ISB ~ Revelation 17 v9

seven hills:A representation of Rome, the city that sprawls over seven hills, according to the writers of classical antiquity (e.g., Virgil, Aeneid 6, 783; Cicero, To Atticus 6, 5; Martial, Epigrams 4, 64). Many interpreters, ancient and modern alike, identify the harlot city with Rome on the basis of this tradition, though some see a reference to Jerusalem, noting that it, too, was said to rest on seven hills according to one rabbinic tradition (Pirqe de Rabbi Eleazar 10). Interestingly, there is reason to think that two historical referents are in view here rather than one and that Jerusalem and Rome both form part of the picture. Throughout the chapter, the apocalyptic symbolism is stacked so that the upper images (harlot-city-woman) are distinguished from the lower images (beast-hills-waters). It is thus possible to identify Jerusalem as the harlot city who joins forces with the beastly power of Rome in opposition to Christianity. See notes on Rev 17:1 and 17:16.