Revelation 18:14-17
Context18:14 (The ripe fruit 1 you greatly desired 2
has gone from you,
and all your luxury 3 and splendor 4
have gone from you –
they will never ever be found again!) 5
18:15 The merchants who sold 6 these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep 7 and mourn, 18:16 saying,
“Woe, woe, O great city –
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, 8
and adorned with gold, 9 precious stones, and pearls –
18:17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!” 10
And every ship’s captain, 11 and all who sail along the coast 12 – seamen, and all who 13 make their living from the sea, stood a long way off
1 tn On ὀπώρα (opwra) L&N 3.34 states, “ἡ ὀπώρα σου τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ψυχῆς ‘the ripe fruit for which you longed’ Re 18:14. In this one occurrence of ὀπώρα in the NT, ‘ripe fruit’ is to be understood in a figurative sense of ‘good things.’”
2 tn Grk “you desired in your soul.”
3 tn On λιπαρός (liparo") BDAG 597 s.v. states, “luxury Rv 18:14.”
4 tn On τὰ λαμπρά (ta lampra) BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπρός 4 states, “splendor…in which a rich man takes delight (cp. Jos., Ant. 12, 220 δωρεὰς δοὺς λαμπράς) Rv 18:14.”
5 tn Verse 14 is set in parentheses because in it the city, Babylon, is addressed directly in second person.
sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.
6 tn Grk “the merchants [sellers] of these things.”
7 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.
8 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
9 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
10 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.”
11 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.”
12 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).”
13 tn Grk “and as many as.”