Revelation 18:9

Revelation 18:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
• New International Version (NIV)“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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,

Context of Revelation 18:9

7To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled and gloated in her sensuality [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that same degree impose on her torment and anguish, and mourning and grief; for in her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as a queen [on a throne] and I am not a widow, and will never, ever see mourning or experience grief.’ 8For this reason in a single day her plagues (afflictions, calamities) will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire and completely consumed; for strong and powerful is the Lord God who judges her. “And the kings and political leaders of the earth, who committed immorality and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and beat their chests [in mourning] over her when they see the smoke of her burning, 10standing a long way off, in fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, the strong city, Babylon! In a single hour your judgment has come.’ 11“And merchants of the earth will weep and grieve over her, because no one buys their cargo (goods, merchandise) anymore—

Revelation 18:9 word by word

Καὶ κλαύσουσιν καὶ κόψονται ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτῆς πορνεύσαντες καὶ στρηνιάσαντες, ὅταν βλέπωσιν τὸν καπνὸν τῆς πυρώσεως αὐτῆςRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• the kingsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the kingsβασιλεύςbasileus · kingG935
• of the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• have committed fornicationπορνεύωporneuō · to sin sexuallyG4203
• lived deliciouslyστρηνιάωstrēniaō · to revelG4763
• withμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
• herαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• shall bewailκλαίωklaiō · to weepG2799
• lamentκόπτωkoptō · to cut/mournG2875
• forἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• whenὅτανhotan · when(-ever)G3752
• they shall seeβλέπωblepō · to seeG991
• the smokeκαπνόςkapnos · smokeG2586
• burningπύρωσιςpurōsis · burningG4451

Cross-references for Revelation 18:9

• Revelation 18:3For all the nations have drunk from the wine of the passion of her [sexual] immorality, and the kings and political leaders of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth and economic power of her sensuous luxury.”
• Revelation 17:2she with whom the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality, and the inhabitants of the earth have become intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”
• Revelation 18:20Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints (God’s people) and apostles and prophets [who were martyred], because God has executed vengeance for you [through righteous judgment] upon her.”
• Psalms 58:10The [unyieldingly] righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance [of God]; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
• Jeremiah 50:46At the shout, “Babylon has been seized!” the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.
• Ezekiel 26:16Then all the princes of the sea will go down from their thrones and remove their robes and take off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble again and again, and be appalled at you.
• Ezekiel 32:9“I will also put fear into the hearts of many peoples when I bring your destruction [and captivity] among the nations, into countries which you have not known.
• Daniel 4:14He shouted aloud and said this: “Cut down the tree and cut off its branches; Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit; Let the living creatures run from under it And the birds fly from its branches.
• Zechariah 11:2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, Because the magnificent trees have been destroyed; Wail, O oaks of Bashan, For the inaccessible forest [on the steep mountainside] has come down.
• Revelation 18:18and exclaimed as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What could be compared to the great city?’
• Revelation 14:11And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night—those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
• Revelation 19:3And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke shall ascend forever and ever.”
• Genesis 19:28and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley [of the Dead Sea]; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a kiln (pottery furnace).
• Deuteronomy 29:23‘The whole land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it; it is like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and wrath.’
• Isaiah 13:19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
• Isaiah 30:33For Topheth [in Hinnom] has long been ready; Indeed, it has been prepared for the [Assyrian] king. He has made it deep and wide, A pit of fire with plenty of wood; The breath of the Lord, like a river of brimstone (blazing sulfur), kindles and fans it.

Commentaries on Revelation 18:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9The kings of the earth - Those who copied her superstitions and adopted her idolatries.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9And the kings of the earth - This verse commences the description of the lamentation over the fall of the mystical Babylon (see the Analysis of the chapter). Who have committed fornication - That is, who have been seduced by her from the true God, and have been led into practical idolatry. See the notes on Revelation 14:8. The kings of the earth seem to be represented as among the chief mourners, because they had derived important aid from the power which…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-19Verses 9-19 The mourners had shared Babylon's sensual pleasures, and gained by her wealth and trade. The kings of the earth, whom she flattered into idolatry, allowing them to be tyrannical over their subjects, while obedient to her; and the merchants, those who trafficked for her indulgences, pardons, and honours; these mourn. Babylon's friends partook her sinful pleasures and profits, but are not willing to share her plagues. The spirit of antichrist is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-10The kings of the world mourn the loss of the luxury they gained from their alliance with the wicked city.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. lived deliciously--Greek, "luxuriated." The faithless Church, instead of reproving, connived at the self-indulgent luxury of the great men of this world, and sanctioned it by her own practice. Contrast the world's rejoicing over the dead bodies of the two witnesses (Re 11:10) who had tormented it by their faithfulness, with its lamentations over the harlot who had made the way to heaven smooth, and had been found a useful tool in keeping subjects in…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 18:9

• Adultery

In the dictionaries

• Fill
• Foul
• Mighty
• Thy
• Crime; Crimes
• Deliciously
• Israel, History of
• Israel, Religion of
• Judges, Period of
• Lion

Commentaries on Revelation 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings