Devine Scripture

Revelation 18:5

What does Revelation 18:5 mean?

A plain-English look at Revelation 18:5 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Revelation 18:5 means

Babylon’s sins have piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. The image of sins reaching heaven speaks of long accumulation and shameless persistence. “Remembered” does not imply God once forgot, but that the time for reckoning has arrived. Divine patience has limits; when wickedness matures, justice answers. This verse assures the faithful that injustice is not ignored. Every act that exalted self and oppressed others is before God. The heavenly record stands against Babylon; the hour of settling accounts has come. The moral universe is not random—God keeps covenant and also keeps record, and He will act when evil becomes ripe for judgment.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

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

KJV

King James Version · 1611

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

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

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

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

For her sins have gone up even to heaven, and God has taken note of her evil-doing.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

because her sins did follow--unto the heaven, and God did remember her unrighteousness.

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

For her sins have reached unto heaven: and the Lord hath remembered her iniquities.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

for her sins have been heaped on one another up to the heaven, andGod has remembered her unrighteousnesses.

Context

The call to come out of Babylon is grounded in a reason: her sins are full and God has taken up the case. This verse continues the legal tone of the passage, preparing for the sentence of repayment in the next verses. It bridges the pastoral appeal of verse 4 to the judicial commands of verses 6–8. Understanding that God ‘remembers’ in order to judge helps the reader accept the severity that follows as just response, not harsh overreaction. The narrative is moving from warning to the decree of proportional recompense.

v.4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues:

v.5This passage

v.6Render unto her even as she rendered, and double unto her the double according to her works: in the cup which she mingled, mingle unto her double.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Jonah 1:2

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

  • Revelation 16:19

    And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

  • Ezra 9:6

    and I 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 guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens.

  • 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.

  • 2 Chronicles 28:9

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

  • Genesis 18:20

    And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

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