Revelation 18:14; Thou Shalt Find No More At All
Revelation 18:14 (KJV) And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
The speakers are not identified in this verse, but we assume that they are the merchants (v11, 15) who are addressing Babylon the Great. However, there is a change from the third person plural their (v11) to the second person singular you (v14).
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, p. 497). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
The shift from third to second person signals a change from the complaints of the merchants to a continuation of their lamentation. Though the speakers are unidentified, they are probably the merchants continued in v11 and renamed in v15.
Revelation 18:11 (KJV) And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Revelation 18:15 (KJV) The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22, An Exegetical Commentary, Moody Press, 1995, 337]
The noun “fruits” appeared here describes the season of ripening fruit, beginning with the rising of the star Sirius in July; by metonymy, the ripe fruit itself; metaphorically fruit, i.e. good things used only once here in the New Testament. [Friberg]
The sentence is descriptive of the harvest in the autumn when tree-ripened fruit is ready to be picked. The Greek literally reads, “the ripe fruit, the desire of your soul.” And yet this desired fruit has departed from the one who was ready to harvest it. The second part of the sentence states a parallel:
| A | ripe fruit |
| B | departed from thee |
| A´ | dainty and goodly things |
| B´ | are departed from thee |
And these riches can never, no never, be found again by anyone who longs for them.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, p. 497). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.