771、启18:11.“地上的客商也都为她哭泣悲哀，因为没有人再买他们的货物了”表示圣统制中那些通过圣物来事奉和获利的品级较低的人，在此表示他们的痛苦，因为巴比伦毁灭之后，他们的宗教事物不再被承认为神圣，而是被承认为被玷污和亵渎的圣言、因而教会的良善和真理；因此，他们不能再像以前那样通过它们获利。“客商”是指在他们的圣统制中品级较低的人，因为前面提到的“地上的列王”是指在这个圣统制中品级较高的人(参看AR 767节)；因此，“地上的客商”是指那些通过圣物来事奉并获利的人。他们“哭泣悲哀”表示他们的痛苦，如前所述(AR 767节)。“他们的货物”表示他们用来谋利或获取利润的神圣事物或宗教事物。“没有人再买他们的货物了”表示不想拥有它们，因为它们不是神圣的，而是被玷污和亵渎的圣言、因而教会的良善和真理。“买”是指为自己获得(AR 606节)。对此，我们在耶利米书读到：
巴别，住在众水之上大有财宝的啊，你的结局到了，你所得好处的量满了。(耶利米书51:13)
771. 18:11 "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their merchandise anymore." This symbolizes the lower in rank who serve and profit by that religion's sanctities - here their feelings of anguish that after Babylon's destruction their religious tenets are not acknowledged as sacred, but as adulterated and profaned goods and truths of the Word and so of the church, so that they cannot use them to make material gains as before.
The merchants mean the lower in rank in their Roman Catholic Church's hierarchy, because the kings of the earth, the subject before this, mean those higher in that order, as may be seen in no. 767 above. Thus the merchants of the earth mean those who serve and profit by that religion's sanctities. That they will weep and mourn symbolizes their feelings of anguish, as also in no. 767 above. Their merchandise symbolizes the sanctities or religious tenets by which they profit or make material gains. No one's buying these anymore symbolizes people's not wanting to have them, because they are not sacred, but are adulterated and profaned goods and truths of the Word and so of the church. To buy is to acquire for oneself (no. 606).
Regarding this we find in Jeremiah:
(O Babylon,) you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your material gain. (Jeremiah 51:13)
771. [verse 11] 'And the merchants of the land shall weep and mourn over her, because no one is buying their merchandise any more' signifies the lesser ones in rank who are ministering and making gain by means of holy things, here their griefs that after the destruction of Babylon their forms of religion are not acknowledged as being holy, but as being adulterated and profaned goods and truths of the Word and of the Church therefrom, and thus that they cannot any more profit by those means as before. By 'the merchants' are understood the lesser ones in rank of their ecclesiastical hierarchy because by 'the kings of the hand,' treated of thus far, are understood the higher ones in that rank as may be seen above (767); thus by 'the merchants of the land' are understood those who are ministering and making gain by means of holy things. By 'they shall weep and mourn' their griefs are signified, as also above (767). By 'their merchandise' are signified the holy or religious things by means of which they make gain or profit. By 'to buy them no more' is signified not to wish to have them, because they are not holy things but adulterated and profaned goods and truths of the Word and of the Church therefrom. 'To buy' is to procure for themselves (606). Of this [we read] in Jeremiah:
O Babel, who dwellest upon many waters, great in treasures, thy end has come, the measure of thy gain. Jeremiah 51:13.
771. Verse 11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, because no one buyeth their merchandise anymore, signifies the lower ones in the order, who minister, and make gain by holy things; here their grief that after the destruction of Babylon their religious things are not acknowledged as holy, but as the goods and truths of the Word and thence of the church adulterated and profaned; and thus that they can no longer make profit by them as before. By "the merchants" are meant the lesser in the order of their ecclesiastical hierarchy, because by "the kings of the earth," spoken of before, are meant the higher ones in that order, see above, (767); thus by "the merchants of the earth" are meant those that minister, and make gain by holy things. By "their weeping and mourning" are signified their griefs, as also above, (767). By "their merchandise" are signified the holy or religious things by which they make gain or profit. By "not buying them anymore" is signified not to wish to have them, because they are not holy, but are the goods and truths of the Word and thence of the church adulterated and profaned. That "to buy" is to procure for oneself, (606). Concerning this it is written in Jeremiah:
O Babel, that dwellest upon many waters, great in treasures, thy end is come, the measure of thy gain, (Jeremiah 51:13).
771. (Vers. 11.) "Et mercatores terrae flebunt at lugebunt super illa, quod merces eorum nemo emat amplius," significat minores in ordine qui ministrant et per sancta lucrantur, hic illorum dolores quod post destructionem Babylonis non agnoscantur religiosa illorum pro sanctis, sed pro adulteratis et prophanatis bonis et veris Verbi et inde Ecclesiae, et sic quod non amplius possint quaestus sicut prius per illa facere. -Per "mercatores" intelliguntur minores in ordine Hierarchiae Ecclesiasticae illorum, quia per "reges terrae" de quibus hactenus, intelliguntur superiores in eo ordine (767); ita per "mercatores terrae" intelliguntur qui ministrant et per sancta lucrantur: per "flebunt et lugebunt" significantur dolores illorum (ut quoque supra, 767) per "merces eorum" significantur sancta seu religiosa, per quae lucra seu quaestus faciunt; per "non emere illa amplius" significatur non velle habere illa, quia non sunt sancta, sed adulterata et prophanata bona et vera Verbi et inde Ecclesiae; quod "emere" sit sibi comparare (606). De hoc ita apud Jeremiam:
Babel "quae habitas super aquis multis, magna thesauris, venit finis tuus, mensura lucri tui," (51:13).