Revelation 17:10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

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◄ Revelation 17:10 ►

New International Version
They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

New Living Translation
Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.

English Standard Version
they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.

Berean Standard Bible
There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

Berean Literal Bible
and there are seven kings. The five are fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come; and when he shall have come, it behooves him to remain a little while.

King James Bible
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

New King James Version
There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.

New American Standard Bible
and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

NASB 1995
and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

NASB 1977
and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

Legacy Standard Bible
and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

Amplified Bible
and they are seven kings: five of whom have fallen, one exists and is reigning; the other [the seventh] has not yet come, and when he does come, he must remain a little while.

Christian Standard Bible
Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They are also seven kings: Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for a little while.

American Standard Version
and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while.

Contemporary English Version
Five of the kings are dead. One is ruling now, and the other one has not yet come. But when he does, he will rule for only a little while.

English Revised Version
and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They are also seven kings. Five of them have fallen, one is ruling now, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must remain for a little while.

Good News Translation
five of them have fallen, one still rules, and the other one has not yet come; when he comes, he must rule only a little while.

International Standard Version
Five of them have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must remain in power for a little while.

Majority Standard Bible
There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

NET Bible
five have fallen; one is, and the other has not yet come, but whenever he does come, he must remain for only a brief time.

New Heart English Bible
They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.

Webster's Bible Translation
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short time.

Weymouth New Testament
And they are seven kings: five of them have fallen, and the one is still reigning. The seventh has not yet come, but when he comes he must continue for a short time.

World English Bible
They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and there are seven kings, the five fell, and the one is, the other did not yet come, and when he may come, it is necessary for him to remain a short time;

Berean Literal Bible
and there are seven kings. The five are fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come; and when he shall have come, it behooves him to remain a little while.

Young's Literal Translation
and there are seven kings, the five did fall, and the one is, the other did not yet come, and when he may come, it behoveth him to remain a little time;

Smith's Literal Translation
And there are seven kings: five fell, and one is; the other has not yet come; and when he should come, he must remain a little.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come: and when he is come, he must remain a short time.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet arrived. And when he arrives, he must remain for a brief time.

New American Bible
five have already fallen, one still lives, and the last has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a short while.

New Revised Standard Version
of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And there are seven kings of whom five have fallen, and one is, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes he shall continue only for a short time.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“And there are seven Kings; five have fallen and one is, and there is another not yet come, and when he comes, a little remaining time is given to him.”

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
And there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain but a little while.

Godbey New Testament
and there are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, and another is not yet come; and when he may come it behooves him to remain a little while.

Haweis New Testament
And these are seven kings: five have fallen, and the one exists, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must abide but a little while.

Mace New Testament
they likewise signify seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; when he comes, he will continue but a short space.

Weymouth New Testament
And they are seven kings: five of them have fallen, and the one is still reigning. The seventh has not yet come, but when he comes he must continue for a short time.

Worrell New Testament
And there are seven kings; the five fell, and the one is, the other did not yet come. And, when he comes, he must remain a little time.

Worsley New Testament
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, one is, and another is not yet come; and when he cometh, he is to continue but a little while.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Mystery Explained
…9This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Daniel 7:17
‘These four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth.

Daniel 7:23-24
This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. / And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.

Daniel 2:37-44
You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. / Wherever the sons of men or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. / But after you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the whole earth. ...

Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

Revelation 13:3
One of the heads of the beast appeared to have been mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.

Revelation 13:5
The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.

Revelation 13:7
Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

Revelation 13:10
“If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.

Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

Revelation 19:10
So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 19:20
But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 20:4
Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:10
And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Jeremiah 51:24-25
Before your very eyes I will repay Babylon and all the dwellers of Chaldea for all the evil they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD. / “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain.

Jeremiah 51:44
I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will make him spew out what he swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him; even the wall of Babylon will fall.

Treasury of Scripture

And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.

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Revelation 17

1. A woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, with a golden cup in her hand sits upon the beast;
5. which is great Babylon, the mother of all abominations.
9. The interpretation of the seven heads;
12. and the ten horns.
14. The victory of the Lamb.
16. The punishment of the harlot.

Berean Study Bible

There are also seven kings
The phrase "seven kings" is symbolic and has been interpreted in various ways throughout Christian history. The number seven often represents completeness or perfection in biblical literature, suggesting a complete series of rulers or empires. In the context of Revelation, these kings could symbolize earthly powers or kingdoms that have significant influence over the world. The Greek word for "kings" (βασιλεῖς, basileis) can refer to literal monarchs or metaphorically to powerful leaders or empires. Historically, this has been linked to the succession of empires that have dominated biblical history, such as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.

Five have fallen
This phrase indicates that five of these kings or kingdoms have already passed away or lost their power. The use of "fallen" (ἔπεσαν, epesan) suggests a downfall or defeat, which is consistent with the biblical theme of the rise and fall of earthly powers under God's sovereign plan. Historically, this could refer to past empires that have risen and fallen before the time of John's writing, emphasizing the transient nature of human power compared to God's eternal kingdom.

one is
The phrase "one is" suggests the presence of a current power or kingdom at the time of John's writing. This is often interpreted as the Roman Empire, which was the dominant power during the late first century when Revelation was written. The Greek word for "is" (ἐστίν, estin) indicates a present reality, highlighting the immediate context of the prophecy and the relevance of the message to John's original audience.

the other has not yet come
This part of the verse points to a future power or kingdom that has not yet appeared. The anticipation of a coming ruler or empire aligns with the prophetic nature of Revelation, which often looks forward to future events. The Greek phrase "has not yet come" (οὔπω ἦλθεν, oupō ēlthen) suggests an expectation of future developments in the unfolding of God's plan for history.

but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while
This final phrase indicates that the future king or kingdom will have a brief period of influence. The Greek word for "remain" (μείνῃ, meinē) implies a temporary stay, reinforcing the idea that all earthly powers are ultimately transient. The phrase "for only a little while" (ὀλίγον, oligon) emphasizes the limited duration of this future power, contrasting with the eternal reign of Christ. This serves as a reminder to believers of the temporary nature of worldly authority and the ultimate victory of God's kingdom.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) And there are seven kings. . . .--Better. They are seven kings: five (not "are fallen," but fell, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he shall come, he must continue a short time. It has been debated whether these kings are individual sovereigns, or forms of government, or kingdoms The last view is the one adopted in this Commentary. The wild beast belongs to no one age, but is a power which has risen in every age; the seven heads represent the successive culminations of the world-power. Our space is insufficient to discuss here the whole question. But the language here used and the passages in the earlier prophets, which may be called the parent passages of the present vision, favour the interpretation that great world-kingdoms are intended. The language favours this view. It is said that the "kings fell." The word is the one which has been used for political catastrophe: the cities of the nations fell (Revelation 16:19); Babylon, it is cried, has fallen (Revelation 14:8). It suits the overthrow of empires, and is so used in the LXX.; to apply it to individual kings is to ask that it shall be equivalent to "they died." It is to be noticed that the four beasts of Daniel (Daniel 7:3-8) are declared to be four kings (Revelation 17:17), but these kings are not individual kings, but represent kingdoms. (See Daniel 7:23). This brings us to the drift of the parent passage. Daniel saw four wild beasts rise from the sea; they represented the then great world-power Babylon, and its three successors, Persia, Greece, and Rome. This is a guide to us here, as most commentators admit; but two great world-powers had preceded Babylon, viz., Egypt and Assyria: these figure in the ancient prophecies as forces hostile to the righteous King. St. John, whose visions took the range of the world's drama, could not see the representative of the ever rising spirit of worldly hostility to God's chosen without seeing Egypt and Assyria included. The voices of Moses and Isaiah called to him across the centuries that in these the world principle of their day found its clearest and strongest manifestation. In various empires the world-power showed itself: in Egypt, the house of bondage (Exodus 20:2); in Assyria, that exalted herself against God (Isaiah 37:23); in Babylon, the hammer of the whole earth (Jeremiah 50:23); in Persia, and in Greece; and in succession these kingdoms fell, only to be succeeded by another--Rome. Five fell; the one is. But what is the seventh, the other who is not yet come? We must recall the appearance of the wild beast. It had seven heads and ten horns. Where were these ten horns? It seems generally admitted that they were all on the seventh head. The seventh head, which represents the seventh kingdom, or manifestation of the world principle which is described as not yet come, then, was different in appearance from the others. It was ten-horned. It had not the same unity of appearance as the others. Now the ten horns are explained as ten kings or minor powers (Revelation 17:12). The conclusion, therefore, is that the seventh head must be rather an aggregation of monarchies than a single universal empire. This agrees with Daniel's prophecy that out of the fourth kingdom, which corresponds, as we have seen, with the sixth head of the wild beast here, ten kings should arise (Daniel 7:7; Daniel 7:23-24). . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - And there are seven kings; and they are. Here we have the same idea (cf. ver 9), with a somewhat different aspect. The phrase in ver. 9, "seven mountains," regarded the world power as one universal indivisible whole, without respect to particular times or modes in which it might be exhibited. In this phrase, "seven kings," we have the same world power viewed in its successive exhibitions by different nations; though here again we must be on our guard not to interpret the number seven literally of seven nations. The kings represent Worldly states or kingdoms; seven, again, betokens universality. We are thus told that this world power on which the woman relies is exhibited in the manifestation of power by successive nations, e.g. Egyptian, Assyrian, Roman, etc., as many as have ever existed or shall exist; for this is the meaning of seven. Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; the five; the one; the other. Omit "and." Here, again, not literally five. The seer divides the whole series of antitheistic world powers into three groups, and he would say, some, probably the majority, of these are passed away; the second group embraces the world power as it is exhibited now, whether Roman, Jewish, or any other; in the third group are included those yet to come. Thus those writers who enumerate Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Syria, etc., in the first group, are partially correct, and only wrong in so far as they attempt to limit and define the kingdoms; and similarly also those who in the third group place the Roman empire after the barbarian invasions, or imperial Germany, etc. And when he cometh, he must continue a short space; a little while (Revised Version). This "short space" describes the remainder of the time of the world's existence. Such is its meaning in Revelation 6:11 and Revelation 12:12, and again in Revelation 20:3. In a similar manner, also, "shortly come to pass," etc. (Revelation 1:1, 3; Revelation 2:5, 16, etc.; cf also John 16:17, 28).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

There are
εἰσιν (eisin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

also
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

seven
ἑπτά (hepta)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2033: Seven. A primary number; seven.

kings.
βασιλεῖς (basileis)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 935: A king, ruler, but in some passages clearly to be translated: emperor. Probably from basis; a sovereign.

Five
πέντε (pente)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4002: Five. A primary number; 'five'.

are fallen,
ἔπεσαν (epesan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4098: A reduplicated and contracted form of peto; probably akin to petomai through the idea of alighting; to fall.

one
εἷς (heis)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1520: One. (including the neuter Hen); a primary numeral; one.

is,
ἔστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

[and] the
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

other
ἄλλος (allos)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 243: Other, another (of more than two), different. A primary word; 'else, ' i.e. Different.

{has} not yet
οὔπω (oupō)
Adverb
Strong's 3768: Not yet. From ou and po; not yet.

come;
ἦλθεν (ēlthen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

[but]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

when
ὅταν (hotan)
Conjunction
Strong's 3752: When, whenever. From hote and an; whenever; also causatively inasmuch as.

he does come,
ἔλθῃ (elthē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

he
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

must
δεῖ (dei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1163: Third person singular active present of deo; also deon deh-on'; neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally; it is Necessary.

remain
μεῖναι (meinai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 3306: To remain, abide, stay, wait; with acc: I wait for, await. A primary verb; to stay.

for only a little while.
ὀλίγον (oligon)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3641: Puny; especially neuter somewhat.

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NT Prophecy: Revelation 17:10 They are seven kings (Rev. Re Apocalypse)