Revelation 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.
Study Note
Study Note
The great millstone cast into the sea — signifying Babylon's sudden and total destruction — draws on Jeremiah 51:63–64, where the prophet commanded the scroll of Babylon's doom to be tied to a stone and cast into the Euphrates. Jesus uses a similar millstone image in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2) for those who cause the little ones to stumble, embedding this symbol of irreversible judgment in the dominical tradition. The phrase 'shall be found no more at all' (ou mē eurethē eti) is repeated seven times in Revelation 18 with different objects (musicians, craftsmen, brides) creating a liturgy of complete economic and cultural desolation. The passage has shaped Christian reflection on the ultimate fragility of human civilization built on exploitation and the exclusion of divine justice.
Other Translations
And a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all.
And one strong messenger did take up a stone as a great millstone, and did cast <FI>it<Fi> to the sea, saying, `Thus with violence shall Babylon be cast, the great city, and may not be found any more at all;
And a strong angel took up a stone like the great stone with which grain is crushed, and sent it into the sea, saying, So, with a great fall, will Babylon, the great town, come to destruction, and will not be seen any more at all.
Cross References
The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a …
And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon …
And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone …
I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou …
Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and …
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the …
And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in …
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for …
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.