Charles Ellicott Commentary Revelation 17:15

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." — Revelation 17:15 (ASV)

And he said to me . . .—More accurately, And he (that is, the angel mentioned in Revelation 17:1) says, etc. The waters on which the harlot sits are explained as multitudes.

Therefore, we have a key to the imagery used here and elsewhere (Revelation 13:1). The wild beast and the harlot both draw much of their power from the people.

The easily-moved passions or the fickle crowd, its generous, unreasoning impulses, are used by subtle and seductive enemies. “Men never need so much to be theocratic as when they are most democratic,” said De Tocqueville.

They need to recognize God as their King, especially then, when their newly discovered strength is likely to become the tool of unscrupulous ambition.