What does the phrase “for in a single hour she has been laid waste” mean?
Revelation 18:19 (ESV)
19And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
The merchants had used similar language in Revelation 18:17. The reference to the “single hour” speaks to the suddenness of the Lord’s judgment on Babylon. The phrase “laid waste” speaks to the thoroughness of his judgment.
19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.