Revelation of John 18:14
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And they will say: “The fruit of your soul’s desire has departed from you; all your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be seen again.”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Direct address to Babylon. the fruits that thy soul lusted after--Greek, "thy autumn-ripe fruits of the lust (eager desire) of the soul." dainty--Greek, "fat": "sumptuous" in food. goodly--"splendid," "bright," in dress and equipage. departed--supported by none of our manuscripts. But A, B, C, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic read, "perished." thou shalt--A, C, Vulgate, and Syriac read, "They (men) shall no more find them at all."
Open source ↗We have here, I. An angel proclaiming the fall of Babylon (Rev 18:1, Rev 18:2). II. Assigning the reasons of her fall (Rev 18:3). III. Giving warning to all who belonged to God to come out of her (Rev 18:4, Rev 18:5), and to assist in her destruction (Rev 18:6-8). IV. The great lamentation made for her by those who had been large sharers in her sinful pleasures and profits (Rev 18:9-19). V. The great joy that there would be among others at the sight of her irrecoverable ruin (Rev 18:20, etc.).
Open source ↗18:14-17 The merchants would lament the fall of Rome (see study note on 18:1-3) because it would forever end their accustomed luxuries. Material goods can be swept aside in a single moment.
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.
But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.
They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert.
Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat?
So they called that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.