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Revelation 18:19

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.

KJV

καὶ ἔβαλον χοῦν ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔκραζον κλαίοντες καὶ πενθοῦντες, λέγοντες· οὐαὶ οὐαί, ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, ἐν ᾗ ἐπλούτησαν πάντες οἱ ἔχοντες τὰ πλοῖα ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐκ τῆς τιμιότητος αὐτῆς, ὅτι μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη.

Greek NT

et miserunt pulverem super capita sua, et clamaverunt flentes, et lugentes, dicentes : Væ, væ civitas illa magna, in qua divites facti sunt omnes, qui habebant naves in mari de pretiis ejus : quoniam una hora desolata est.

Vulgate

And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

ASV

And they cast dust upon their heads and cried, weeping and mourning, saying: Alas! alas! that great city, wherein all were made rich, that had ships at sea, by reason of her prices. For, in one hour she is made desolate.

Douay-Rheims

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In the original Greek

27 distinct Greek words appear in this verse.

αὐτός
autos
pronoun · 5564×
βάλλω
ballo
verb · 125×
εἷς
eis
adjective · 336×
θάλασσα
thalassa
noun · 91×
καί
kai
conjunction · 8973×
κεφαλή
kephale
noun · 75×
κλαίω
klaio
verb · 40×
κράζω
krazo
verb · 55×
λέγω
lego
verb · 2256×
μέγας
megas
adjective · 244×
οὐαί
ouai
noun · 46×
πενθέω
pentheo
verb · 10×
πλουτέω
plouteo
verb · 12×
πλοῖον
ploion
noun · 66×
πόλις
polis
noun · 164×
πᾶς
pas
adjective · 1226×
τιμιότης
timiotes
noun · 1×
χόος
choos
noun · 2×
ἐκ
ek
preposition · 915×
ἐν
en
preposition · 2743×
ἐπί
epi
preposition · 888×
ἐρημόω
eremoo
verb · 5×
ἔχω
echo
verb · 707×
o
article · 19778×
ὅς
os
relative_pronoun · 1404×
ὅτι
oti
conjunction · 1299×
ὥρα
ora
noun · 106×

Intertextual echoes

This verse quotes or alludes to 1 earlier text.

  • Ezek 27:30 · allusion
    "And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:"
    Ezekiel: they threw dust on their heads mourning for Tyre — mourning for Babylon

Textual variants

2 variant units attested by manuscript witnesses and modern critical editions.

minor
SBLGNT: ἔκραξαν | WH: ἔκραξαν | Treg/NIV/RP: ἔκραζον
  • ἔκραξανSBLGNT
  • ἔκραξανWestcott-Hort
  • ἔκραζονTregelles, Reader's GNT (NA27), Robinson-Pierpont
source: sblgnt-apparatus
notable
SBLGNT: πενθοῦντες | WH/Treg/NIV: πενθοῦντες | RP: + καὶ
  • πενθοῦντεςSBLGNT
  • πενθοῦντεςWestcott-Hort, Tregelles, Reader's GNT (NA27)
  • + καὶRobinson-Pierpont
source: sblgnt-apparatus

Historic Christian voices

4 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

§101In the political sphere, it must be noted that truthfulness in the relations between those governing and those governed, openness in public administration, impartiality in the service of the body politic, respect for the rights of political adversaries, safeguarding the rights of the accused against summary trials and convictions, the just and honest use of public funds, the re…

Cross-references

  • 1Sam 4:12 — And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
  • 2Sam 13:19 — And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.
  • Eccl 7:16 — Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ?
  • Ezek 27:30 — And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
  • Ezek 27:33 — When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.
  • Job 2:12 — And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
  • Josh 7:6 — And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
  • Josh 7:6 — And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
  • Neh 9:1 — Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
  • Rev 17:12 — And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
  • Rev 17:16 — And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
  • Rev 18:3 — For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abunda
  • Rev 18:8 — Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
  • Rev 18:8 — Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
  • Rev 18:10 — 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.
  • Rev 18:10 — 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.
  • Rev 18:15 — The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
  • Rev 18:16 — And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
  • Rev 18:17 — For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,