Revelation 18:3
in Revelation 18All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Revelation 18
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThis passage refers to three kinds of sins, and it also mentions the same number of those persons who transgress by them. It refers to avarice, which according to the apostle is also called a "servitude of idols"; licentiousness by the word fornication; and gluttony …
This site's exposition
the earth was lightened with his glory
on Revelation 18:1-3
A second angel descends with such splendor that the earth itself is lightened by his glory, a brightness answering the darkness about to fall on Babylon, and he announces her fall in the prophetic perfect, is fallen, is fallen, doubled exactly as Isaiah cried it over the first Babylon at Isaiah 21:9. The city that once glittered with purple and gold is now named a habitation of devils and a cage of every unclean bird, imagery drawn from Isaiah's own picture of ruined Babylon and Edom becoming haunts for desert creatures. Her judgment answers her crime named three ways, she made the nations drunk, she drew kings into fornication, and she made merchants rich, wine, power, and money bound together in one system.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
For from of the fury of her fornication all the nations have been drunk. By "fornication" here he means their greed and love of money; for such is the manner of prostitutes. For those in the aforesaid city have indeed grown wealthy by all the …
A commentator
Caesarius of ArlesEXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:3, HOMILY 16 · Written before 542.
proposed
[The kings of the earth fornicated] with each other. For it would be impossible for all kings to commit fornication with a single harlot. Rather, since the evil and profligate, who are members of the harlot, corrupt each other, they are said to commit fornication …
The Medieval Church2 voices
And how did the present Babylon cause the nations to drink the wine of its fornication? By becoming in every way their leader in every transgression and by sending gifts to obedient cities making their rulers enemies of truth and righteousness. It says that because …
And the merchants of the earth have become rich through the power of her luxury. Those who are called rich in sins exchange their souls in an unhappy trade for temporal abundance. For the excess of luxury makes them poor rather than rich.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
); for, though God is not obliged to give any account of his matters, yet he is pleased to do so, especially in those dispensations of providence that are most awful and tremendous.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,.... That is, all the nations of the Roman empire, the European nations, otherwise the Pagan and Mahometan nations have not; but these have, being made to drink by her, and made drunk therewith, that is, with her idolatries; See Gill on Rev 14:8. And the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; joined with her in her idolatrous worship and practices, and encouraged the same, and obliged their subjects to them in their dominions; See Gill on Rev 17:
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Babylon, the whore, is destroyed before the beast slays the two witnesses (Re 11:7), and then the beast himself is destroyed. the wine--so B, Syriac, and Coptic. But A, C, and Vulgate omit. abundance--literally, "power." delicacies--Greek, "luxury." See on 1Ti 5:11, where the Greek verb "wax wanton" is akin to the noun here.
The wine of the wrath - The punishment due to her transgressions, because they have partaken with her in her sins. See the note on Rev 14:8.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication - See the notes on Rev 14:8. This is given as a reason why this utter ruin had come upon her. She had beguiled and corrupted the nations of the earth, leading them into estrangement from God, and into pollution and sin. See the notes on Rev 9:20-21. And the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her - Spiritual adultery; that is, she has been the means of seducing them from God and leading them into sinful practices.
The words behind it
33 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὅτι | hoti | For | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἐκ | ek | of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οἴνου | oinou | wine | G3631 → | 34 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θυμοῦ | thumou | wrath | G2372 → | 18 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πορνείας | porneias | sexual immorality | G4202 → | 25 times |
| αὐτῆς | autes | of her | G846 → | 5565 times |
| πέπωκαν | pepokan | they have drunk | G4095 → | 72 times |
| πάντα | panta | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἔθνη, | ethne | nations, | G1484 → | 161 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| βασιλεῖς | basileis | kings | G935 → | 114 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς | ges | earth | G1093 → | 248 times |
| μετ᾽ | met᾽ | with | G3326 → | 461 times |
| αὐτῆς | autes | her | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐπόρνευσαν, | eporneusan | committed sexual immorality, | G4203 → | 8 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἔμποροι | emporoi | merchants | G1713 → | 5 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς | ges | earth | G1093 → | 248 times |
| ἐκ | ek | through | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τῆς | tes | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δυνάμεως | dunameos | power | G1411 → | 119 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| στρήνους | strenous | sensuality | G4764 → | |
| αὐτῆς | autes | of her | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐπλούτησαν.¶ | eploutesan | were enriched. | G4147 → | 12 times |
ὅτιFor
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἐκof
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
οἴνουwine
oinouG3631 →34 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
θυμοῦwrath
thumouG2372 →18 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
πορνείαςsexual immorality
porneiasG4202 →25 times
αὐτῆςof her
autesG846 →5565 times
πέπωκανthey have drunk
pepokanG4095 →72 times
πάνταall
pantaG3956 →1235 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
ἔθνη,nations,
ethneG1484 →161 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
βασιλεῖςkings
basileisG935 →114 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆςearth
gesG1093 →248 times
μετ᾽with
met᾽G3326 →461 times
αὐτῆςher
autesG846 →5565 times
ἐπόρνευσαν,committed sexual immorality,
eporneusanG4203 →8 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
ἔμποροιmerchants
emporoiG1713 →5 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆςearth
gesG1093 →248 times
ἐκthrough
ekG1537 →911 times
τῆςthe
tesG3588 →19766 times
δυνάμεωςpower
dunameosG1411 →119 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
στρήνουςsensuality
strenousG4764 →
αὐτῆςof her
autesG846 →5565 times
ἐπλούτησαν.¶were enriched.
eploutesanG4147 →12 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 17:2The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”
it leads to
- Revelation 14:8
Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 14:8
Through
Revelation 18:9Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.
it leads to
- Revelation 17:2
The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 19:3
And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.”
- Revelation 17:2
Through
Revelation 18:23The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of…
it leads to
- Isaiah 23:8
Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are renowned on the earth?
- Nahum 3:4
because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft.
- Jeremiah 7:34
I will remove from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of the bride and bridegroom, for the land will become a wasteland.”
- Revelation 22:15
But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
- Isaiah 23:8
Through
Revelation 14:8Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:7–8
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
- Jeremiah 51:7–8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
About Revelation

This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:3; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Caesarius of Arles, EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:3, HOMILY 16; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation and Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 17:3.
