And I gave her space to repent of her fornication,.... Of idolatry. This may have respect to the time of the witnesses, the Waldenses, and others, who bore a testimony against the Romish idolatry, and reproved for it, and denounced the judgment of God in case of impenitence; and as these things were repeated time after time, this may be called a space given to repent in; just as Jezebel had a space given her to repent in, from the time that Elijah declared the word of the Lord, that the dogs should eat her: so the Jews say of the old world, that God gave them bwvl Nmz, "space to repent", but they repented not, as here:and she repented not; see Re 9:20; for the time for, and means leading to repentance may be given, yet if the grace of repentance itself is not given, men, either particular persons, or whole bodies of men, will never repent of their sins.
The Alexandrian copy, Complutensian, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, read, "and she would not repent". Juchasin, fol. 7.