1. Revelation 18:17 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Who are meant by “all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea”?

Revelation 18:17 (ESV)

17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off

The first term denotes the captain of the ship (Revelation 18:11–17). The second refers to those who sail from port to port, that is, coasters (as opposed to open-sea navigation). The third describes those who sail the ship, while the fourth is a catch-all phrase referring to any whose daily work involves the sea. With the latter group we may also think of labourers who load and unload the ships.