Translation
(cargo
of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, things dyed purple, silk, things dyed scarlet, aromatic woods, bronze, iron, marble,
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
(they brought from afar everything that was desired, including treasures that only the very wealthy can afford, types of clothing which set them apart from the common man, materials used to equip a house with splendor and utility,
Footnotes
1
The majority of this list is characterized by things which common people could not afford. Dying things purple was a long, and therefore costly, process, that is why purple became the color of kings. Dying things red was less difficult but it was not something a common person (think peasant or day-laborer) would be able to afford. Since those two colors were expensive, they became signs of wealth in themselves. In English we use colors as adjectives; but purple and scarlet became nouns and symbols for people of ancient times. Iron is mentioned in the list, not because it was on the same level as gold, but because iron tools were still something special in John’s time. Later, it mentions frankincense, which was often more expensive than gold in antiquity. All of these luxuries, and an abundance of common things too, caused this wicked place to be characterized by much demand, much commerce, much excess, much self-centeredness, much fraud and in the end, evil of all kinds.