And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her. Weep and mourn; the historical present (see on Revelation 18:9). The kings have been mentioned; the merchants and next the seamen are referred to, showing the wide distribution of "Babylon," and forbidding the application to a single state or city.
The description which follows is analogous to that in Ezekiel 27:1-36.; Isaiah 23:1-18. For no man buyeth their merchandise any more; their cargo. We are naturally reminded of the action of the second beast in forbidding to buy and sell (Revelation 13:17).
Alford here recognizes the difficulty in applying the prophecy to Rome, either pagan or papal, and adds, "I leave this difficulty unsolved ... The details of this mercantile lamentation far more nearly suit London than Rome."
(See the interpretation given of the harlot and Babylon on Revelation 17:1.