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Revelation 18:17

in Revelation 18

For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

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,

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,

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This verse in Revelation 18

Commentary

10 notes on this verse

A commentator

Caesarius of Arles

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:15-17, HOMILY 16 · Written before 542.

Whenever the Spirit says that they were made rich from her, he is indicating the abundance of their sins.… Can a city be dressed in fine linen and purple, rather than people? They lament for themselves, since they are despoiled of those riches mentioned here.… …

This site's exposition

grew their wealth from her

on Revelation 18:15-17

The merchants stand at a distance like the kings, and their lament repeats her dress from 17:4, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. The loss comes in a single hour, and the seafarers follow as the third company.

This site's exposition

such fabulous wealth has been destroyed

Verse 8 says her plagues will come in one day, and here the wealth is lost in a single hour. Both measures mark how sudden the fall is. Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor watches it from a distance.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Primasius of Hadrumetum

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:17-19 · Written before 560.

proposed

"They threw dust on their heads." This means that they reproached their leaders by whom they were led astray and so were lost.… "They wept and mourned." … To be sure, we know that many are often stricken by such contrition, and so it is …

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

And every shipmaster, and all the sailors stood afar off, etc. Can all who sail the sea be present to see the burning of the city? But he means all the worshipers and workers of the world fear for themselves, seeing the ruin of their …

A commentator

Andreas of Caesarea

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:15-19, 22 · Written before 614.

proposed

He leads before our eyes the sufferings of this Babylon, and through the laments made over her he depicts the greatness of her misfortune that she, who previously boasted of her royal majesty, will suffer.… He speaks figuratively of the present life as a "sea," …

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

For in one hour so great riches is come to nought,.... That is, in a very short time, expressing the suddenness and speediness of Rome's destruction, the quick dispatch and expedition that will be made in it, by the instruments of it, as in Rev 18:

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

For in one hour - In a very brief period - so short, that it seemed to them to be but one hour. In the prediction Rev 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.
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

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.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Every shipmaster - Captains of vessels; some think pilots are meant, and this is most likely to be the meaning of the original word κυβερνητης. This description appears to be at least partly taken from Eze 27:26-28. And all the company in ships - Και πας επι των πλοιων ὁ ὁμιλος· The crowd or passengers aboard. But the best MSS, and versions have και πας ὁ επι τοπον πλεων, those who sail from place to place, or such as stop at particular places on the coast, without performing the whole voyage. This sufficiently marks the traffic on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Some might debark (in sailing from Rome) at the island of Sicily, others at different ports in Greece; some at Corinth, others at Crete, or the various islands of the Aegean Sea; some at Rhodes, Pamphylia, etc., etc.; as in those times in which the compass was unknown, every voyage was performed coastwise, always keeping, if possible, within sight of the land.

The words behind it

26 Greek words

Every 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.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Ezekiel 27:27–36Your wealth, wares, and merchandise, your sailors, captains, and shipwrights, your merchants and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall.4 worksRevelation 17:16And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.4 worksIsaiah 23:14Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your harbor has been destroyed!4 worksRevelation 17:12The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.4 worksJonah 1:6The captain approached him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”3 worksRevelation 18:10–11In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”3 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Jeremiah 51:8Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.3 worksRevelation 18:19Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”3 worksJob 20:28The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.3 worksPsalms 107:23Others went out to sea in ships, conducting trade on the mighty waters.3 worksAmos 5:5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.3 worksActs 27:11But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship.3 worksRevelation 18:8Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”3 worksIsaiah 47:9These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.2 worksLamentations 4:6The punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in an instant without a hand turned to help her.2 worksIsaiah 9:14So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day.2 worksActs 27:27On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.2 worksAmos 6:3You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Jonah 1:6

    The captain approached him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”

    it leads to

    • Psalms 107:28–29

      Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.

    • Jonah 3:9

      Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”

    • Mark 4:37–41

      Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.

    • 2 Samuel 12:22

      David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.’

    • Ephesians 5:14

      So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

  • Through

    Revelation 17:16

    And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 18:8

      Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

    • Ezekiel 16:37–44

      therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you…

    • Leviticus 21:9

      If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.

Where this verse is studied

About Revelation

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
Revelation: the study guide →Read Revelation 18 →
This page draws on 9 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 18:15-19, 22; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Caesarius of Arles, EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:15-17, HOMILY 16; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748) and Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 18:17-19.

Read on in Revelation 18 →