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16 saying,

“Woe, woe, O great city—
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing,[a]
and adorned with gold,[b] precious stones, and pearls—
17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!”[c]

And every ship’s captain,[d] and all who sail along the coast[e]—seamen, and all who[f] make their living from the sea, stood a long way off 18 and began to shout[g] when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up,[h] “Who is like the great city?”

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 18:16 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
  2. Revelation 18:16 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
  3. Revelation 18:17 tn On ἠρημώθη (ērēmōthē) L&N 20.41 states, “to suffer destruction, with the implication of being deserted and abandoned—‘to be destroyed, to suffer destruction, to suffer desolation.’ ἐρημόομαι: μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος ‘such great wealth has been destroyed within a single hour’ Re 18:17.”
  4. Revelation 18:17 tn On κυβερνήτης (kubernētēs) BDAG 574 s.v. 1 states, “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster, lit. Rv 18:17.”
  5. Revelation 18:17 tn Or perhaps, “everyone who sails as a passenger.” On πλέων (pleōn) BDAG 825 s.v. πλέω states, “πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον πλέων everyone who sails to a place = seafarer, sea traveler…Rv 18:17. The vv.ll.…have led to various interpretations. Some render: everyone who sails along the coast…See EbNestle, Einführung in das Griech. NT 1909, 182; AFridrichsen, K. Hum. Vetensk.-Samf. i Upps. Årsb. ’43, 31 note ὁ ἐπίτοπον πλέων=one who sails occasionally, a passenger.—S. also IHeikel, StKr 106, ’34/’35, 317).”
  6. Revelation 18:17 tn Grk “and as many as.”
  7. Revelation 18:18 tn Here the imperfect ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated ingressively.
  8. Revelation 18:18 tn Grk “from the burning of her, saying.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burned her up,” see L&N 14.63. Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.

16 and cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,(A)
    dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
    and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!(B)
17 In one hour(C) such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’(D)

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea,(E) will stand far off.(F) 18 When they see the smoke of her burning,(G) they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city(H)?’(I)

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