Revelation 18:17-24

Context

18:17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!”¹

And every ship’s captain,² and all who sail along the coast³ – seamen, and all who⁴ make their living from the sea, stood a long way off 18:18 and began to shout⁵ when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up,⁶ “Who is like the great city?” 18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning,⁷

“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!”⁸

18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,

and you saints and apostles and prophets,

for God has pronounced judgment⁹ against her on your behalf!)¹⁰

18:21 Then¹¹ one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,

“With this kind of sudden violent force¹²

Babylon the great city will be thrown down¹³

and it will never be found again!

18:22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians,

flute players, and trumpeters

will never be heard in you¹⁴ again.

No¹⁵ craftsman¹⁶ who practices any trade

will ever be found in you again;

the noise of a mill¹⁷ will never be heard in you again.

18:23 Even the light from a lamp

will never shine in you again!

The voices of the bridegroom and his bride

will never be heard in you again.

For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,

because all the nations¹⁸ were deceived by your magic spells!¹⁹

18:24 The²⁰ blood of the saints and prophets was found in her,²¹

along with the blood²² of all those who had been killed on the earth.”

[18:17] ¹tn 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] ²tn 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] ³tn 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] ⁴tn Grk “and as many as.”

[18:18] ⁵tn Here the imperfect ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated ingressively.

[18:18] ⁶tn 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] ⁷tn Grk “with weeping and mourning, saying.” Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.

[18:19] ⁸tn 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.”

[18:20] ⁹tn On the phrase “pronounced judgment” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 4.b states, “The OT is the source of the expr. κρίνειν τὸ κρ. (cp. Zech 7:9; 8:16; Ezk 44:24) ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς God has pronounced judgment for you against her or God has pronounced on her the judgment she wished to impose on you (HHoltzmann, Hdb. 1893 ad loc.) Rv 18:20.”

[18:20] ¹⁰tn Grk “God has judged a judgment of you of her.” Verse 20 is set in parentheses because in it the saints, etc. are addressed directly in the second person.

[18:21] ¹¹tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[18:21] ¹²tn On ὅρμημα ({ormhma) BDAG 724 s.v. states, “violent rush, onset ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλών Babylon will be thrown down with violence Rv 18:21.” L&N 68.82 refers to the suddenness of the force or violence.

[18:21] ¹³sn Thrown down is a play on both the words and the action. The angel’s action with the stone illustrates the kind of sudden violent force with which the city will be overthrown.

[18:22] ¹⁴tn The shift to a second person pronoun here corresponds to the Greek text.

[18:22] ¹⁵tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:22] ¹⁶tn On this term BDAG 1001 s.v. τεχνίτης states, “craftsperson, artisan, designer…Of a silversmith Ac 19:24, 25 v.l., 38….Of a potter 2 Cl 8:2 (metaph., cp. Ath. 15:2). πᾶς τεχνίτης πάσης τέχνης Rv 18:22.”

[18:22] ¹⁷tn This is a different Greek word (μύλος, mulos) from the one for the millstone in v. 21 (μύλινος, mulinos). See L&N 7.68.

[18:23] ¹⁸tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[18:23] ¹⁹tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”

[18:24] ²⁰tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:24] ²¹tn The shift in pronouns from second to third person corresponds to the Greek text.

[18:24] ²²tn Grk “and of all.” The phrase “along with the blood” has been repeated from the previous clause for stylistic reasons.