What Does Revelation 17:4 Mean in the King James?
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The gold is on the cup, but the cup is full of what gold cannot make clean.
THE MEANING
The verse sets lavish display beside a defiled interior: the woman is richly arrayed, yet her golden cup is full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. Its shine describes the outside; its fullness reveals what it carries. The image speaks now wherever prestige makes a corrupt interior look worthy of trust.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie that a beautiful or costly appearance proves what it carries is pure.
THE ROOT
γέμον
gemon
GROWS FROM
γεμ
gem
To be full or filled.
The same Greek root names both the state of being full and the act of filling. The cup’s fullness reveals what it carries, while its gold marks only its presentation.
ALSO GROWS
gemō: To be full, be filled.
γέμω
This is the root verb behind the cup’s state: it is full of what its costly appearance cannot cleanse.
gemizō: To fill, make full.
γεμίζω
This related verb emphasizes the filling itself, bringing attention to what occupies the vessel beneath its golden surface.
THE PATTERN
The outside can be polished while what fills the inside tells another story.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.THE THREAD
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.Matthew uses the same Greek root for “full” as Revelation’s golden cup. Its contrast between the cleaned outside and the contents within makes the cup here a sharp mirror: what fills the vessel tells what its gold cannot.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us