The Meaning of Revelation 18:18 Explained

Revelation 18:18

KJV: And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

YLT: and were crying, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to the great city?

Darby: and cried, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to the great city?

ASV: and cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  cried  when they saw  the smoke  of her  burning,  saying,  What  [city is] like  unto this great  city! 

What does Revelation 18:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

They also lament because of the collapse of this great commercial empire. Their question echoes the one about Tyre in Ezekiel 27:32. [1] The implied answer is that no city can match Babylon in its material greatness.

Context Summary

Revelation 18:14-24 - Fallen Like A Stone Into The Sea
This section delineates the utter desolation which will ensue when the judgments of God have finished their mission against professing but unfaithful Christendom. How near we are at the present hour to their fulfillment, we dare not say. But it often seems as if we are living in the last days of "the times of the Gentiles," and very near the fulfillment of all that is written in this book. It is the universal comment that all religious values are being altered. The church systems, as such, give signs that they are losing their hold on the vast masses of the people, while the heart of man cries out as eagerly as ever for the living God. We can only heed the Lord's command to watch, and see to it that we may be found of Him in peace, and standing patiently at our post. In the meantime events in the distant East are symptomatic of the fig tree putting forth her leaves. See Matthew 24:32. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 18

1  Babylon is fallen
4  People commanded to depart out of her
9  The kings of the earth, with the merchants and mariners, lament over her
20  The saints rejoice for the judgments of God upon her

Greek Commentary for Revelation 18:18

As they looked [βλεποντες]
Present active participle of βλεπω — blepō See οταν βλεπωσιν — hotan blepōsin in Revelation 18:10. [source]
What city is like the great city? [τις ομοια τηι πολει τηι μεγαληι]
No πολις — polis with τις — tis but implied. Associative instrumental case, as usual, with ομοια — homoia “The eternal city” is eternal no longer. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 18:18

1 Peter 4:12 Concerning the fiery trial among you [τει εν υμιν πυρωσει]
Instrumental case, “by the among you burning,” metaphorical sense of old word (since Aristotle), from πυροω — puroō to burn See 1 Peter 1:7 for the metaphor. See Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:18 only other N.T. examples. It occurs in Proverbs 27:21 for the smelting of gold and silver and so in Psalm 56:10 (lxx 65:10): “Thou didst smelt us as silver is smelted” Present middle participle of γινομαι — ginomai (already coming) with dative case υμιν — humin prove you (προς πειρασμον — pros peirasmon). “For testing.”As though a strange thing happened unto you Genitive absolute with ως — hōs giving the alleged reason, and υμιν — humin dative case with συμβαινοντος — sumbainontos (present active participle of συμβαινω — sumbainō to go together, to happen (Mark 10:32), agreeing with χενου — xenou (strange, Hebrews 13:9). [source]
Revelation 13:4 Who is like unto the beast? []
A parody on a similar ascription to God. See Isaiah 40:18, Isaiah 40:25; Isaiah 46:5; Psalm 113:5; Micah 7:18; Jeremiah 49:19. Compare Revelation 18:18. [source]
Revelation 11:8 In [επι]
“Upon,” as in Revelation 11:6, with genitive Clearly Jerusalem in view of the closing clause (οπουεσταυρωτη — hopou- ητις — estaurōthē), though not here called “the holy city” as in Revelation 11:2, and though elsewhere in the Apocalypse Babylon (Rome) is so described (Revelation 14:8; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:5; Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:16, Revelation 18:18, Revelation 18:19, Revelation 18:21).Which Which very city, not “whichever.”Spiritually (πνευματικος — pneumatikōs). This late adverb from πνευματικος — pneumatikos (spiritual) occurs in the N.T. only twice, in 1 Corinthians 2:14 for the help of the Holy Spirit in interpreting God‘s message and here in a hidden or mystical (allegorical sense). For this use of οπου και ο κυριος αυτων εσταυρωτη — pneumatikos see 1 Corinthians 10:3. Judah is called Sodom in Isaiah 1:9.; Ezekiel 16:46, Ezekiel 16:55. See also Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:23. Egypt is not applied to Israel in the O.T., but is “an obvious symbol of oppression and slavery” (Swete).Where also their Lord was crucified First aorist passive indicative of stauroō to crucify, a reference to the fact of Christ‘s crucifixion in Jerusalem. This item is one of the sins of Jerusalem and the disciple is not greater than the Master (John 15:20). [source]
Revelation 11:8 Of the great city [της πολεως της μεγαλης]
Clearly Jerusalem in view of the closing clause (οπουεσταυρωτη — hopou- ητις — estaurōthē), though not here called “the holy city” as in Revelation 11:2, and though elsewhere in the Apocalypse Babylon (Rome) is so described (Revelation 14:8; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:5; Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:16, Revelation 18:18, Revelation 18:19, Revelation 18:21). [source]
Revelation 18:9 And wail over her [και κοπσονται επ αυτην]
Future direct middle of κοπτω — koptō old verb, to beat, to cut, middle to beat oneself (Revelation 1:7). For combination with κλαιω — klaiō as here see Luke 8:52. See Revelation 17:2; Revelation 18:3, Revelation 18:7 for οι πορνευσαντες και στρηνιασαντες — hoi porneusantes kai strēniasantes).When they look upon (οταν βλεπωσιν — hotan blepōsin). Indefinite temporal clause with οταν — hotan and the present active subjunctive of βλεπω — blepō smoke of her burning (τον καπνον της πυρωσεως αυτης — ton kapnon tēs purōseōs autēs). Πυρωσις — Purōsis is an old word (from πυροω — puroō to burn), in N.T. only 1 Peter 4:12; Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:18. See Revelation 18:8 for other plagues on Rome, but fire seems to be the worst (Revelation 17:16; Revelation 18:8, Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:17; Revelation 19:3). [source]
Revelation 18:9 When they look upon [οταν βλεπωσιν]
Indefinite temporal clause with οταν — hotan and the present active subjunctive of βλεπω — blepō smoke of her burning Πυρωσις — Purōsis is an old word (from πυροω — puroō to burn), in N.T. only 1 Peter 4:12; Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:18. See Revelation 18:8 for other plagues on Rome, but fire seems to be the worst (Revelation 17:16; Revelation 18:8, Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:17; Revelation 19:3). [source]
Revelation 19:3 They say [ειρηκαν]
Perfect active indicative of ειπον — eipon “They have said,” not an “aoristic” perfect for “they say,” but vivid dramatic perfect as in Revelation 5:7 and the form in αν — ̇an instead of ασιν — ̇asin as in Revelation 18:3; Revelation 21:6.Goeth up (αναβαινει — anabainei). Linear present active indicative of αναβαινω — anabainō “keeps on going up,” “a last touch to the description already given (Revelation 18:21.) of Babylon‘s utter collapse” (Swete). The smoke of the city‘s ruin (Revelation 14:11; Revelation 18:8., and Revelation 18:18) instead of incense (Revelation 8:4). Cf. Isaiah 34:9. [source]
Revelation 19:3 Goeth up [αναβαινει]
Linear present active indicative of αναβαινω — anabainō “keeps on going up,” “a last touch to the description already given (Revelation 18:21.) of Babylon‘s utter collapse” (Swete). The smoke of the city‘s ruin (Revelation 14:11; Revelation 18:8., and Revelation 18:18) instead of incense (Revelation 8:4). Cf. Isaiah 34:9. [source]
Revelation 8:4 The smoke [ο καπνος]
Old word, in N.T. only Acts 2:19; Revelation 8:4; Revelation 9:2., Revelation 9:17.; Revelation 14:11; Revelation 15:8; Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:18; Revelation 19:3. Here from the incense in the angel‘s hand. [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 18:18 mean?

and were crying out seeing the smoke of the burning of her saying What [is] like the city - great
καὶ ἔκραζον βλέποντες τὸν καπνὸν τῆς πυρώσεως αὐτῆς λέγοντες Τίς ὁμοία τῇ πόλει τῇ μεγάλῃ

ἔκραζον  were  crying  out 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: κράζω  
Sense: to croak.
βλέποντες  seeing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: βλέπω  
Sense: to see, discern, of the bodily eye.
καπνὸν  smoke 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: καπνός  
Sense: smoke.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πυρώσεως  burning 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: πύρωσις  
Sense: a burning.
αὐτῆς  of  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
λέγοντες  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Τίς  What  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: τίς  
Sense: who, which, what.
ὁμοία  like 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ὅμοιος  
Sense: like, similar, resembling.
πόλει  city 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
τῇ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μεγάλῃ  great 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.