Revelation 18:13–14

18:13 cinnamon, spice,34 incense, perfumed ointment,35 frankincense,36 wine, olive oil and costly flour,37 wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages,38 slaves and human lives.39

18:14 (The ripe fruit40 you greatly desired41

has gone from you,

and all your luxury42 and splendor43

have gone from you—

they will never ever be found again!)44

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34	tn On the term ἄμωμον (amōmon) L&N 5.23 states, “a generic term for any kind of spice, though often a specific reference to amomum, an Indian type of spice—‘spice, amomum.’ κιννάμωμον καὶ ἄμωμον καὶ θυμιάματα ‘cinnamon and spice and incense’ Re 18:13. In most translations ἄμωμον is interpreted as spice in general.”
35	tn Or “myrrh,” a strong aromatic ointment often used to prepare a body for burial (L&N 6.205).
36	tn The Greek term λίβανος (libanos) refers to the aromatic resin of a certain type of tree (L&N 6.212).
37	tn On σεμίδαλις (semidalis) L&N 5.10 states, “a fine grade of wheat flour—‘fine flour.’ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ σεμίδαλιν καὶ σῖτον ‘wine and oil and fine flour and wheat’ Re 18:13. In some languages ‘fine flour’ may be best expressed as ‘expensive flour.’ Such a rendering fits well the context of Re 18:13.”
38	tn Or “and wagons.” On the term ἡέδη (rhedē) see L&N 6.53: “a four-wheeled carriage or wagon used for travel or the transportation of loads—‘carriage, wagon.’ The term ἡέδη occurs only in Re 18:13 in a list of products bought and sold by merchants.”
39	tn Grk “and bodies and souls of men.” This could be understood (1) as a hendiadys (two things mentioned = one thing meant), referring only to slave trade; (2) it could be referring to two somewhat different concepts: slavery (bodies) and the cheapness of human life—some of the items earlier in the list of merchandise were to be obtained only at great cost of human life; or (3) a somewhat related idea, that the trade is in not just physical bodies (slavery) but human souls (people whose lives are destroyed through this trade).
40	tn On ὀπώρα (opōra) L&N 3.34 states, “ἡ ὀπώρα σου τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ψυχῆς ‘the ripe fruit for which you longed’ Re 18:14. In this one occurrence of ὀπώρα in the NT, ‘ripe fruit’ is to be understood in a figurative sense of ‘good things.’ ”
41	tn Grk “you desired in your soul.”
42	tn On λιπαρός (liparos) BDAG 597 s.v. states, “luxury Rv 18:14.”
43	tn On τὰ λαμπρά (ta lampra) BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπρός 4 states, “splendor … in which a rich man takes delight (cp. Jos., Ant. 12, 220 δωρεὰς δοὺς λαμπράς) Rv 18:14.”
44	tn Verse 14 is set in parentheses because in it the city, Babylon, is addressed directly in second person. sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.

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