American Standard Version
Revelation 18:17
17for in one hour so great riches is made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any whither, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood afar off,
Revelation 18:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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,
- New International Version (NIV)In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ “Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste." And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off
- New King James Version (NKJV)For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance
Context of Revelation 18:17
15The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; 16saying, Woe, woe, the great city, she that was arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearl! for in one hour so great riches is made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any whither, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood afar off, 18and cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city? 19And 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.
Read all of Revelation 18Revelation 18:17 word by word
ὅτι μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος.¶ Καὶ πᾶς κυβερνήτης καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον πλέων καὶ ναῦται καὶ ὅσοι τὴν θάλασσαν ἐργάζονται ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ἔστησανRead the interlinear
Cross-references for Revelation 18:17
- Revelation 18:10standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
- Isaiah 47:9but these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood; in their full measure shall they come upon thee, in the multitude of thy sorceries, and the great abundance of thine enchantments.
- Jeremiah 51:8Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: wail for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
- Lamentations 4:6For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, That was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were laid upon her.
- Revelation 18:11And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more;
- Isaiah 23:14Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for your stronghold is laid waste.
- Ezekiel 27:27Thy riches, and thy wares, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the dealers in thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, with all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy ruin.
- Jonah 1:6So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
Commentaries on Revelation 18:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Every shipmaster - Captains of vessels; some think pilots are meant, and this is most likely to be the meaning of the original word . This description appears to be at least partly taken from Ezekiel 27:26-28. And all the company in ships - ̔ ̔· The crowd or passengers aboard. But the best MSS, and versions have ̔ , those who sail from place to place, or such as stop at particular places on the coast, without performing the whole voyage. This sufficiently…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17For in one hour - In a very brief period - so short, that it seemed to them to be but one hour. In the prediction Revelation 18:8, it is said that it would be “in one day” (see the notes on that place); here it is said that, to the on-lookers, it seemed to be but an hour. There is no inconsistency, therefore, between the two statements. So great riches is come to nought - All the accumulated wealth of so great and rich a city. This should have been united…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. 17-19every shipmaster: Seafarers sing the third lament (see study note on Revelation 18:9–19). They mourn the breakdown of communication and transportation. During Julius Caesar's reign, the Mediterranean was cleared of pirates, and trade flourished under Roman law enforcement. The quick loss of Roman authority would disrupt the trade system.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. is come to naught--Greek, "is desolated." shipmaster--Greek, "steersman," or "pilot." all the company in ships--A, C, Vulgate, and Syriac read, "Every one who saileth to a place" (B has "... to the place"), every voyager. Vessels were freighted with pilgrims to various shrines, so that in one month (A.D. 1300) two hundred thousand pilgrims were counted in Rome [D'Aaubigne, Histoire de la Reformation]: a source of gain, not only to the Papal see, but…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
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
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries