASVBehold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works.
YLTlo, I will cast her into a couch, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation--if they may not repent of their works,
DARBYBehold, I cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,
BBESee, I will put her into a bed, and those who make themselves unclean with her, into great trouble, if they go on with her works.
WebsterBehold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

What does Revelation 2:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
22. Behold--calling attention to her awful doom to come. I will--Greek present, "I cast her." a bed--The place of her sin shall be the place of her punishment. The bed of her sin shall be her bed of sickness and anguish. Perhaps a pestilence was about to be sent. Or the bed of the grave, and of the hell beyond, where the worm dieth not. them that commit adultery with her--spiritually; including both the eating of idol-meats and fornication. "With her," in the Greek, implies participation with her in her adulteries, namely, by suffering her (Re 2:20), or letting her alone, and so virtually encouraging her. Her punishment is distinct from theirs; she is to be cast into a bed, and her children to be killed; while those who make themselves partakers of her sin by tolerating her, are to be cast into great tribulation. except they repent--Greek aorist, "repent" at once; shall have repented by the time limited in My purpose. their deeds--Two of the oldest manuscripts and most ancient versions read "her." Thus, God's true servants, who by connivance, are incurring the guilt of her deeds, are distinguished from her. One oldest manuscript, Andreas, and Cyprian, support "their."

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed. Not into a bed of ease, but a bed of pain. There is evidently a purpose to contrast this with her former condition. The harlot's bed and a sick bed are thus brought together, as they are often, in fact, in the dispensations of Providence and the righteous judgment of God. One cannot be indulged without leading on, sooner or later, to the horrid sufferings of the other: and how soon no one knows.

And them that commit adultery with her. Those who are seduced by her doctrines into this sin; either they who commit it with her literally, or who are led into the same kind of life.

Into great tribulation. Great suffering; disease of body or tortures of the soul. How often--how almost uniformly is this the case with those who thus live! Sooner or later, sorrow always comes upon the licentious; and God has evinced by some of his severest judgments, in forms of frightful disease, his displeasure at the violation of the laws of purity. There is no sin that produces a more withering and desicating effect upon the soul than that which is here referred to; none which is more certain to be followed with sorrow.

Except they repent of their deeds. It is only by repentance that we can avoid the consequences of sin. The word repent here evidently includes both sorrow for the past, and abandonment of the evil course of life.

(g) "I will cast" Eze 16:37, 23:29

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed - "This again alludes to the same history. Ahaziah, son of Ahab and Jezebel, by his mother's ill instruction and example, followed her ways. God punished him by making him fall down, as is supposed, from the top of the terrace over his house, and so to be bedridden for a long time under great anguish, designing thereby to give him time to repent; but when, instead of that, he sent to consult Baalzebub, Elijah was sent to pronounce a final doom against his impenitence. Thus the son of Jezebel, who had committed idolatry with and by her advice, was long cast into the bed of affliction, and not repenting, died: in the same manner his brother Jehoram succeeded likewise. All this while Jezebel had time and warning enough to repent; and though she did not prevail with Jehoram to continue in the idolatrous worship of Baal, yet she persisted in her own way, notwithstanding God's warnings. The sacred writer, therefore, here threatens the Gnostic Jezebel to make that wherein she delighteth, as adulterers in the bed of lust, to be the very place, occasion, and instrument, of her greatest torment. So in Isaiah, the bed is made a symbol of tribulation, and anguish of body and mind. See Isa 28:20; Job 33:19.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 2:18-29

Even when the Lord knows the works of his people to be wrought in love, faith, zeal, and patience; yet if his eyes, which are as a flame of fire, observe them committing or allowing what is evil, he will rebuke, correct, or punish them. Here is praise of the ministry and people of Thyatira, by One who knew the principles from which they acted. They grew wiser and better. All Christians should earnestly desire that…

Read the full comment on Revelation 2:18-29 →

Revelation 2:22 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.

ἰδοὺidouBeholdG2400
βάλλωballōI castG906
αὐτὴνautēnherG846
εἰςeisintoG1519
κλίνηνklinēna sickbedG2825
καὶkaiandG2532
τοὺςtousthoseG3588
μοιχεύονταςmoicheuontascommitting adulteryG3431
μετ᾽met᾽withG3326
αὐτῆςautēsherG846
εἰςeisintoG1519
θλῖψινthlipsintribulationG2347
μεγάλην,megalēngreat,G3173
ἐὰνeanonlyG1437
μὴmēunlessG3361
μετανοήσωσινmetanoēsōsinthey shall repentG3340
ἐκekofG1537
τῶνtōntheG3588
ἔργωνergōndeedsG2041
αὐτῆς.autēsof her.G846

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

Cross references for Revelation 2:22

  • Revelation 17:2

    With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

  • Luke 13:5

    I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

  • Ezekiel 16:37-41

    Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. …

  • Jeremiah 36:3

    It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

  • Revelation 18:3

    For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

  • Ezekiel 18:30-32

    Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

  • Revelation 18:9

    And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

  • Ezekiel 23:29

    And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

  • Luke 13:3

    I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

  • Ezekiel 33:11

    Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

  • Revelation 19:18-21

    That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

  • Zephaniah 3:7

    I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
and them.
17:2; 18:3,9; 19:18-21; Eze 16:37-41; 23:29,45-48
except.
Jer 36:3; Eze 18:30-32; 33:11; Zep 3:7; Lu 13:3,5; 2Co 12:21
2Ti 2:25,26

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

Context

  • Revelation 2:21

    And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

  • Revelation 2:22

    Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

  • Revelation 2:23

    And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Read all of Revelation 2

Revelation 2:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		He aquí, yo la echo en cama, y á los que adulteran con ella, en muy grande tribulación, si no se arrepintieren de sus obras:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Voici, je la jette sur un lit, et ceux qui commettent adultère avec elle, dans une grande tribulation, à moins qu’ils ne se repentent de ses œuvres;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Siehe, ich werfe sie in ein Bett und die, welche Ehebruch mit ihr treiben, in große Drangsal, wenn sie nicht Buße tun von ihren Werken.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ecce mittam eam in lectum: et qui mœchantur cum ea, in tribulatione maxima erunt, nisi pœnitentiam ab operibus suis egerint.