Revelation 18:5-8

18:5 because her sins have piled ¹  up all the way to heaven ²  and God has remembered ³  her crimes. ⁴  18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; ⁵  pay her back double ⁶  corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 18:7 As much as ⁷  she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, ⁸  to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, ⁹  ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues ¹⁰  in a single day: disease, ¹¹  mourning, ¹²  and famine, and she will be burned down ¹³  with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”

Revelation 18:20

18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,

and you saints and apostles and prophets,

for God has pronounced judgment ¹⁴  against her on your behalf!) ¹⁵ 

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¹ tn On ἐκολλήθησαν (ekollhqhsan) BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.a.β states, “fig. cling to = come in close contact with (cp. Ps 21:16; 43:26 ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν. The act.=‘bring into contact’ PGM 5, 457 κολλήσας τ. λίθον τῷ ὠτίῳ) ἐκολλήθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἄχρι τ. οὐρανοῦ the sins have touched the heaven = reached the sky (two exprs. are telescoped) Rv 18:5.”

² tn Or “up to the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

³ tn That is, remembered her sins to execute judgment on them.

⁴ tn Or “her sins.”

⁵ tn The word “others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

⁶ tn On this term BDAG 252 s.v. διπλόω states, “to double τὰ διπλᾶ pay back double Rv 18:6.”

⁷ tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).

⁸ tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”

⁹ tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.

¹⁰ tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”

¹¹ tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).

¹² tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.

¹³ tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.

¹⁴ tn On the phrase “pronounced judgment” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 4.b states, “The OT is the source of the expr. κρίνειν τὸ κρ. (cp. Zech 7:9; 8:16; Ezk 44:24) ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς God has pronounced judgment for you against her or God has pronounced on her the judgment she wished to impose on you (HHoltzmann, Hdb. 1893 ad loc.) Rv 18:20.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “God has judged a judgment of you of her.” Verse 20 is set in parentheses because in it the saints, etc. are addressed directly in the second person.

sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.