Revelation 17:8 kjva — The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they…

King James Version with Apocrypha

"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

— Revelation 17:8, King James Version with Apocrypha

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Revelation 17:8 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

  • ASV

    “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come. ”

  • WEB

    “The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.”

  • NET

    “The beast you saw was, and is not, but is about to come up from the abyss and then go to destruction. The inhabitants of the earth– all those whose names have not been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world– will be astounded when they see that the beast was, and is not, but is to come.”

  • DRB

    “The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall come up out of the bottomless pit and go into destruction. And the inhabitants on the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast that was and is not.”

  • BBE

    “The beast which you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the great deep, and to go into destruction. And those who are on the earth, whose names have not been put in the book of life from the first, will be full of wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and still will be.”

Revelation 17 — Context

5

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9

And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10

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.

11

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Revelation 17:8 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Revelation 17:8 say?
Revelation 17:8 in the King James Version with Apocrypha reads: “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
Where is Revelation 17:8 in the Bible?
Revelation 17:8 is found in the New Testament, in the book of Revelation, chapter 17, verse 8.
Who wrote Revelation?
Revelation is traditionally attributed to John (traditionally John the Apostle, exiled on Patmos). It was written c. AD 95.
What is the book of Revelation about?
Revelation is the unveiling of Jesus Christ — risen, reigning, returning. Through vivid, symbolic visions it shows the church's suffering, Christ's victory, the judgment of evil, and the new heavens and new earth where God dwells with his people forever. The Bible's grand finale.
What are the major themes of Revelation?
Revelation explores themes including Christ Victorious, Judgment, Worship, Endurance, New Creation. These themes shape the meaning and context of Revelation 17:8.
What translation should I read Revelation 17:8 in?
Revelation 17:8 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Revelation 17:8?
Revelation 17:8 reads (KJVA): “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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