This has much in common with the lament for Tyre in Ezek 26 and 27. Babylon is described as a city of power and of great wealth, in one hour she loses both of these. See also Isa 23:1-18 for a lament over Tyre. Notice the triple emphasis given by the kings, merchants and seamen of the one hour of her doom and ruination, verses 10, 17, 19, this is another example of the use of three in describing the structure of the city, cf. 11:8, 16:19 (Milligan). Because these people have based their life and their hope on the woman who represents the wealth and pleasures of this life, when she is destroyed their hope has gone and therefore they mourn her passing. These people were in love with the world and the things of this world (see 18:12 ff.) and therefore mourn its passing (1 John 2:15-17), this is in contrast to the saints who rejoice over her destruction because the world persecuted her (18:20, 19:2).
The kings mourn their loss of power and luxury; the merchants and seamen mourn their loss of wealth through trading in the things of the world. Notice the merchants carry out their trade over the land while the seamen carry out their trade by the sea, thus covering the whole world. Jesus warns us that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15 ff.).
2.1.1. The kings of the earth mourn (18:9).
Rev 18:9 "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
Rev 18:9 "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
"'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'
v9 - "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. - The kings shared her luxury which is now destroyed therefore they weep and mourn over her (cf. Ezek 26:16, 27:35). The smoke of her burning arises because she is destroyed by fire, see previous verse and 17:16. John uses a similar expression to 'smoke of her burning' to describe the torment of those who worship the beast, 14:11. In 19:3 the saints, apostles and prophets who had been persecuted by her shout 'Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever'. Note that the beast, false prophet and the dragon are cast into the lake of fire, 20:10.
v9 - "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. - The kings shared her luxury which is now destroyed therefore they weep and mourn over her (cf. Ezek 26:16, 27:35). The smoke of her burning arises because she is destroyed by fire, see previous verse and 17:16. John uses a similar expression to 'smoke of her burning' to describe the torment of those who worship the beast, 14:11. In 19:3 the saints, apostles and prophets who had been persecuted by her shout 'Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever'. Note that the beast, false prophet and the dragon are cast into the lake of fire, 20:10.
v10 - Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' - The kings mourn for their loss of power. Without her their power has gone. They are terrified because their security is gone, they know they are next because they committed adultery with her. They had committed adultery with her and were thus united to her in her fate (xxxx), cf. those who committed adultery with Jezebel who share her fate unless they repent of her ways (2:20-23). The kings of the earth are dispatched later (19:19-21).
Babylon has lost her power in one hour which is the same time that the ten kings receive authority as kings along with the beast (17:12). Their sorrow is worldly sorrow not godly sorrow which leads to repentance (2 Cor 7:10), their sorrow is totally self centred. Caird comments that the one hour of persecution (17:12) is balance by the one hour of retribution, this assumes that the ten kings are the same as the kings of the earth, it should also be born in mind that the ten kings help destroy the whore so they are unlikely to be the same group. Consider the lament over the destruction of Egypt (Ezek 32:10) 'I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you, and their kings will shudder with horror because of you when I brandish my sword before them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life'.
2.1.2. The merchants mourn (18:11).
11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more-- 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.
11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more-- 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.
14 "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendour have vanished, never to be recovered.' 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out:
"'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!'
v11-13 there are seven categories of goods, most of which are luxuries:
treasures: gold, silver, precious stones and pearls
fine fabrics: fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth
fancy building materials: every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble
spices etc.: cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense
Foods: of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat;
Livestock: cattle and sheep; horses and carriages;
Slaves: and bodies and souls of men
treasures: gold, silver, precious stones and pearls
fine fabrics: fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth
fancy building materials: every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble
spices etc.: cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense
Foods: of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat;
Livestock: cattle and sheep; horses and carriages;
Slaves: and bodies and souls of men
v11 - "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more-- The merchants mourn not over Babylon but because they have lost their trade. There follows a seven-fold list of goods which the merchants traded in.
v12 - cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; - The woman was decorated with many of these things, she was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls, 17:4, compare with her description given by the merchants in Rev 18:16 'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!' They traded in pearls but missed the pearl of great price that would have gained them entry to the New Jerusalem (Mat 13:45, Rev 21:21).
v12 - cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; - The woman was decorated with many of these things, she was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls, 17:4, compare with her description given by the merchants in Rev 18:16 'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!' They traded in pearls but missed the pearl of great price that would have gained them entry to the New Jerusalem (Mat 13:45, Rev 21:21).
v13 - cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. - Wine and oil were not damaged by the third seal (6:6) wheat was scarce, Barley is not traded by the merchants because it is poor mans food, it is not a luxury.
v14 - "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendour have vanished, never to be recovered.' - The fruit you longed for is likely to be those things listed in the previous verses. They note the finality of her destruction.
v15 - The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn - They mourn because they have lost their source of wealth, 18:3. Her torment is to be burned by fire, 17;16, 18:8, 9. They stand far off from her at a safe distance from her burning as did the kings. They could be next and join in her punishment since they too grew rich from her luxury.
v16 - and cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! - In 17:4 we find that the woman was also dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. These items were also part of their cargoes.
v17 - In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' - Her wealth described in the previous verse has been ruined in a short time, one hour. cf. 18:10 the kings mourn, 18:19 the seamen mourn, the one hour corresponds to the period of the authority of the ten kings along with the beast (17:12) who bring her to ruin (17:16).
2.1.3. The sea captains mourn (18:17).
"Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
"Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
"'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'"
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'"
v17 - Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. - The seamen are mentioned here because they compliment those who trade over land, the merchants, thus together they trade by land and sea over the whole world, which is the devil's kingdom (But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! 12:12). They mourn as do the merchants because they have lost their source of wealth, see Ezek 27:25. They also like the kings and merchants stand afar off terrified by her torment.
v18 - When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' - The kings of the earth also saw the smoke of her burning (18:9). See also the lament over Tyre in Ezek 27:32.
v19 - They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin! - Taken from the lament over Tyre in Ezek 27:30. They weep and mourn their loss of wealth rather than over their sins.
v20 - Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'" - Compare with Jer 51:48 'Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her," declares the LORD'. In contrast to the mourning of the kings, merchants and sea captains those in heaven and God's people in heaven are called to rejoice over her because God has judged her for the way she treated the saints while they were on earth.
v20 - Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'" - Compare with Jer 51:48 'Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her," declares the LORD'. In contrast to the mourning of the kings, merchants and sea captains those in heaven and God's people in heaven are called to rejoice over her because God has judged her for the way she treated the saints while they were on earth.
In the NIV the quotation marks seem to be misplaced here but the speaker is most likely to still be the voice from heaven in verse 4. This is just an initial command for those in heaven to rejoice over her destruction, there follows a description of her destruction and after this in, 19:1, heaven erupts with a great roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting praise to God that he has condemned the great prostitute and avenged the blood of his servants.
There is similar rejoicing in heaven when Satan is expelled 12:12. It is those in heaven who have been persecuted by the great city, their blood has been avenged, and so they are to rejoice. She had killed the saints, Rev 17:6 and prophets 18:24, God has at last vindicated His servants the martyrs when they cried out for justice and their blood to be avenged, Rev 6:9, 19:2. This is the only time that God's apostles are mentioned in the book, they are included because they have been persecuted as well as the saints and prophets (Luke 11:49, Rev 18:24). Prophets are mentioned more often than apostles because there is a stronger tradition of prophets being persecuted (Mat 5:12). Both apostle and prophet is a church ministry (1 Cor 12:28). God has treated her the same way she treated His people, this principle is also seen in 18:6, 'Give back to her as she has given', it is the principle of sowing and reaping (Gal 6:7).