18:1 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance. 1 18:2 He 2 shouted with a powerful voice:
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!
She 3 has become a lair for demons,
a haunt 4 for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detested beast. 5
18:3 For all the nations 6 have fallen 7 from
the wine of her immoral passion, 8
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.” 9
18:4 Then 10 I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, 18:5 because her sins have piled 11 up all the way to heaven 12 and God has remembered 13 her crimes. 14 18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; 15 pay her back double 16 corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 18:7 As much as 17 she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, 18 to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 19 ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues 20 in a single day: disease, 21 mourning, 22 and famine, and she will be burned down 23 with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”
18:9 Then 24 the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury 25 with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. 26 18:10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,
“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom 27 has come!”
1 tn Grk “glory”; but often in the sense of splendor, brightness, or radiance (see L&N 14.49).
2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style
3 tn Or “It” (the subject is embedded in the verb in Greek; the verb only indicates that it is third person). Since the city has been personified as the great prostitute, the feminine pronoun was used in the translation.
4 tn Here BDAG 1067 s.v. φυλακή 3 states, “a place where guarding is done, prison…Of the nether world or its place of punishment (πνεῦμα 2 and 4c) 1 Pt 3:19 (BReicke, The Disobedient Spirits and Christian Baptism ’46, 116f). It is in a φ. in the latter sense that Satan will be rendered harmless during the millennium Rv 20:7. The fallen city of Babylon becomes a φυλακή haunt for all kinds of unclean spirits and birds 18:2ab.”
5 tc There are several problems in this verse. It seems that according to the ms evidence the first two phrases (i.e., “and a haunt for every unclean spirit, and a haunt for every unclean bird” [καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς ὀρνέου ἀκαθάρτου, kai fulakh panto" pneumato" akaqartou kai fulakh panto" orneou akaqartou]) are to be regarded as authentic, though there are some ms discrepancies. The similar beginnings (καὶ φυλακὴ παντός) and endings (ἀκαθάρτου) of each phrase would easily account for some
6 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
7 tc ‡ Several
8 tn See the notes on the words “passion” in Rev 14:8 and “wrath” in 16:19.
9 tn According to BDAG 949 s.v. στρῆνος and στρηνιάω, these terms can refer either to luxury or sensuality. In the context of Rev 18, however (as L&N 88.254 indicate) the stress is on gratification of the senses by sexual immorality, so that meaning was emphasized in the translation here.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
11 tn On ἐκολλήθησαν (ekollhqhsan) BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.a.β states, “fig. cling to = come in close contact with (cp. Ps 21:16; 43:26 ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν. The act.=‘bring into contact’ PGM 5, 457 κολλήσας τ. λίθον τῷ ὠτίῳ) ἐκολλήθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἄχρι τ. οὐρανοῦ the sins have touched the heaven = reached the sky (two exprs. are telescoped) Rv 18:5.”
12 tn Or “up to the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
13 tn That is, remembered her sins to execute judgment on them.
14 tn Or “her sins.”
15 tn The word “others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
16 tn On this term BDAG 252 s.v. διπλόω states, “to double τὰ διπλᾶ pay back double Rv 18:6.”
17 tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).
18 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
19 tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.
20 tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”
21 tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
22 tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.
23 tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.
24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
25 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
26 tn Grk “from the burning of her.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burns her up,” see L&N 14.63.
27 tn Or “judgment,” condemnation,” “punishment.” BDAG 569 s.v. κρίσις 1.a.β states, “The word oft. means judgment that goes against a person, condemnation, and the sentence that follows…ἡ κ. σου your judgment Rv 18:10.”