THEOSISAndrew of Caesarea
For it will be useless to buy these things and misuse them when those who live in power and satiety perish.
Revelation 18:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers
And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her: for no man shall buy their merchandise any more.
και οι εμποροι της γης κλαυσουσιν κλαιουσιν και πενθησουσιν πενθουσιν επ αυτη οτι τον γομον αυτων ουδεις αγοραζει ουκετι
The Church Fathers on this verse
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Beda Venerabilis
They mourn the loss of all the spectacles of the world and of everything pleasant to the bodily senses or useful for outward use. Various metals belong to sight, fragrances to smell, ointments to touch, and wine, wheat, and oil to taste. Moreover, when they speak of beasts of burden and slaves, they lament that they have lost other human assistance. As I have just said, that lament can be understood in two ways. Either they perish together with this dying world, or those wretched ones who outlive those who left worldly joys behind in death weep as though mourning the destruction of their own city.
Borodin P.M.
Unrestrained and luxurious life bore the fruits that became the cause of Babylon's fall. Perhaps, in an allegorical sense, the sea is the present life, shaken by many disturbances. Those trading in it are all who feel at home in this life as fish do in water.
Cross references
Passages read together with this verse.
- Rev 18:3Because 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 have been made rich by the power of her delicacies.
- Rev 18:23And the light of the lamp shall shine no more at all in thee: and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth: for all nations have been deceived by thy enchantments.
- Ezek 27:27Thy riches, and thy treasures, and thy manifold furniture, thy mariners, and thy pilots, who kept thy goods, and were chief over thy people: thy men of war also, that were in thee, with all thy multitude that is in the midst of thee: shall fall in the heart of the sea in the day of thy ruin.
- Ezek 27:36The merchants of people have hissed at thee: thou art brought to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more.
- Rev 18:20Rejoice over her, thou heaven and ye holy apostles and prophets. For God hath judged your judgment on her.
- Rev 13:16And he shall make all, both little and great, rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, to have a character in their right hand or on their foreheads:
- Rev 13:17And that no man might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
- Ezek 26:17And taking up a lamentation over thee, they shall say to thee: How art thou fallen, that dwellest in the sea, renowned city that wast strong in the sea, with thy inhabitants whom all did dread?
The original text
Greek text, 17 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
- ΚαὶkaiandG2532 · καί
- οἱhoitheG3588 · ὁ
- ἔμποροιemporoia merchantG1713 · ἔμπορος
- τῆςtēstheG3588 · ὁ
- γῆςgēsthe earthG1093 · γῆ
- κλαίουσινklaiousinI weepG2799 · κλαίω
- καὶkaiandG2532 · καί
- πενθοῦσινpenthousinI mournG3996 · πενθέω
- ἐπ᾽eponG1909 · ἐπί
- αὐτήνautēnheG846 · αὐτός
- ὅτιhotithatG3754 · ὅτι
- τὸνtontheG3588 · ὁ
- γόμονgomona cargoG1117 · γόμος
- αὐτῶνautōnheG846 · αὐτός
- οὐδεὶςoudeisno oneG3762 · οὐδείς
- ἀγοράζειagorazeiI buyG59 · ἀγοράζω
- οὐκέτιouketino longerG3765 · οὐκέτι