μεγάλη

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 μεγάλη

   me-GA-lê

   great
2. sentence🔊 καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς

   KAI e-PI to ME-to-pon au-TÊS O-no-ma ge-gram-ME-non my-STÊ-ri-on ba-by-LÔN hê me-GA-lê hê MÊ-têr tôn por-NÔN KAI tôn bde-lyG-MA-tōn tês gês

   and upon the forehead of her name written mystery Babylon the great the mother of the prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth

Exegesis

The following sequence, mysterion Babylōn hē megalē hē mētēr tōn pornōn kai tōn bdelygmatōn tēs gēs {μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς | mystḗrion Babylōn hē megálē hē mḗtēr tōn pornōn kai tōn bdelygmatōn tēs gēs}, functions as the content of the written name. The initial term mysterion stands in apposition to onoma, framing the entire title as something with a hidden or symbolic dimension rather than a straightforward label. Babylōn hē megalē is a nominal phrase where the article–noun–adjective pattern, with the adjective in predicate position, heightens the grandeur and notoriety of this symbolic city. The repeated article hē before mētēr marks a further appositional title, “the mother,” which is then expanded by a genitive chain: tōn pornōn kai tōn bdelygmatōn tēs gēs. The coordinated genitives tōn pornōn and tōn bdelygmatōn portray this figure as the progenitor or source of pervasive sexual and idolatrous corruption, while the final genitive tēs gēs ‘of the earth’ universalizes the scope of her influence. In translation, the implied copula “was” is supplied for clarity, the name is set off in quotation marks to reflect its titular nature, and capitalization of key elements like “Mystery” and “Babylon the Great” conveys the formal, emblematic quality of the inscription.