Revelation 18:3 Meaning and Explanation
“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 abundance of her delicacies.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The nations, kings, and merchants have all shared in Babylon's seductions and grown drunk or rich on her excess.
What Does Revelation 18:3 Mean?
The angel explains why judgment has come. Babylon spread her corruption everywhere: the nations drank her intoxicating wine, the kings joined themselves to her unfaithfulness, and the merchants grew wealthy off the flood of her luxuries. Her influence reached every level of society, from rulers to traders, drawing all into the same compromise.
Here is the quiet danger of a culture built on appetite. Its pull is not always violence but pleasure, profit, and the comfort of going along. Many prospered by her and never asked the cost. Scripture names the price plainly so the reader will weigh it. To be free, one must see clearly what intoxicates and refuse to drink, holding instead to the Lord who satisfies without enslaving.
Revelation 18:3 in the Original Language
porneia (πορνεία), 'fornication' -- unfaithfulness, used by the prophets for a people giving its heart to anything other than God.
Frequently Asked Questions About Revelation 18:3
What does Revelation 18:3 mean?
The nations, kings, and merchants have all shared in Babylon's seductions and grown drunk or rich on her excess.