Revelation 18:13: Babylon's moral decline?
How does Revelation 18:13 illustrate the moral decline of Babylon's commerce?

The Verse in View

“cinnamon, incense, myrrh and frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves—and souls of men.” (Revelation 18:13)


An Expensive Shopping List Reveals a Corrupt Heart

• Every item named is a luxury, not a necessity.

• The string of spices, perfumes, gourmet foods, and high-end livestock shows a culture obsessed with extravagance.

• When consumption outpaces conscience, wealth becomes an idol (Colossians 3:5).


From God’s Gifts to Greedy Gains

• Cinnamon, myrrh, and frankincense were once used in worship (Exodus 30:22-34). Babylon diverts them to self-indulgence.

• Wine and oil, symbols of blessing (Psalm 104:15), are hoarded for excess.

• Wheat—staple food—gets lumped in with luxuries, hinting the poor are priced out (James 5:4-5).


Human Beings Reduced to Cargo

• The list peaks with “slaves—and souls of men,” exposing the final stage of moral collapse.

• People are traded like cinnamon sticks; life is appraised in coin.

Amos 2:6 and Joel 3:3 condemn the same sin: “They sold the righteous for silver.”

• Treating persons as property invites swift judgment (Exodus 21:16; Revelation 18:8).


A Commerce Draining Both Body and Soul

• “Souls of men” stresses spiritual damage. Babylon traffics not only bodies but eternal destinies (Mark 8:36).

1 Timothy 6:10 connects the love of money with “all kinds of evil,” perfectly pictured here.


Echoes of Earlier Warnings

Ezekiel 27 catalogs Tyre’s trade in luxury and slaves, then announces its doom—an Old Testament preview of Babylon’s fall.

Nahum 3:4 links sorcery, prostitution, and commerce, showing how economic sin intertwines with idolatry.


Takeaways for Today

• Prosperity is a gift when held with gratitude, a curse when it masters us (Proverbs 11:4).

• Any system that prizes profit above people mirrors Babylon and invites God’s wrath.

• Believers are called to integrity in trade, generosity to the needy, and reverence for every human soul made in God’s image (Micah 6:8; James 1:27).

What is the meaning of Revelation 18:13?
Top of Page
Top of Page