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,
• 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,
• New Living Translation (NLT)And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.

Context of Revelation 18:9

7Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’ 8Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. “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. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’ 11“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes 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 the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
• Revelation 17:2With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”
• Revelation 18:20“Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”
• Psalms 58:10The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
• Jeremiah 50:46At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; its cry will resound among the nations.
• Ezekiel 26:16Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled at you.
• Ezekiel 32:9I will trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among lands you have not known.
• Daniel 4:14He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
• Zechariah 11:2Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down!
• Revelation 18:18When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’
• Revelation 14:11And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
• Revelation 19:3And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
• Genesis 19:28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
• Deuteronomy 29:23The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.
• Isaiah 13:19Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Isaiah 30:33Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.

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