And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
19. they cast dust &c.] Ibid. 30.
had ships ] Read, had the ships or their ships.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And they cast dust on their heads – A common sign of lamentation and mourning among the Orientals. See the notes on Job 2:12.
By reason of her costliness – The word rendered costliness – timiotetos – means, properly, preciousness, costliness; their magnificence, costly merchandise. The luxury of a great city enriches many individuals, however much it may impoverish itself.
For in one hour is she made desolate – So it seemed to them. See the notes on Rev 18:17.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 19. They cast dust on their heads] They showed every sign of the sincerest grief. The lamentation over this great ruined city, Re 18:9-19, is exceedingly strong and well drawn. Here is no dissembled sorrow; all is real to the mourners, and affecting to the spectators.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
19. wailing“mourning.”
that had shipsA, B,and C read, “that had their ships”: literally, “theships.”
costlinessher costlytreasures: abstract for concrete.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they cast dust on their heads,…. As the seafaring men on account of Tyre, Eze 27:30 this was a gesture used in mourning when persons were in afflicted and distressed circumstances, denoting disorder, confusion, and debasement; see Jos 7:6
and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, alas, alas! that great city; as in Re 18:10 so it was once, though now in flames:
wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea; not only the merchants of the earth, as in Re 18:3 the cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, but the governors of religious houses; these accumulated great wealth to themselves, and got the best of lands into their possession for the use and support of their abbeys and monasteries:
by reason of her costliness; or costly things; pardons, indulgences, absolution, saying Mass, and praying souls out of purgatory, all which are costly, and hereby these traders have been enriched; and now the remembrance of these things, of which they will be deprived, will affect and grieve them, as well as the suddenness of Rome’s ruin:
for in one hour is she made desolate; her judgment come, and her riches come to nought, Re 18:10.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
They cast dust ( ). Second aorist active of . is old word (from to pour) for heap of earth, dust, in N.T. only here and Mr 6:11. Cf. Ezek 27:30; Luke 10:13. This is the dirge of the sea-folk (cf. verses Rev 18:10; Rev 18:16).
By reason of her costliness ( ). Occasionally in later literary Greek, though here only in N.T. and not in LXX. The same use of appears in 1Pe 2:7. Common in the papyri as a title like “Your Honor” (Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Cast dust on their heads. Compare Eze 27:30. See on Luk 10:13.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And they cast dust on their heads,” (kai ebalon choun epi tas kephalas auton) “And they cast dust upon their heads,” a token of humility, deep sorrow, bitter recognition of ruin, Jos 7:6; 1Sa 4:12; Job 2:12; Eze 27:30.
2) “And cried, weeping and wailing,” (kai ekrazon klaiontes kai penthountes) “And cried-out, cried aloud, weep and wailing,” in deep(the depths of) sorrow, not for their sins, but because of their business loss, gaining the world, but losing their soul, Mat 16:26.
3) “Saying, Alas, alas that great city,” (legontes ouai, ouai he polis he megale) “Saying repeatedly, muttering to themselves, woe, woe (upon) or (to) the great city; after this, the judgment, concerns both individuals and committed institutions of men, cities, nations, and governments, Heb 9:27-28; Gen 19:24-28; Luk 17:26-32.
4) “Wherein were made rich,” (en he eplousetan) “by which all those having ships in the sea were made rich, or enriched; This shows that “the love of money,” personal gain was the root of their evil and occasion of their grief, 1Ti 6:10-11; Mat 6:19-21.
5) “All that had ships in the sea,” (pantes hoi echontes
ta ploia en te thalasse) “Even all those having or owning ships in the sea,” in sea or marine business.
6) “By reason of her costliness,” (ek tes kimiotetos autes) “Out of the wealth (worth-or value) of her,” her costly treasures and great wealth, Pro 13:11.
7) “For in one hour is she made desolate,” (hoti mia hira eremothe) “Because in one hour she was desolated,” made to be in a desolate, lifeless, useless state of existence, in one hour of one day, Rev 18:8; Rev 18:10; as in Isa 47:9.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(19) And they cast dust . . .Comp. Eze. 27:30. The casting of dust or earth on the head is a token of sorrow and humiliation; it bears relation to the sitting in the dust. The one upon whom the sorrow had fallen sat in the dust or ashes. The attitude expressed that he had been brought very low, even to the ground. The mourning friends who came round him cast dust on their heads to express that they shared his sorrow. Thus it is related of Job: Job sat in the ashes (Job. 2:8); the friends who came to comfort him sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven (Rev. 18:12). So in this place, Babylon has been brought low (comp. Isa. 47:1); the mourners, whose gains sink with her fall, throw dust upon their heads.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(19) Alas! alas! that great city . . .The lament is parallel with the laments of the kings and the merchants; the difference is the appropriate reference to the destruction of the shipping interests. Woe! woe! (or, Alas! alas!) the great city, in which all who had their vessels on the sea grew rich out of her costliness. By her costliness we are to understand her extravagances of living, and the splendour of her palaces which drew materials from all ports of the world. The lament ends with the repeated cry, in one hour. Because in one hour she was desolated.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
19. Cast dust on their heads The Oriental style of self-humiliation; signifying that we are but dust, and in the intensity of our emotions would humble ourselves beneath it.
Her costliness Her munificence, by which she lived richly for herself, and paid liberally to her providers of supplies.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Ver. 19. And they cast dust ] As men willing to be as far underground as now they were above ground. Having lost their livelihood, they had little joy of their lives.
All that had ships in the sea ] All churchmen, i.e. all, for the most part; some of them have little enough. Sanders was starved. Stapleton was made a professor of a petty university, scarcely as good as one of our free schools. On Harding his Holiness bestowed a prebend a of Gaunt, or (to speak more properly) a Gaunt prebend. Allin was commonly called the starveling cardinal.
a The portion of the revenues of a cathedral or collegiate church granted to a canon or member of the chapter as his stipend. D
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
that = the.
wherein = in (App-104.) which.
ships = the ships.
by reason of. Greek. ek. App-104.
one hour. See Rev 18:10 and compare Isa 47:11; Isa 18:17 and Jer 50:26, Jer 18:19 and Jer 51:8. Ancient Babylon, after its capture by Cyrus, gradually diminished.
is = was.
made desolate. See “come to nought”, Rev 18:17.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
they cast: Jos 7:6, 1Sa 4:12, 2Sa 13:19, Neh 9:1, Job 2:12, Eze 27:30
weeping: Rev 18:10, Rev 18:15, Rev 18:16
for: Rev 18:8
Reciprocal: Exo 11:6 – General 2Ki 6:5 – master Ecc 7:16 – destroy thyself Isa 25:2 – palace Jer 51:13 – and the Lam 2:10 – cast up Lam 3:11 – he hath made Eze 27:33 – thy wares Eze 31:15 – I caused a Amo 5:16 – Wailing Rev 14:7 – hour
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dust upon the head is a symbol of grief. ( Job 2:12 ; Eze 27:30 ) They grieve over the collapse of their trade and fortune, not the death of the harlot.
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Throwing dust on one’s head symbolized great grief in the Old Testament (cf. Jos 7:6; 1Sa 4:12; 2Sa 1:2; 2Sa 13:19; 2Sa 15:32; Job 2:12; Lam 2:10). People earlier behaved similarly over Tyre’s demise (Eze 27:30). These sea people also echo the laments and repeat the behavior of the kings (Rev 18:10) and the merchants (Rev 18:15-17).
"How do we see the luxury of this world? Do we see it as it really is? Can we use it without getting it into our hearts? How would you feel if the luxuries in your life which you have come to consider necessities suddenly went up in smoke?
"Would it break your heart if you saw the things of this world go up in smoke? Or is your heart in heaven, fixed on Christ?" [Note: McGee, 5:1041.]