Revelation 18 · Verse 22

Revelation 18:22

And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Revelation 18:22, King James Version

Revelation 18:22 in other translations

BSBAnd the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again.
WEBThe voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman of whatever craft will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you.
ASVAnd the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee;
YLTand voice of harpers, and musicians, and pipers, and trumpeters, may not be heard at all in thee any more; and any artisan of any art may not be found at all in thee any more; and noise of a millstone may not be heard at all in thee any more;
DARBYand voice of harp-singers and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters shall not be heard any more at all in thee, and no artificer of any art shall be found any more at all in thee, and voice of millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee,
BBEAnd the voice of players and makers of music will never again be sounding in you: and no worker, expert in art, will ever again be living in you; and there will be no sound of the crushing of grain any more at all in you;
WebsterAnd the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be no more heard in thee; and no artificer, of whatever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be no more heard in thee;

What does Revelation 18:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
22. pipers--flute players. "Musicians," painters and sculptors, have desecrated their art to lend fascination to the sensuous worship of corrupt Christendom. craftsman--artisan.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 22. And the voice of harpers. Those who play on the harp. This was usually accompanied with singing. The idea in this verse and the following is substantially the same as in the previous parts of the chapter, that the mystical Babylon--Papal Rome--would be brought to utter desolation. This thought is here exhibited under another form--that all which constituted festivity, joy, and amusement, and all that indicated thrift and prosperity, would disappear. Of course, in a great and gay city there would be all kinds of music; and when it is said that this would be heard there no more, it is a most striking image of utter desolation.

And musicians. Musicians in general; but perhaps here singers, as distinguished from those who played on instruments.

And of pipers. Those who played on pipes or flutes. 1Cor 14:7; Mt 11:17.

And trumpeters. Trumpets were common instruments of music, employed on festival occasions, in war, and in worship. Only the principal instruments of music are mentioned here, as representatives of the rest. The general idea is, that the sound of music, as an indication of festivity and joy, would cease.

Shall be heard no more at all in thee. It would become utterly and permanently desolate.

And no craftsman, of whatsoever craft. That is, artificers of all kinds would cease to ply their trades there. The word here used--τεχνιτης --would include all artizans or mechanics; all who were engaged in any kind of trade or craft. The meaning here is, that all these would disappear; an image, of course, of utter decay.

And the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more. Taylor (Frag. to Cal. Dic. vol. iv. p. 346) supposes that this may refer, not so much to the rattle of the mill, as to the voice of singing which usually accompanied grinding. The sound of a mill is cheerful, and indicates prosperity; its ceasing is an image of decline.

(b) "millstone" Jer 25:10

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 The voice of harpers, etc. - This seems to indicate not only a total destruction of influence, etc., but also of being. It seems as if this city was to be swallowed up by an earthquake, or burnt up by fire from heaven.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 18:20-24

That which is matter of rejoicing to the servants of God on earth, is matter of rejoicing to the angels in heaven. The apostles, who are honoured and daily worshipped at Rome in an idolatrous manner, will rejoice in her fall. The fall of Babylon was an act of God's justice. And because it was a final ruin, this enemy should never molest them any more; of this they were assured by a sign. Let us take warning from the…

Read the full comment on Revelation 18:20-24 →

Revelation 18:22 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
φωνὴphōnēsoundG5456
κιθαρῳδῶνkitharōdōnof harpistsG2790
καὶkaiandG2532
μουσικῶνmousikōnmusiciansG3451
καὶkaiandG2532
αὐλητῶνaulētōnflute playersG834
καὶkaiandG2532
σαλπιστῶνsalpistōntrumpetersG4538
οὐoucertainlyG3756
μὴmēnotG3361
ἀκουσθῇakousthēamay be heardG191
ἐνeninG1722
σοὶsoiyouG4771
ἔτι,etiany longer,G2089
καὶkaiAndG2532
πᾶςpasanyG3956
τεχνίτηςtechnitēscraftsmenG5079
πάσηςpasēsof anyG3956
τέχνηςtechnēscraftG5078
οὐoucertainlyG3756
μὴmēnotG3361
εὑρεθῇheurethēamay be foundG2147
ἐνeninG1722
σοὶsoiyouG4771
ἔτι,etiany longer,G2089
καὶkaiandG2532
φωνὴphōnē[the] soundG5456
μύλουmulouof a millstoneG3458
οὐoucertainlyG3756
μὴmēnotG3361
ἀκουσθῇakousthēamay be heardG191
ἐνeninG1722
σοὶsoiyouG4771
ἔτι,etiany longer,G2089

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Revelation 18:22

  • Ezekiel 26:13

    And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.

  • Jeremiah 25:10

    Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

  • Jeremiah 16:9

    For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

  • Jeremiah 7:34

    Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

  • Isaiah 24:8-9

    The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

  • Ecclesiastes 12:4

    And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

  • Jeremiah 33:11

    The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the voice.
Isa 24:8,9; Jer 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; 33:11; Eze 26:13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Revelation 18:21

    And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

  • Revelation 18:22

    And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

  • Revelation 18:23

    And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Read all of Revelation 18

Revelation 18:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y voz de tañedores de arpas, y de músicos, y de tañedores de flautas y de trompetas, no será más oída en ti; y todo artífice de cualquier oficio, no será más hallado en ti; y el sonido de muela no será más en ti oído:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et la voix des joueurs de harpe, et des musiciens, et des joueurs de hautbois, et de ceux qui sonnent de la trompette, ne sera plus entendue en toi; et aucun ouvrier, d’aucun métier, ne sera plus trouvé en toi; et le bruit de la meule ne sera plus entendu en toi.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und die Stimme der Harfensänger und Musiker und Flötenspieler und Trompeter wird nie mehr in dir gehört werden, und nie mehr wird ein Künstler irgendwelcher Kunst in dir gefunden werden, und das Geräusch des Mühlsteins wird nie mehr in dir gehört werden,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et vox citharœdorum, et musicorum, et tibia canentium, et tuba non audietur in te amplius: et omnis artifex omnis artis non invenietur in te amplius: et vox molæ non audietur in te amplius: