All nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion: see 14.8; 17.2.

As the RSV footnote indicates, instead of have drunk some Greek manuscripts and early versions have “have fallen by,” that is, “have been ruined by.” A few Greek manuscripts and versions have “she made all nations drink” (as in 14.8). This makes more sense in the context, and some translations prefer this form of the text; most follow the text translated by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her: see 17.2.

The merchants of the earth: they can be referred to as “businessmen,” “traders,” or “people who buy and sell goods.” The word is used four times in this chapter and appears also in Matt 13.45, and nowhere else in the New Testament.

The wealth of her wantonness: wealth here is literally “power, strength.” The meaning can be expressed by “her excessive craving,” “her unrestrained debauchery.” Translator’s New Testament translates “excessive luxury.” The noun appears only here in the New Testament. Wantonness: one commentator points to the use of the word in the Greek Septuagint version of 2 Kgs 19.28, where it refers to the “arrogance” of the Assyrian king. This commentator believes that here it means arrogance also. But in the context of the heavy use of sexual immorality as a figure of idolatry, it seems best to keep here the idea of licentiousness, debauchery. This final sentence may also be expressed as “All the people in the world who buy and sell goods grew rich (or, gained a great amount of money) from Babylon’s excessive sexual lust.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .