Revelation 18:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

NIV: "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore—

NASB: And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more—

CSB: The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer—

NLT: The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.

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

NKJV: “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:

Chapter 17 discussed the fall of a "religious Babylon," while this passage uses the same name for an ungodly political and economic system. When the "city" of Babylon—either a literal single city or a reference to an entire nation—collapses in sudden judgment, it means catastrophe for the wealthy rulers of earth. Merchants around the world also mourn the fall of Babylon. What troubles them is the loss of a thriving market.

Now that Babylon is just a pile of ashes, no one remains to purchase their goods. They mourn the loss of money more than the loss of life. Crass materialism characterizes them. Their main concern is the bottom line. The apostle James addressed unscrupulous businessmen in his epistle. He wrote: "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you…Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person" (James 5:1–6).

The objects of James' accusations typify the merchants in the tribulation. Whatever loss of life accompanies the fall of Babylon, these men are primarily grieved over their loss of business.

Revelation 18:9–20 reports the reactions of kings, merchants, and seafarers to the fall of Babylon. While the fall of ''religious Babylon'' in chapter 17 was un-mourned, these men will passionately lament the demise of ''political Babylon.'' Ezekiel 26:15–21 records similar lamenting at the demise of Tyre. Realted passages such as Revelation chapter 16 described the bowl judgments directed at the beast and his kingdom. Jesus warned about the folly of building one's life on material things instead of on his Word (Matthew 6:19–24; 7:24–27). Paul and James did the same (1 Timothy 6:3–10, 17–19; James 5:1–6). Revelation 19:11–21 reveals the destructive end of the beast and his followers at the return of Jesus to the earth.

A glorious angel announces the fall of Babylon, here used to name a dwelling place for demons and the source of corrupt commercialism. Another angel summons believers to get out of Babylon and avoid being caught up in the judgment for her sins. God is ready to punish Babylon for extensive wickedness. He promises to burn the city with fire. The kings of the earth mourn Babylon's demise, and they keep a safe distance from her as she burns. Merchants, too, weep because no one can purchase cargo from her and profit from selling her goods. Like the kings, the merchants try to put distance between themselves and Babylon for fear of sharing her destructive fate. Their mourning is intense. They throw dust on their heads, weep, mourn, and lament how quickly she fell from prominence and prosperity to a wasteful state. A mighty angel announces Babylon's doom and desolation. The city that once included renowned merchants, deceived the nations, and martyred believers, is now shattered into silence and desolation.

Revelation 18:1–8 contains a glorious angel's pronouncement of doom on Babylon. This Babylon here appears to be a literal physical city, whereas the Babylon described in chapter 17 is a corrupt religious system. The Babylon of chapter 17 was associated with a political system but was not the political power. The Babylon of chapter 18 is the center of a demonic political, commercial, and economic system. The fall of Babylon parallels what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1–29). Religious Babylon falls in the middle of the tribulation to the delight of kings. Commercial Babylon falls at the end of the tribulation, and kings lament her fall.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''