Revelation 18:1-12

Revelation 18:1. another angel: we have no means of identifying this angel of doom.

Revelation 18:2. habitation. bird: cf. Isaiah 13:21 f; Isaiah 34:14, where the rained cities of Babylon and Edom become the haunts of unclean spirits.

Revelation 18:3. kings of the earth: Revelation 17:2 *.

Revelation 18:4. come forth: the cry - come forth-' rings through Hebrew history (e.g. Genesis 12:1; Genesis 19:12; Numbers 16:26; Isaiah 52:11).. In this context the sauve qui peut is to be regarded partly as a feature borrowed from the OT model, partly as a warning to Christians at Rome to shun entanglement in the sin and punishment of Babylon (Swete).

Revelation 18:6. double unto her: this phrase is explained by Jeremiah 16:18 (cf. Isaiah 40:2).

Revelation 18:9. all the kings of the earth: Revelation 17:2 *. The vassal kings are the first to take up the strain of woe, because Rome was the prop upon which they leaned, and when it fell, they lost their main support.

Revelation 18:11. the merchants: Rome was the market of the world in the first century of our era, and the merchants bemoan the loss of their trade. The list of the imports given in Revelation 18:11 is an indication of the wealth and luxury of the time.

Revelation 18:12. thyine wood: i.e. all kinds of scented wood. Citrus or thyine wood was much prized for its veining, and was largely used in the manufacture of dining tables.