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”表教阶中通过神圣事物事奉并获利的级别低者，在此表巴比伦毁灭后，他们对其宗教不再被承认为神圣，却被视为被玷污和亵渎的圣言、因而教会的良善与真理，因此他们无法像以前那样通过这些手段谋利的悲伤。“客商”表示他们的教阶中级别低者，因为此前所论述的“地上的君王”表示级别高者（参看767节）；因此，“地上的客商”表示那些通过神圣事物事奉并获利的人。他们“哭泣悲哀”表示他们的悲伤，如前所述（767节）。“他们的货物”表示他们用来谋利或得好处所凭借的神圣或宗教事物。“没有人再买他们的货物了”表示不想拥有它们，因为它们并非神圣事物，而是被玷污和亵渎的圣言、因而教会的良善与真理。“买”是指为自己获取（606节）。对此，我们在耶利米书读到：
巴比伦，住在众水之上大有财宝的啊，你的结局到了，你谋利的量满了。（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).