NT Text: Revelation 18:6
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme + Analogy
Significance: Psalm 137:8 pronounces, "O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us." Revelation 18:6 echoes this lex talionis principle: "Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup." Both texts invoke the principle of proportionate retribution against Babylon for her treatment of God's people. The Psalmist's imprecation, born from the anguish of exile, receives its eschatological answer in the bowl judgments. The escalation from "repay" to "double" intensifies the principle — eschatological Babylon's guilt exceeds historical Babylon's. This allusion validates the imprecatory Psalms by showing that their cries for justice find fulfillment in God's final judgment.