Revelation 18:21
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The striking image of an angel casting a millstone into the sea isn't just about destruction, but about a sudden, irrecoverable plunge. The Greek word used suggests a violent "rush" or "dash," emphasizing that this fall is not a gradual decline but an abrupt, final obliteration, leaving absolutely no trace or possibility of recovery.
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse acts as a dramatic conclusion to the pronouncements of judgment against Babylon, the symbolic city representing worldly power and opposition to God. Following the call for heaven and God's people to rejoice over her destruction, a mighty angel performs a symbolic act, mirroring a prophecy from Jeremiah, to illustrate the finality and violence of Babylon's overthrow. This powerful image underscores that her fall will be absolute and irreversible, leaving no trace.
Why does a mighty angel hurl a millstone into the sea? It's more than just a dramatic image; it’s a divine declaration of irreversible doom.
This powerful act isn't random. The angel is using a vivid symbol to show Babylon's fate.
Sinking Without a Trace
A millstone is heavy and designed to sink. Throwing it into the sea means it disappears completely, swallowed by the depths.
This symbolizes that Babylon’s downfall will be absolute. It won’t just decline or be conquered; it will be annihilated, vanishing as if it never existed. The repetition of "no more" in the surrounding verses emphasizes this complete erasure.
The text speaks of Babylon being thrown down 'with violence.' What does this tell us about the nature of its judgment?
The word 'violence' here speaks to the sudden, forceful, and externally imposed nature of Babylon's destruction.
More Than Natural Decline
This wasn't a slow fading away. It was a catastrophic event, a decisive act of judgment. The angel's action, a forceful throw, mirrors the abrupt and complete end awaiting the city.
It highlights that this judgment comes not from within Babylon's own decay, but from a powerful, external force – God’s decree executed by His angelic agent.
Ask a follow-up
The text repeats 'shall be found no more.' What's the profound significance of this repeated finality?
The repeated phrase 'shall be found no more' is crucial. It seals Babylon’s destiny – absolute and permanent extinction.
A Total Erasure
This isn't just about a city falling; it's about the complete annihilation of its power, influence, and identity. It will be so thoroughly destroyed that it will be impossible to locate or recognize its former glory or impact.
This finality assures God's people that the oppressive system that caused so much suffering will be permanently removed, never to rise again.
Understand the original words
angelos · Greek Noun
An angelic being or messenger of God, often serving as an instrument of divine judgment or revelation in biblical apocalyptic literature.
Babylōn · Greek Proper Noun
In this context, a symbolic representation of a world power hostile to God, representing systems of idolatry, economic exploitation, and persecution of the faithful.
This dramatic imagery echoes Jeremiah's prophecy against ancient Babylon, powerfully symbolizing the complete and irreversible destruction of a powerful, oppressive system that ultimately finds no recovery.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel, with its capital Samaria, falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its people. This event serves as a precursor to future exiles and divine judgments on Israel.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports Jewish nobles and artisans, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian captivity and the loss of Judean sovereignty.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar conquer Jerusalem, destroy the city and the First Temple, and deport a significant portion of the remaining population. This is a catastrophic event for the Jewish people.
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah's Prophecy of Babylon's Fall
The prophet Jeremiah dictates a scroll detailing Babylon's impending doom, instructing his scribe Seraiah to tie the scroll to a stone and cast it into the Euphrates, symbolizing Babylon's permanent sinking and irrecoverable ruin.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
The Neo-Babylonian Empire falls to Cyrus the Great of Persia. While a significant historical event, this marks the end of Babylon as a major world power, but not its complete obliteration.
c. AD 60-70— this verse
Writing of Revelation
The Apostle John receives and writes the visions that constitute the Book of Revelation, likely during his exile on the island of Patmos, towards the end of the first century AD.
c. AD 96
Fall of Rome Predicted
Revelation's imagery of 'Babylon' is often interpreted by scholars as a symbolic representation of Imperial Rome, which, like ancient Babylon, will face a violent and irreversible judgment and cease to exist in its current form.
This passage provides the direct imagery and symbolic action for Revelation 18:21, where a scroll is bound to a stone and cast into the Euphrates to signify Babylon's irreversible sinking and destruction.
Matthew 18:6Jesus uses a similar image of a millstone to describe the severe judgment awaiting those who cause 'little ones' who believe in Him to stumble, highlighting the extreme consequence of harming God's people.
Exodus 15:10This song of Moses vividly describes the Pharaoh and his army sinking like lead in the sea, mirroring the finality and violent downfall depicted for Babylon.
Ezekiel 26:17-18This prophecy against Tyre, a wealthy and powerful city, foretells its complete destruction and disappearance, echoing the 'found no more' aspect of Babylon's judgment.
ellicottRevelation 18:21: "And 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."
THE IRREMEDIABLE OVERTHROW OF BABYLON SYMBOLICALLY DECLARED. (21) And a mighty angel . . .—The taking up of the stone and casting it into the waters is a symbol drawn from Jeremiah (Jeremiah 51). Jeremiah enjoined Seraiah to bind the prophetic roll to a great stone, and cast them toget…
barnesRevelation 18:21: "And 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."
And a mighty angel - See the notes on Revelation 18:1 . This seems, however, to have been a different angel from the one mentioned in Revelation 18:1 , though, like that, he is described as having great power. Took up a stone like a great millstone - On the structure of mills among the…
The striking image of an angel casting a millstone into the sea isn't just about destruction, but about a sudden, irrecoverable plunge. The Greek word used suggests a violent "rush" or "dash," emphasizing that this fall is not a gradual decline but an abrupt, final obliteration, leaving absolutely no trace or possibility of recovery.
This verse acts as a dramatic conclusion to the pronouncements of judgment against Babylon, the symbolic city representing worldly power and opposition to God. Following the call for heaven and God's people to rejoice over her destruction, a mighty angel performs a symbolic act, mirroring a prophecy from Jeremiah, to illustrate the finality and violence of Babylon's overthrow. This powerful image underscores that her fall will be absolute and irreversible, leaving no trace.
This verse acts as a dramatic conclusion to the pronouncements of judgment against Babylon, the symbolic city representing worldly power and opposition to God. Following the call for heaven and God's people to rejoice over her destruction, a mighty angel performs a symbolic act, mirroring a prophecy from Jeremiah, to illustrate the finality and violence of Babylon's overthrow. This powerful image underscores that her fall will be absolute and irreversible, leaving no trace.
"Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;" — The striking image of an angel casting a millstone into the sea isn't just about destruction, but about a *sudden, irrecoverable plunge*. The Greek word used suggests a violent "rush" or "dash," emph…
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Last reviewed October 2026