Revelation 18:13 meaning and explanation
of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men.
Revelation 18:13, Berean Standard Bible
Explanation preview
John, exiled on Patmos, records an angel's funeral lament over Babylon, the symbolic city of worldly wealth and oppression. Verse 13 lists the cargo the merchants can no longer sell, moving from perfumes and spices to food staples and livestock, then to the chilling final item: "slaves and souls of men." The Greek word rendered "slaves" is somaton, literally "bodies," paired here with "souls," meaning human lives traded as goods.
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