The Bible Says
Revelation 18:9-20 Meaning

Revelation 18:9-20 records the mourning lament of the kings, merchants, and mariners who have suddenly lost the commercial system that was making them materially rich. The system of commerce is gone in one hour. The passage contrasts the sadness of the profiteers with the glad rejoicing of the heavens, saints, apostles, and prophets that the judgment of the harlot has come at last.

As Babylon’s destruction is proclaimed, we now see the reaction of those who benefitted from this abusive and exploitative commercial system:

And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning (v. 9).

We saw in Revelation 17:16 that the beast and his ten allied rulers will hate the harlot, who is Babylon, and “will burn her up with fire.” The kings of the earth now see the smoke of her burning. They now see the results of the aftermath and weep and lament. They took no notice of the loss of those whom they abused, but they mourn their own loss.

That they are deeply sorrowful for their own loss shows the depth of their selfishness. As we see in Romans 2:8, God will give “wrath and indignation” in judgment to those who are “selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth.”

The phrase committed acts of immorality refers to a cooperation and collaboration the world’s governments had with the economic system. They teamed together to exploit and abuse, for their own gain.

The kings of the earth were also living sensuously with the harlot. This might mean that they not only sanctioned and protected the selling of “slaves” and “lives” (Revelation 18:13), but they also fully participated. They made vast sums from the sordid trade as well as being substantial consumers. But now it is gone, and they are exceedingly sorry for their loss. As we will see in Revelation 18:20, their sorrow at their loss will be matched by heaven’s rejoicing.

Historically, ancient Babylon was located in Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates River, in what is now modern-day Iraq. Under rulers like Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BC), Babylon was a dominant empire whose grandeur included the famed Hanging Gardens. Just as that ancient civilization fell in one night to the Medo-Persians in 539 BC, so the final, symbolic Babylon collapses suddenly in the end times. In both cases, pride and sensual indulgence are proximate causes of their downfall.

Ancient Babylon boasted of similar luxuries and gained substantial wealth through the exploitation of conquered peoples. We might have a sample of the sensual tastes in Babylon in Daniel 5, where the king hosted a feast. Apparently as a matter of self-adulation and boasting, they decided to use the vessels they had captured from the temple of God in Jerusalem to dine and drink. This would indicate a thirst for thrills, perhaps celebrating the conquering of a people and the (perceived) elevation of their gods. Of course, they were soon disabused of their arrogance when Babylon fell to Persia later that night.

When these kings see the smoke of her burning, they perceive the abrupt end of something they presumed was invincible. This parallels prophetic statements in the Old Testament against idolatrous cities like Tyre and Sidon (Ezekiel 28:6-8). As Jesus taught, worldly success can vanish in an instant (Luke 12:16–21). The lament of the kings foreshadows the emptiness of trusting in worldly power. God’s kingdom, by contrast, stands eternally (Hebrews 12:28).

In verse 10, these kings who allied with the merchants to create the exploitative commercial system are standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come’ (v. 10).

Their posture of standing at a distance (v. 10) showcases their helplessness. They are not willing to come near because of the fear of her torment. This would indicate that whatever it is that the beast will do to destroy their economic system, it is so devastating that they dare not try to save it.

We saw earlier that the demise prophesied for Babylon in Isaiah 47:9 that would occur “in one day” is repeated in Revelation 18:8 relative to her “plagues.” Now, the judgment has come even more swiftly than the plagues: it has come in one hour. It seems that once the plagues begin, the commercial system that is Babylon will fall completely shortly thereafter.

Rather than intervening, the kings merely watch from afar. This indicates that though they are authorities, they have no capacity to resist the beast and his ten supporting rulers. It is the beast’s allies who made him powerful (Revelation 17:17). And it is that same group who destroyed the harlot that is also Babylon (Revelation 17:16).

The cry of the kings, Woe, woe, echoes prophetic oracles like Isaiah 5:20–23, and signifies grave distress. We saw in Revelation 8:13 that an angel pronounced three “woes” that also represented the last three of the seven trumpet judgments that brought severe distress to the earth. It was out of the last woe, the seventh trumpet judgment, that came the seven bowl judgments that bring an end to God’s judgments (Revelation 15:1).

Calling Babylon the strong city (v.10) likely reflects the belief the kings and merchants held that they were invulnerable. This attitude is foreshadowed by ancient Babylon’s massive walls, wealth, and associated arrogance. We can observe their smug attitude of invulnerability from the fact that King Belshazzar sponsored a great feast featuring the vessels from the Jerusalem temple while the troops of Persia surrounded its walls (Daniel 5:1-2).

Similarly, the final Babylon, the harlot, the commercial system that feeds of the souls of men, will boast seemingly unassailable global influence. Yet, when God’s judgment arrives, the entire enterprise is gone in one hour.

The astonishing speed—in one hour (v. 10)—reveals God’s ability to demolish human constructs in a moment. This parallels Jesus’ teaching that earthly structures, no matter how grand, can be swiftly overthrown (Mark 13:1–2). As we are often reminded in Revelation, God remains sovereign over all nations and systems, no matter how entrenched or powerful they appear (Romans 13:1).

It also parallels the judgment of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of ancient Babylon. In Daniel 4:30-33, God pronounced judgment upon him for his arrogance and the sentence began “immediately” (Daniel 4:33). Other translations say it was “that very hour.”

Verse 11 shifts the focus to those who also mourn the loss of the economic system:

And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes anymore (v. 11).

The phrase merchants of the earth again demonstrates that the commercial system that has fallen was global in nature. That no one buys their cargoes suggests that much of the global trade is international. The pronoun her refers to the harlot, who is Babylon, the commercial system of intertwined interests of kings and merchants.

The reason the merchants weep and mourn (v. 11) is rooted in their economic loss. Their grief arises because their lucrative businesses vanish overnight. Their dependence on Babylon’s consumerism suggests an idolization of profit without regard to the misery they might bring on others; we will see in Revelation 18:13 that the trade of the merchants includes “slaves” and “human lives.”

It seems the beast gained power over all the world both through coercive violence as well as by creating a system of lucrative profit for the kings and merchants. But tyrants only think of their own power. It seems that the beast deems the economic welfare of these kings and merchants to no longer be necessary for his interests.

And since the beast hates the commercial system, it is destroyed (Revelation 17:16). We might think of the parable Jesus told of the wealthy man who stored his goods in barns only to have his soul required of him that very night (Luke 12:20). Jesus applied this parable to say, “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Earthly stores have no permanence, they will eventually either decay or be left behind. That is why we are wise to lay up treasure in heaven (Luke 12:33).

Revelation 18:12-13 details a wide array of merchandise included in the global economic system that is now no more, listing:

cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives (vs. 12-13).

The description conveys a comprehensive catalog of wealth:

• Stores of wealth often also used decorative adornments such as gold and silver and precious stones and pearls
• Luxurious fabrics that showed wealth and status like fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet
• Luxury building materials such as every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble.
• Spices and perfumes for incense to create attractive environments like cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense
• Basic foods such as olive oil and wheat and cattle and sheep as well as fine foods such as wine and fine flour.
• Instruments of transportation, commerce, and war such as cargoes of horses and chariots.
  
• And finally, the trafficking of humans, both in slaves and human lives.

This passage mirrors similar Old Testament lamentations over the ruin of once-glorious nations. For example, Ezekiel 27:12–24 records a lament over the destruction of ancient Tyre. It was a city with great wealth and commerce that was considered impregnable. But it fell to Alexander the Great. This global “Tyre” will also fall.

Notably, Scripture includes slaves and human lives (v. 13) among the trade goods, spotlighting the corrupt and exploitive nature of this system. The kings/governments and merchants/commercial interests combined to exploit human life itself. In the ancient world, slavery was a grim reality of conquest and commerce. Women and children were typically exploited for sexual entertainment, as we see in Leviticus 18.

Sadly, in our current era there is still a thriving global trade that exploits women and children. This is especially the case with trade in sexual exploitation. But men are targets as well, with an example being the scourge of the drug trade. We can infer that this is a “birth pang,” and that, in the end time, the business of human exploitation will become an open, global, state sponsored marketplace.

Throughout scripture, God’s economy of mutual love and service has been contrasted with Satan’s economy, where the strong exploit the weak. Christ embodies the ethic God built into His good design. Those who reign over the earth are to be servants. Just as Jesus came to serve, so are those who gain authority to serve others (Matthew 20:28).

As we have seen throughout Revelation, it is those who are faithful witnesses, who serve in love in spite of rejection, loss, or death, who will gain the immense reward of reigning with Christ in the new earth (Revelation 3:21, 21:7). These are the overcomers, those who gain the experience of victory over sin in their walk as a faithful witness for Jesus.

In verse 14, the merchant’s lament tells us the reality that their lust for more will now be crushed:

The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them (v. 14).

The phrase the fruit you long for refers to the economic gain from their commercial interests. We can infer that these merchants are chasing the “ghost” of “more.” When we define material success as having “more” then we will never be satisfied. By definition, “more” is what we do not have. If contentment is rooted in what we do not have, then we will never be satisfied, we will always root our happiness in something we do not have.

These merchants are already incredibly wealthy. They long for more, but their longing will not be satisfied. More of that which is luxurious and splendid has passed away. The potential for “more” is gone, men will no longer find it.

This example of the futility of chasing “more” validates the wisdom of King Solomon, who astutely observed:

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.”
(Ecclesiastes 5:10)

The Hebrew word translated vanity, “hebel,” refers to a wisp of vapor. Trying to chase “more” is like trying to catch and store a wisp of vapor; it is simply an act of futility.

The phrase asserting that men will no longer find them underscores the totality of the destruction. No remnant or second chance remains for Babylon’s lavish possessions. It is inevitable for all men that they leave behind their physical possessions. But in this instance, the engine for material wealth is simply gone.

We can speculate that the beast and the ten kings have confiscated the entire system for themselves. The kings and merchants will no longer get to “skim” from the system for their personal gain. However, their armies will be gathered to Israel to fight against the Lamb. So, we can infer that now the kings and merchants have themselves become slaves.

Believers can be reminded that true fulfillment comes from knowing God and Christ through living by faith. As Jesus asserted in a prayer to His Father:

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
(John 17:3)

The fullest experience of “eternal life” comes through knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. This life is the only time in our existence where we will have the opportunity to know God by faith. That is likely why the angels examine the church in order to understand the “manifold wisdom of God” (Ephesians 2:10). The angels know by sight. But they cannot know by faith. So they study us. That tells us the immense opportunity we have; we do not want to squander it.

It is an amazing privilege to be able to know God by faith, and we should take every opportunity to walk by faith. This insight overlaps with the assertion of Revelation 1:3 that doing the things written in this book will bring a great blessing, because this book urges believers to look to God’s throne rather than events on the earth and remain faithful witnesses unto Him regardless of circumstances.

The commercial interests that are the harlot and Babylon do not take this loss as an opportunity to learn, to change or to repent. Rather, John records:

The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning (Revelation 18:15).

These merchants who became rich from her dare not lift a finger to try to save the system. They will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment. We saw in Revelation 17:16 that the beast and ten kings “will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.” Revelation 18:15 summarizes this severe treatment simply as torment.

Apparently, the beast produces the utter destruction of the commercial system in such a way that it makes an example and deters anyone from daring to work around it. The only thing left for the unrepentant merchants of these things is to stand at a distance weeping and mourning.

We can be reminded that Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24). It seems apparent that these merchants served wealth. Their god is now going up in smoke, and they are left in despair.

The next verses record the words spoken by the weeping and mourning merchants:

saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ (vs. 16-17a).

The devastation is so complete that no one is rationalizing that “It will be okay.”

Verse 17 repeats the swiftness of Babylon’s ruin: in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste! The sense of abrupt calamity reflects an oft-repeated biblical theme: human reliance on riches is inherently unstable (Proverbs 23:5). We saw in Revelation 13:17 that the beast used control over the payment system to exclude from commerce those who would not submit to him and take his mark. It now appears he has taken complete control from even the business interests. These people who trusted the dragon are now being consumed by him.

That Babylon the harlot is clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls recalls the luxurious attire of royalty and religious elites in the ancient world (Esther 8:15). Those in future Babylon who gained such wealth and prestige from the exploitative system that has now fallen stood at a distance. The beast and his alliance of kings has orchestrated the destruction of the system that served them so completely that there is simply nothing they can do.

Those who traded in the cargoes and profited from the international trade were also constrained to simply stand at a distance and watch:

And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ (vs. 17b-18).

In addition to the merchants, every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor…stood at a distance, and were crying out (v. 17). Shipmasters, sailors, and passengers represent those whose livelihoods revolve around trade routes and the exchange of goods. Ancient maritime commerce, such as in the Mediterranean or along the Red Sea, was a key driver of wealth for empires like Rome. They also joined the mourning at the lost system.

With Babylon’s downfall, these transportation professionals have lost their core market. But they can only stand and watch. That they watch at a distance infers helplessness. That they are crying out infers despair. That in which they have trusted is now gone.

The seafarers were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ (v. 18). The city refers to Babylon. As we saw in Revelation 17:18, the woman, the harlot, is the city: and the city is Babylon. They are different metaphors for the same thing—a global commercial system that thrives off exploitation and immorality.

This rhetorical question ‘What city is like the great city?’ presumes an answer of “none.” It might be that there is great prosperity in the first half of the final seven years of the seventieth year predicted in Daniel 9:24-27. That seven-year period begins with the beast signing a treaty with “the many” (Daniel 9:27). Connecting this with the descriptions of Revelation infers that the phrase “the many” would be enough to create a global alliance.

The resulting prosperity of trade is apparently immense. It is inferred that the commercial prosperity will be unlike anything that has existed before. The time of “great tribulation” spoken of by Jesus begins in the middle of the seven-year period, when the beast commits the “abomination of desolation,” as spoken of in Daniel 9:27 (Matthew 24:15). It seems to fit a model to consider that this economic collapse comes sometime after the middle of the “week” when persecution escalates, and many believers die as martyrs.

In Revelation 6-16, we saw the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the earth through three sets of seven judgments. The seventh seal revealed the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet revealed the seven bowl judgments. They were the final judgment. Revelation 17:1-19:6 describe the effects of these judgments, and of the beast’s devouring of the harlot, the economic system he hates. The culmination of human history is near.

The crying out of the merchants in Revelation 18:18 draws attention to what the kings and merchants considered an unthinkable destruction. It echoes laments from the Old Testament (Lamentations 2:13), where Jerusalem’s fall prompted the question, “Who can heal you?” These laments share the realization that no kingdom or empire, no matter how formidable, is beyond the scope of God’s judgment.

Moreover, their crying out (v. 18) underscores the emotional and economic toll. When a corrupt system crumbles, those who benefited from it mourn because their identity and livelihood are uprooted. It also signals how Babylon’s reputation—its brand of power and success—was so potent that it defined the worldview of many. Yet Scripture persistently reminds us that only God’s kingdom truly endures (Daniel 2:44).

This collective lament of the kings/governments and commercial interests gaining from the exploitative system that traffics in human lives applies to a global economic system. The kingdom of God challenges every system built on exploitation or greed. We will soon see the kingdom of God displace and destroy this corrupt kingdom of exploitation and greed, as predicted in Daniel 2:44. Then God will set up a new earth that is filled with righteousness, just as He predicted (2 Peter 3:13).

Verse 19 concludes the lament:

And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ (v. 19).

The phrase one hour is repeated again. We saw it also in Revelation 18:10, 17. Repeating this phrase a third time makes the point emphatic—the fall of the economic system is sudden and swift. The repetition of ships at sea seems to further emphasize the global and sweeping nature of the economic collapse.

Those benefitting from the now-fallen commercial system threw dust on their heads. Throwing dust on one’s head was an ancient Near Eastern sign of profound grief or repentance (Joshua 7:6, 2 Samuel 13:9). In this case there is clearly no repentance, only grief. The context indicates that this intense grief arises from a loss of commercial opportunity.

These merchants who trafficked in slaves and human lives serve only their own appetites, and their mourning is that their prospects for further exploitation have ended (Revelation 18:13).

The repetition of Woe, woe in verse 19 is reminiscent of other repeated pronouncements of woe, woe in scripture. Some examples follow:

• A pronouncement of woes upon those who are drunk with alcohol (Isaiah 5:22)
  
  
• A pronouncement of the woes of judgment upon Jerusalem for her unfaithfulness (Ezekiel 16:23)
  
  
• Jesus’ warnings to unrepentant cities (Matthew 11:21)
  
  
• Jesus’s warning to those who find their fulfillment from the things of the world rather than from the things of God (Luke 6:24-26)

The onlookers lament the swift, one hour downfall. The speed of this destruction can remind believers that the day of the Lord can come unexpectedly, so we should always be prepared to meet the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:2–4). Just a few verses earlier in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, we see that there will be a time when believers on the earth will “meet the Lord in the air” and then “always be with the Lord.”

This swiftness of judgment reminds us that although God is slow in His judgment, wishing all to come to repentance, when judgment does come it will be swift and certain (2 Peter 3:9-10). This thought provides motivation for believers this side of the period of great tribulation to remain ready to meet Jesus at all times. When God moves, He moves suddenly. We should not be caught unaware (Romans 13:10-13, 2 Peter 3:14).

Revelation 18:19 culminates the sorrow of those who prospered through Babylon’s exploitation of others. The mourning of loss of those who profited from the exploitation of others is now met with a vast contrast—the rejoicing of heaven that the injustice and evil has ended:

Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her (v. 20).

While the kings, merchants, and mariners mourn, the command to Rejoice over the destruction of the harlot, who is also Babylon and the great city, echoes throughout the heavenly realm. This striking contrast illustrates God’s vindication of those who have been oppressed by Babylon’s wickedness. The merchants’ perspective is one of mourning for the end of their exploitation of others. Heaven’s perspective rejoices that their exploitation has ended.

We see that judgment is pronounced against her, that is the harlot, and for you. The pronoun you here refers to the saints and apostles and prophets. God is judging the exploitative commercial system on behalf of and for the benefit of His people, the saints and apostles and prophets.

The Greek word translated saints is “hagios.” It appears twenty-five times in twenty-three verses throughout Revelation. It is translated “holy” about as often as it is translated “saints.”  It simply refers to something or someone set apart for a special purpose. In this instance it likely refers to believers, those who responded to the “eternal gospel” to fear God rather than the beast that we saw announced by the angel in Revelation 14:6-7.

That this is God’s judgment on behalf of His people could stem from several reasons. One is that the commercial system was used as a means to persecute those who would not take the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:17). The kings and merchants who participated in this instrument of persecution are now mourning that it is in flames: apt justice for their misdeeds. However, the beast is apparently not one of those who are mourning. Rather, he is the immediate source of their loss (Revelation 17:16). Justice for him will come in Revelation 19:20, when he is thrown directly into the lake of fire.

The judgment against commercial Babylon and its kings, merchants and mariners fits as being a part of the judgment pronounced by the angel in Revelation 14:9-10. In those verses the angel asserted that those who took the mark of the beast would “drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” When God judges evil, heaven rejoices.

We know that many believers will be martyred during this time of great tribulation (Revelation 6:11, 14:13, 20:4). The last verse in this chapter states of Babylon: “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth” (Revelation 18:24).

We saw in Revelation 6:9-10 that those who had been slain for their testimony petitioned God to cease His forbearance and bring immediate justice against those by whom they had been persecuted and slain. This destruction of Babylon/the harlot might be a part of the judgment for which God’s martyred saints longed. And this would explain one reason why heaven erupts in a great cheer when God’s justice is administered.

That God has pronounced judgment is the same as judgment occurring. This is because God’s word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). God spoke creation into existence, and here He speaks judgment upon Babylon.

That heaven rejoices and that the saints under the altar petition for God to judge their murderers demonstrates that those in heaven have awareness both of the passage of time as well as events occurring upon the earth. We have seen throughout Revelation the connection between heaven and earth, and this provides another illustration.