Revelation 17:15

“And he saith unto me, etc.] That is, the angel, who proposed to give John the interpretation of the vision, he went on with it as follows: the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, (see Gill on “<661701>Revelation 17:1”), are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues; denoting the vast multitude of people, of which the several kingdoms, of divers languages, consist, which belong to the jurisdiction of Rome Papal: it is an eastern way of speaking, and is particularly used to express the various kingdoms, and infinite number of people belonging to the Babylonish monarchy, which was an emblem of the antichristian state, (<270304>Daniel 3:4,7,29 4:1) and these are compared…”

“(Rev 17:1; Isa 8:7.) An impious parody of Jehovah who "sitteth upon the flood" [ALFORD]. Also, contrast the "many waters" Rev 19:6, "Alleluia." peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues--The "peoples," &c., here mark the universality of the spiritual fornication of the Church. The "tongues" remind us of the original Babel, the confusion of tongues, the beginning of Babylon, and the first commencement of idolatrous apostasy after the flood, as the tower was doubtless dedicated to the deified heavens. Thus, Babylon is the appropriate name of the harlot. The Pope, as the chief representative of the harlot, claims a double supremacy over all peoples, typified by the "two swords"…”

“And he saith unto me - The angel, Revelation 17:7. This commences the more “literal” statement of what is meant by these symbols. See the Analysis of the chapter. The waters which thou sawest - See the notes on Revelation 17:1. Are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues - For an explanation of these terms, see the notes on Revelation 7:9. The meaning here is: (a) that these waters represent a multitude of people. This is a common and an obvious symbol - for outspread seas or raging floods would naturally represent such a multitude. See Isaiah 8:7-8; Isaiah 17:12-13; Jeremiah 47:2. Compare Iliad, v. 394. The sense here is, that vast numbers of people would be subject to the power…”

“17:15-16 While the prostitute rules over the masses, it does not bring her victory. Instead, the beast hates and kills the great prostitute. Satan strikes even those he uses for his evil purposes.”

“The waters: Rev 17:1; Psa 18:4, Psa 65:7, Psa 93:3-4; Isa 8:7, Isa 8:8; Jer 51:13, Jer 51:42, Jer 51:55 are: Rev 10:11, Rev 11:9, Rev 13:7, Rev 13:8 Revelation 17:16”