The angel gives a prophecy about the fall of Babylon. It is spoken of as having already happened even though it had not yet happened. This was common in prophecy and emphasizes the inevitability of the coming judgment. It is also prophesied that the people will lament over the fall of Babylon. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/prophet]], [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/judge]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-apocalypticwriting]])
#### Important figures of speech in this chapter ####
##### Metaphors #####
Metaphors are frequently used in prophecy. This chapter forms a slight break in the apocalyptic style of the book of Revelation overall. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])