Revelation 18:21
What does Revelation 18:21 mean?
A plain-English look at Revelation 18:21 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Revelation 18:21 means
A strong angel hurls a massive millstone into the sea, declaring that Babylon will be thrown down with similar force, never to be found again. The image conveys irreversibility: once a millstone sinks, it does not rise. Babylon’s end is not temporary setback but permanent removal. What seemed solid and enduring vanishes beneath judgment. The act is both a sign and a sentence, dramatizing the certainty of what God has decreed. The great city’s name, once synonymous with power, will be erased from the stage of history. God’s justice does not merely restrain evil; He ultimately removes it from His renewed world.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And 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.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And a strong angel took up a stone like the great stone with which grain is crushed, and sent it into the sea, saying, So, with a great fall, will Babylon, the great town, come to destruction, and will not be seen any more at all.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And one strong messenger did take up a stone as a great millstone, and did cast <FI>it<Fi> to the sea, saying, `Thus with violence shall Babylon be cast, the great city, and may not be found any more at all;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And a mighty angel took up a stone, as it were a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying: With such violence as this, shall Babylon, that great city, be thrown down and shall be found no more at all.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And a strong angel took up a stone, as a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon the great city be cast down, and shall be found no more at all;
Context
Heaven’s call to rejoice is followed by a prophetic sign-act that visualizes Babylon’s fate. This transitions the narrative from laments to a catalogue of “no more” statements that describe the city’s desolation across every sphere of life. The millstone image prepares readers to hear absolute finality in what follows—silenced music, halted work, darkened lamps, and ended weddings. The flow moves from the single dramatic sign to its practical implications, showing the comprehensive scope of the judgment.
v.20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her.
v.21This passage
v.22And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Nehemiah 9:11
And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
- Revelation 5:2
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
- Revelation 10:1
And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire;
- Exodus 15:5
The deeps cover them: They went down into the depths like a stone.
- Revelation 12:8
and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
- Psalms 37:36
But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
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