Revelation 18:11

“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over over her, etc.] Who these are, (see Gill on “<661803>Revelation 18:3”) and, what their lamentation, (<661816>Revelation 18:16) the reason of their weeping and mourning follows: for no man buyeth their merchandise any more; what their merchandise is, is expressed in the two next verses; and this shows that it is not to be understood merely in a literal sense; for such commodities in general as are there mentioned, if they do not sell at one place, they will at another; and the decline of trade in one city does not put a stop to business all the world over; and often so it is, that the ruin of commerce in one place is the rise of it in…”

“shall--So. B. But A and C read the present, "weep and mourn." merchandise--Greek, "cargo": wares carried in ships: ship-lading (compare Rev 18:17). Rome was not a commercial city, and is not likely from her position to be so. The merchandise must therefore be spiritual, even as the harlot is not literal, but spiritual. She did not witness against carnal luxury and pleasure-seeking, the source of the merchants' gains, but conformed to them (Rev 18:7). She cared not for the sheep, but for the wool. Professing Christian merchants in her lived as if this world not heaven, were the reality, and were unscrupulous as to the means of getting gain. Compare Notes, see on Zac 5:4-11, on the same…”

“And the merchants of the earth - Who have been accustomed to traffic with her, and who have been enriched by the traffic. The image is that of a rich and splendid city. Of course, such a city depends much on its merchandise; and when it declines and falls, many who had been accustomed to deal with it, as merchants or traffickers, are affected by it, and have occasion to lament its fall. Shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise anymore - The merchandise which they were accustomed to take to the city, and by the sale of which they lived. The enumeration of the articles of merchandise which follows, seems to have been inserted for the purpose of filling out the…”

“18:11-17 The merchants of the world sing the second lament (18:14; see study note on 18:9-19). They profited from the Roman economy (18:12-13), but their trade ceased as the great city was swiftly destroyed.”

“the merchants: Rev 18:3, Rev 18:9, Rev 18:15, Rev 18:20, Rev 18:23, Rev 13:16, Rev 13:17; Isa 23:1-15, Isa 47:15; Eze 26:17-21, Eze 27:27-36; Zep 1:11, Zep 1:18 buyeth: Pro 3:14; Mat 22:5; Joh 2:16; Pe2 2:3 Revelation 18:12”