Revelation 18:19

KJV1611 – Modern English

And they threw dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea were made rich by her wealth! for in one hour she is made desolate.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

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 πλοῖα ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐκ τῆς τιμιότητος αὐτῆς! ὅτι μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη.

Transliteration

And ebalon choun upon the kephalas of them, and ekrazon, klaiontes and penthountes, legontes, Ouai, ouai, the polis the megalē, in which eploutēsan all the ones echontes ploia in the thalassē from the timiotētos of her! because in one hōra ērēmōthē.

Grammar Details

• *ebalon*: aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural - threw/cast
• *choun*: noun, accusative, masculine, singular - dust/soil
• *epi*: preposition + accusative - upon/on
• *tas kephalas*: noun, accusative, feminine, plural - heads
• *autōn*: personal pronoun, genitive, masculine, plural - of them
• *ekrazon*: imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural - were crying out/were shouting
• *klaiontes*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, plural - weeping
• *penthountes*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, plural - mourning
• *legontes*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, plural - saying
• *ouai*: interjection - woe/alas
• *hē polis*: noun, nominative, feminine, singular - city
• *hē megalē*: adjective, nominative, feminine, singular - great
• *en hē*: preposition + relative pronoun, dative, feminine, singular - in which
• *eploutēsan*: aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural - became rich
• *pantes*: adjective, nominative, masculine, plural - all
• *hoi echontes*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, plural - having/owning
• *ploia*: noun, accusative, neuter, plural - ships
• *en*: preposition + dative - in
• *tē thalassē*: noun, dative, feminine, singular - sea
• *ek*: preposition + genitive - from
• *tēs timiotētos*: noun, genitive, feminine, singular - costliness/preciousness
• *autēs*: personal pronoun, genitive, feminine, singular - of her
• *hoti*: conjunction - because/for
• *mia hōra*: numeral + noun, dative, feminine, singular - one hour
• *ērēmōthē*: aorist passive indicative, 3rd person singular - was laid waste/was made desolate

Word Meanings

• *ebalon*: threw/cast/put
• *choun*: dust/soil/dirt
• *kephalas*: heads
• *ekrazon*: were crying out/were shouting/were exclaiming
• *klaiontes*: weeping/crying/lamenting
• *penthountes*: mourning/grieving/lamenting
• *legontes*: saying/speaking/declaring
• *ouai*: woe/alas (expression of grief/distress)
• *polis*: city/town
• *megalē*: great/large/mighty
• *eploutēsan*: became rich/wealthy/affluent
• *echontes*: having/owning/possessing
• *ploia*: ships/vessels/boats
• *thalassē*: sea/ocean
• *timiotētos*: costliness/preciousness/wealth
• *hōra*: hour/time/moment
• *ērēmōthē*: was laid waste/was made desolate/was devastated

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe to the great city, in which all who owned ships at sea became rich from her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.'

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that gat city, whein we made rich all that had ships in the sea by ason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And they cast dust on their heddes and cryed wepynge and waylinge and sayed: Alas Alas yt greate cite wherin were made ryche all that had shyppes in the see by the reason of her costlynes for atone houre is she made desolat

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And they cast dust on their heades, and cryed wepynge, and waylinge, and sayde: Alas, Alas the greate cite, wherin were made ryche all that had shippes in the see, by the reason of her wares: for at one houre is she made desolate.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And they shall cast dust on their heads, and crie, weeping, and wayling, and say, Alas, alas, that great citie, wherein were made rich all that had ships on the sea by her costlinesse: for in one houre she is made desolate.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And they cast dust on their heades, & cryed, wepyng & waylyng, and saying: Alas, alas, that great citie, wherein were made riche all that had shippes in the sea, by reason of her costlynesse, for at one houre is she made desolate.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!' For in one hour is she made desolate.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and they did cast dust upon their heads, and were crying out, weeping and sorrowing, saying, Wo, wo, the great city! in which were made rich all having ships in the sea, out of her costliness -- for in one hour was she made waste.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And they put dust on their heads, and were sad, weeping and crying, and saying, Sorrow, sorrow for the great town, in which was increased the wealth of all who had their ships on the sea because of her great stores! for in one hour she is made waste.

• World English Bible (2000)

  They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!' For in one hour is she made desolate.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning,“Woe, Woe, O great city– in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth– because in a single hour she has been destroyed!”

Referenced Verses

• Josh 7:6 : 6 And Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
• Rev 18:10 : 10 Standing far off for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour your judgment has come.
• Job 2:12 : 12 And when they lifted up their eyes from afar and did not recognize him, they lifted up their voices and wept; and they tore every one his mantle and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
• Ezek 27:30 : 30 And shall cause their voice to be heard against you, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
• Rev 17:16 : 16 The ten horns which you saw on the beast will hate the prostitute, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
• Rev 18:3 : 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 have grown rich through the abundance of her luxuries.
• Rev 18:8 : 8 Therefore her plagues shall come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
• 1 Sam 4:12 : 12 And a man of Benjamin ran from the army and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dirt upon his head.
• 2 Sam 13:19 : 19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her garment of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.
• Neh 9:1 : 1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month, the children of Israel gathered with fasting and wearing sackcloth, and with earth upon them.
• Rev 18:15-17 : 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, shall stand far off for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing. And every captain, and all who travel by ship, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood far off,