Ezekiel 27:35-36

27:35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you,

and their kings are horribly afraid – their faces are troubled.

27:36 The traders among the peoples hiss at you;

you have become a horror, and will be no more.’”

Psalms 76:12

76:12 He humbles princes; ¹ 

the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. ² 

Isaiah 14:16-19

14:16 Those who see you stare at you,

they look at you carefully, thinking: ³ 

“Is this the man who shook the earth,

the one who made kingdoms tremble?

14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,

who ruined its ⁴  cities,

and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ ⁵ 

14:18 ⁶ As for all the kings of the nations,

all of them ⁷  lie down in splendor, ⁸ 

each in his own tomb. ⁹ 

14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave

like a shoot that is thrown away. ¹⁰ 

You lie among ¹¹  the slain,

among those who have been slashed by the sword,

among those headed for ¹²  the stones of the pit, ¹³ 

as if you were a mangled corpse. ¹⁴ 

Revelation 18:9-10

18:9 Then ¹⁵  the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury ¹⁶  with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. ¹⁷  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 ¹⁸  has come!”

Revelation 18:15-19

18:15 The merchants who sold ¹⁹  these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep ²⁰  and mourn, 18:16 saying,

“Woe, woe, O great city –

dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, ²¹ 

and adorned with gold, ²²  precious stones, and pearls –

18:17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!” ²³ 

And every ship’s captain, ²⁴  and all who sail along the coast ²⁵  – seamen, and all who ²⁶  make their living from the sea, stood a long way off 18:18 and began to shout ²⁷  when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, ²⁸  “Who is like the great city?” 18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, ²⁹ 

“Woe, Woe, O great city –

in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth –

because in a single hour she has been destroyed!” ³⁰ 

[76:12]  ¹ tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.

[76:12]  ² tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”

[14:16]  ³ tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.

[14:17]  ⁴ tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.

[14:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.

[14:18]  ⁶ sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.

[14:18]  ⁷ tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a.

[14:18]  ⁸ sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.

[14:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.

[14:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”

[14:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “are clothed with.”

[14:19]  ¹² tn Heb “those going down to.”

[14:19]  ¹³ tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.

[14:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.

[18:9]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[18:9]  ¹⁶ tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”

[18:9]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “from the burning of her.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burns her up,” see L&N 14.63.

[18:10]  ¹⁸ 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.”

[18:15]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the merchants [sellers] of these things.”

[18:15]  ²⁰ tn Grk “her torment, weeping.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation by supplying the words “They will” here.

[18:16]  ²¹ tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.

[18:16]  ²² tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).

[18:17]  ²³ tn On ἠρημώθη (hrhmwqh) L&N 20.41 states, “to suffer destruction, with the implication of being deserted and abandoned – ‘to be destroyed, to suffer destruction, to suffer desolation.’ ἐρημόομαι: μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος ‘such great wealth has been destroyed within a single hour’ Re 18:17.”

[18:17]  ²⁴ tn On κυβερνήτης (kubernhth") BDAG 574 s.v. 1 states, “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster, lit. Rv 18:17.”

[18:17]  ²⁵ tn Or perhaps, “everyone who sails as a passenger.” On πλέων (plewn) BDAG 825 s.v. πλέω states, “πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον πλέων everyone who sails to a place = seafarer, sea traveler…Rv 18:17. The vv.ll.…have led to various interpretations. Some render: everyone who sails along the coast…See EbNestle, Einführung in das Griech. NT 1909, 182; AFridrichsen, K. Hum. Vetensk.-Samf. i Upps. Årsb. ’43, 31 note ὁ ἐπίτοπον πλέων=one who sails occasionally, a passenger. – S. also IHeikel, StKr 106, ’34/’35, 317).”

[18:17]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and as many as.”

[18:18]  ²⁷ tn Here the imperfect ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated ingressively.

[18:18]  ²⁸ tn Grk “from the burning of her, saying.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burned her up,” see L&N 14.63. Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.

[18:19]  ²⁹ tn Grk “with weeping and mourning, saying.” Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.

[18:19]  ³⁰ tn On ἡρημώθη (Jhrhmwqh) L&N 20.41 states, “to suffer destruction, with the implication of being deserted and abandoned – ‘to be destroyed, to suffer destruction, to suffer desolation.’ ἐρημόομαι: μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος ‘such great wealth has been destroyed within a single hour’ Re 18:17.”