Revelation 18:19
17 For 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,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
And 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.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And 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.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”
- KJV
- And 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.
- WEB
- They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!’ For she is made desolate in one hour.
- ASV
- And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
- DARBY
- and cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping and grieving, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, in which all that had ships in the sea were enriched through her costliness! for in one hour she has been made desolate.
- BLB
- And they cast dust upon their heads, and they were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying: “Woe, woe, the great city, in which all those having ships in the sea became rich through her wealth! For in one hour she was brought to desolation.”
- ÅB
- Og de kastet støv på sine hoder og ropte med gråt og sorg og sa: Ve, ve den store by, hvor alle som har skip i sjøen, er blitt rike av dens kostbarheter, at den er lagt øde i en time!
- OTB
- De skal kaste støv på hodene sine og rope, gråtende og sørgende, og si:
'Ve, ve, den store byen,
hvor alle som hadde skip på havet ble rike av hennes rikdom!
For på én time er hun lagt øde!' - B1930
- Og de kastet støv på sine hoder og ropte med gråt og sorg og sa: Ve, ve den store by, hvor alle som har skib i sjøen, er blitt rike av dens kostbarheter, at den er lagt øde i en time!
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Revelation 18:10
Standing 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.
Read in contextJoshua 7:6
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
Read in contextEzekiel 27:30
And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
Read in contextRevelation 18:3
For 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.
Read in contextJob 2:12
And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
Read in contextRevelation 18:8
Therefore 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.
Read in context1 Samuel 4:12
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
Read in contextRevelation 18:15–17
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Read in context