Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
10. for the fear ] i.e. because of their fear. Their regret for her destruction is sincere, but does not make them forget themselves.
Alas, alas ] The interjection is the same as is elsewhere rendered “Woe.” So in Rev 18:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment – Not daring to approach, to attempt to rescue and save her. They who had so long contributed to the support of the papal power, and who had, in turn, been upheld by that, would not now even attempt to rescue her, but would stand by and see her destroyed, unable to render relief.
Alas, alas, that great city Babylon – The language of lamentation that so great and so mighty a city should fall.
For in one hour is thy judgment come – See the notes on Rev 18:8. The general sentiment here is, that, in the final ruin of papal Rome, the kings and governments that had sustained her, and had been sustained by her, would see the source of their power taken away, but that they would not, or could not attempt her rescue. There have been not a few indications already that this will ultimately occur, and that the papal power will be left to fall, without any attempt, on the part of those governments which have been so long in alliance with it, to sustain or restore it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 10. Standing afar off] Beholding her desolations with wonder and astonishment, utterly unable to afford her any kind of assistance.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
As well as they loved her, they will not come nigh her in the time of her torments; the fire will be too hot for them, they will only stand aloof off, and pity her, that so great and brave a city should be so suddenly ruined; such a gay and splendid church, so politicly founded and put together, should be in a sudden so broken to pieces.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. God’s judgments inspire feareven in the worldly, but it is of short duration, for the kings andgreat men soon attach themselves to the beast in its last and worstshape, as open Antichrist, claiming all that the harlot had claimedin blasphemous pretensions and more, and so making up to them for theloss of the harlot.
mightyRome inGreek means strength; though that derivation isdoubtful.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment,…. Lest they themselves should share in it, who have partook of her sins; either they will not be in a capacity to help her, or they will be dispirited, and will be in awe and dread of God’s righteous judgments:
saying, alas! alas! that great city Babylon! that mighty city! it will aggravate their sorrow, when they reflect upon the former grandeur, magnificence, power, and authority, of the city and see of Rome, so often called in this book the great city; and so it is by other writers; the Jews call it so: they say c, when the Messiah comes,
“the kings of the world shall be gathered to , “the great city” of Rome; and the holy blessed God will cast upon them fire and hail, and great hail stones, (with which compare Re 16:21), and they shall perish from the world, except those kings that do not come there.”
It is common with the Jewish writers to call the Roman empire Edom; and Magdiel, one of the dukes of Edom, Ge 36:43 who has his name from “greatness”, is interpreted by one of their commentators d of Rome; the reason of which, another of them says e, is because Rome is become great above all kingdoms: the mount of Esau in Ob 1:21 is interpreted , “that great city” of Esau, which is Rome f, and the same epithet it has in the Talmud g; and Porphyry calls it , “that great city”, without making mention of its name, as here; so among the Latins h, “Magnoe spes altera” Romae:
for in one hour is thy judgment come: the Ethiopic version reads, “the hour of her judgment”; the time of her punishment fixed by God; but the sense is, that her vengeance was suddenly come upon her; this is the judgment of the great whore, which the angel proposed to show to John, Re 17:1.
c Zohar in Gen. fol. 74. 3. d Jarchi in Gen. xxxvi. 43. e Abarbinel in Dan. fol. 42. 3. f Jarchi in Obadiah, ver. 21. g T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 21. 2. h Servius in Virgil, Eclog. 6. p. 67.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Standing afar off ( ). Perfect active (intransitive) participle of . Vivid picture of the terrible scene, fascinated by the lurid blaze (cf. Nero’s delight in the burning of Rome in A.D. 64), and yet afraid to draw near. On see Mr 5:6. There is a weird charm in a burning city. They feared the same fate (cf. verse 7 for , torment).
Woe, woe, the great city (, , ). Only example in the Apocalypse of the nominative with except verses Rev 18:16; Rev 18:19, though in Lu 6:25 and common in LXX (Isa 5:7; Isa 5:11, etc.). For the dative see Re 8:13, once so “strong” ( )!
In one hour ( ). Repeated in verses Rev 18:16; Rev 18:19, and like (in one day) in verse 8. Some MSS. have here , like (accusative of extent of time) in 3:3. See verse 8 ( ) for (thy judgment). This is the dirge of the kings.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “Standing afar off,” (apo makrothen hestekotes) “Standing (were the kings) from afar,” from a long distance, glancing over the ruins, over which the smoke of desolation hovered heavily.
2) “For fear of her torment,” (dia ton phobon tou basanismou outes) “Through the fear that followed, came to them because of her torment,” Rev 18:15; Rev 18:17; Lest they too should be consumed, Gen 19:28.
3) “Saying , Alas, alas that great city Babylon,” (legontes ousai ousai he polis he megale Babulon) “Continuously, repeatedly saying, Woe, woe, (has come upon) the city, the great city of Babylon;- Her claim to be (1) eternal, (2) secure, and (3) Supreme was a blasphemous claim, Isa 21:9; Rev 14:8.
4) “That mighty city,” (hepolis he ischura)”That mighty city,” This cry was an exclamatory cry, repeated again and again, as an affirmation that consequences of sins of people and cities and nations are found out, and receive due pay; Num 32:23; Act 17:30-31.
5) “For in one hour is thy judgment come,” (hoti mia hora elthen he krisis sou) “Because in one hour(suddenly) thy judgment came,” in one unexpected, unanticipated hour, -God’s righteous judgment fell in suddenness, Rev 18:8; Rev 18:17; Rev 18:19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Ver. 10. Standing afar off ] As fearing their own safety, they will not venture themselves for an old withered harlot, that is now (Lais-like) ready to be extinct in the last act of her uncleanness, ’ . (Athenaeus, xiii.)
For in one hour ] God will make short work of it when once he begins, Rom 9:28 . This should be an encouragement to Christian princes and states, to set upon the service. The pirates’ war was incredibili celeritate et temporis brevitate confectum, saith Austin, soon despatched; so shall this. Papists vaunt now of their temporal felicity, as a note of their Church, and make catalogues of the strange victories that the Catholics have had. Bellarmine brags, that vix unquam fuerunt haeretici superiores quando iusto proelio dimicatum est (tom. ii. lib. 4, cap. 14), the heretics scarcely ever had the day when it came to be tried in a just battle. But if all this had been true (as it is not), yet at last, in one hour shall their judgment come. See Rev 18:19 ; Rev 18:22 . See Trapp on “ Rev 18:19 “ See Trapp on “ Rev 18:22 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
off. Greek. apo. App-104.
that = the.
mighty. See Rev 18:8.
judgment. App-177. These “kings of the earth” are those of Rev 17:2. The ten kings are never seen by John apart from the beast, and the “kings of the earth” are always seen in connection with Babylon.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rev 18:10. , Babylon the strong city) Illa civitas Valida, Tertull. de Cultu Fm. c. 12. , strength. The earlier inhabitants had called it Valentia, the Greek settlers, Rome. You may also refer , the strong, Isa 53:12, to the name of Rome. The place, as expressing a mark, is much stronger in the writings of the prophets than of the philosophers. In like manner, chariots and axes (, beheaded with an axe), peculiarly characteristic of the Romans, are specified, Rev 18:13, ch. Rev 20:4.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Babylon
(See Scofield “Isa 13:1”), note 2.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
afar: Num 16:34
Alas: Rev 18:16, Rev 18:19, Jer 30:7, Joe 1:15, Amo 5:16
that great: Rev 14:8, Isa 21:9
for: Rev 18:8, Rev 18:17, Rev 18:19, Jer 51:8, Jer 51:9
Reciprocal: Jos 5:1 – heard 2Sa 10:19 – feared 2Ki 6:5 – master Job 6:21 – ye see Job 34:26 – in Psa 64:8 – all that Psa 73:19 – How Isa 9:14 – in one day Isa 13:6 – Howl ye Isa 13:14 – they shall Isa 47:11 – thou shalt not be Jer 48:39 – How is it Jer 49:21 – earth Jer 49:25 – General Jer 50:27 – their day Jer 51:25 – and will Jer 51:30 – The mighty Jer 51:41 – the praise Eze 6:11 – Alas Eze 26:17 – How art Eze 27:35 – their kings Eze 28:19 – they Eze 30:2 – Howl Eze 30:4 – pain Eze 32:9 – vex Eze 32:10 – and they Dan 4:30 – great Oba 1:5 – how Mic 7:17 – they shall be Nah 3:7 – that all Zep 2:15 – how is Rev 11:8 – the great Rev 14:7 – hour Rev 16:19 – the great Rev 17:5 – Babylon Rev 18:2 – Babylon Rev 18:18 – What Rev 19:2 – judged
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Babylon will fall quickly, in "one hour" (Rev 18:10, cf. Rev 18:19; Jer 51:8; Ezekiel 27). These kings mourn because they have lost their power suddenly. These rulers must be different from the 10 kings who destroy the city (Rev 17:16). These woes are an exclamation of sorrow; the earlier ones in the book are announcements of doom (Rev 8:13; Rev 12:12). [Note: Lee, 4:770; Robertson, 6:440.] Doubling the woes increases the perception of the strength of the sorrow (cf. Rev 18:6). This city was strong, but its Judge is stronger.