And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. (Revelation 18:13)
Rather, “that is, human beings.” In the Bible the word “soul” often means “human being,” or “person” (see on Ps. 16:10; Matt. 10:28). Compare, “of men an hundred thousand” (1 Chron. 5:21), literally, “of the souls of men an hundred thousand”; “they traded the persons of men” (Eze. 27:13), literally, “they traded the souls of men.” Some have considered “souls of men” here to be a reference to the spiritual nature of the human beings under consideration.
Slaves.
Literally, “bodies” (cf. Rom. 8:11; etc.). As an item of trade, of course, this would mean “slaves.”
Chariots.
Gr. rhedai, a loan word from the Gallic, or Celtic introduced into Asia Minor by the Gauls who became the Galatians. Rhedai really does not mean chariots, but four-wheeled travel coaches. The use of this word in Revelation suggests that the author had lived in Asia Minor and had acquired a term familiar in that area.
Beasts.
Gr. ktēnē, domesticated animals such as cattle and beasts of burden. Here probably cattle alone are meant.
Wine.
Textual evidence may be cited (cf. p. 10) for the omission of this word.
Rather, “incense.” Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the addition of amōmon, a “spice” extracted from a fragrant plant that grows in India, between the words “cinnamon” and “odours.”