Naravist

The Revelation · New Testament

Revelation 18

Revelation 18: the fall of Babylon and three laments

General context

An angel with great power comes down and lights the earth with his glory, crying that Babylon the great is fallen and has become a dwelling for devils and unclean birds, and naming what the nations, the kings and the merchants had from her. Another voice from heaven calls people to come out of her so as not to share her sins or her plagues, says her sins have reached to heaven, and calls for her to be repaid double in the cup she filled. Her own words are quoted, that she sits a queen and will see no sorrow, and the answer is that her plagues come in one day. Three groups then mourn in turn. The kings of the earth stand afar off and lament at the smoke of her burning. The merchants weep because no one buys their goods, and the chapter prints their cargo list in full, ending with slaves and the souls of men. The shipmasters and sailors stand afar off, cast dust on their heads and cry out. A mighty angel throws a millstone into the sea as a sign, and lists the sounds that will be heard in her no more.

Cited passages: Revelation 18:1, Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:3, Revelation 18:4, Revelation 18:5, Revelation 18:6, Revelation 18:7, Revelation 18:8, Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:11, Revelation 18:12, Revelation 18:13, Revelation 18:15, Revelation 18:17, Revelation 18:19, Revelation 18:20, Revelation 18:21, Revelation 18:22, Revelation 18:23, Revelation 18:24

Revelation 18 (KJV)

1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

7How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

8Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

15The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

16And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

17For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

19And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

22And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The city is named only as Babylon and described as "that great city Babylon, that mighty city". The text gives it no country, ruler, river or region, and says nothing about where it stands. The charges against it are stated in the chapter itself: fornication with the kings of the earth, merchants made rich by her, deception of nations by sorceries, and that "in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth". Her own claim is quoted as her speech, "I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow". The cargo list is printed in full and ends with "slaves, and souls of men", which the text names as merchandise alongside the goods. Timing is given only in relative terms: plagues "in one day", and ruin "in one hour" three times over. No date, reign or year appears.

Cited passages: Revelation 18:3, Revelation 18:7, Revelation 18:8, Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:13, Revelation 18:17, Revelation 18:19, Revelation 18:23, Revelation 18:24

Literary context

Almost the whole chapter is quoted speech, and it is arranged as a sequence of voices: an angel's cry, a voice from heaven, then three laments built to the same pattern. Each mourning group stands "afar off", sees the smoke or the loss, and begins with the same two words, "Alas, alas". The merchants' grief is directed at their own trade, "for no man buyeth their merchandise any more", which the text states without comment. The cargo list is the longest single inventory in the book, and its plenty is answered at the end by a run of absences, where harpers, craftsmen, a millstone, a candle and the voices of bride and bridegroom are each said to be there "no more at all". The millstone thrown into the sea is the chapter's one enacted sign, and the angel says what it means as he throws it.

Cited passages: Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:4, Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:11, Revelation 18:12, Revelation 18:16, Revelation 18:19, Revelation 18:21, Revelation 18:22, Revelation 18:23

Key moments

  1. Babylon is fallen (Revelation 18:2). An angel cries that the great city has fallen and become a haunt of unclean spirits.
  2. Come out of her (Revelation 18:4). A voice from heaven calls people out so they do not share her sins or plagues.
  3. Her own words quoted (Revelation 18:7). The city is quoted saying she sits a queen and will see no sorrow.
  4. The merchants weep (Revelation 18:11). They mourn because no one buys their merchandise any more.
  5. The cargo list ends (Revelation 18:13). The inventory of goods closes with slaves and the souls of men.
  6. A millstone cast down (Revelation 18:21). A mighty angel throws a great stone into the sea as a sign of the city's fall.
  7. Blood found in her (Revelation 18:24). The chapter ends by naming the blood of prophets and saints found in her.

For reflection

The merchants weep because their trade has ended, and the list of what they sold closes with slaves and the souls of men. What do you notice about grief that is measured entirely in lost sales?