Understanding γόμος (gomos) Strong’s G1117: The Merchant Cargo that Reveals Ancient Maritime Trade and Biblical Commerce

Pronunciation Guide: GOH-mos (with a hard ‘g’ as in “go”)

Basic Definition

Strong’s G1117: The Greek word γόμος (gomos) primarily refers to the cargo or merchandise loaded on ships for commercial transport. It specifically denotes the freight or lading that vessels carry during maritime trade journeys. In biblical contexts, it often represents valuable commercial goods being transported between major trading centers of the ancient Mediterranean world.

Etymology and Morphology

• Part of Speech: Noun (masculine)
• Root: Derived from γέμω (gemō), meaning “to be full” or “to be laden”
• Language Origin: Classical Greek
• Primary Usage: Found in narrative sections, particularly in contexts describing commerce, trade, and economic activities
• Semantic Domain: Commercial goods, merchandise, shipping

γόμος Morphology:

• γόμος (nominative singular) – cargo, load
• γόμου (genitive singular) – of cargo
• γόμῳ (dative singular) – with/by cargo
• γόμον (accusative singular) – cargo (as direct object)
• γόμοι (nominative plural) – cargoes, loads
• γόμων (genitive plural) – of cargoes
• γόμοις (dative plural) – with/by cargoes
• γόμους (accusative plural) – cargoes (as direct object)

Origin & History

The term γόμος has a rich history in classical Greek literature, appearing in the works of maritime writers and merchants. Its root γέμω (gemō) conveys the idea of fullness or being laden, aptly describing ships heavily loaded with trading goods. Herodotus uses the term when describing merchant vessels in his Histories, particularly when recounting tales of Phoenician and Greek traders traversing the Mediterranean with holds full of valuable commodities.

In the Septuagint (LXX), γόμος appears rarely but significantly in Ezekiel’s lamentations over Tyre (Ezekiel 27), where it describes the vast commercial empire of this ancient trading power. Here, the cargo represents not just economic exchange but also the pride and eventual downfall of a city that trusted in its commercial prowess rather than in God. Later Hellenistic Jewish writers like Philo of Alexandria employ the term when discussing commerce and the moral implications of trade and wealth.

Expanded Definitions & Translation Options

• The physical freight or merchandise loaded onto a ship for transport
• The commercial goods that constitute the cargo of a trading vessel
• The burden or load carried by a beast of burden (by extension)
• The contents of a commercial shipment

γόμος Translation Options:

• Cargo – Emphasizes the commercial nature of the goods being transported
• Freight – Highlights the shipping context and suggests goods in transit
• Merchandise – Focuses on the commercial value of the items
• Shipment – Underscores the organized nature of the transported goods
• Lading – A more technical maritime term reflecting the process of loading goods onto a vessel

Biblical Usage

In the New Testament, γόμος appears just three times, all within the book of Revelation, where it plays a significant role in depicting the economic systems of the ancient world and their spiritual implications. Its first appearance in Acts 21:3 describes the unloading of a ship’s cargo at Tyre, a city with deep historical connections to maritime trade. This brief mention provides a glimpse into the economic realities of first-century Mediterranean travel.

The most extensive and theologically significant usage occurs in Revelation 18, where γόμος appears in John’s apocalyptic vision of the fall of “Babylon” (symbolizing Rome or a corrupt world system). Here, the cargoes become a poignant symbol of materialistic excess, worldly wealth, and misplaced priorities. The detailed list of goods represents the totality of ancient commerce, from luxury items to basic commodities, and ultimately to human lives valued merely as merchandise—a devastating indictment of systems that reduce human dignity to commercial transactions.

• “When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo [γόμον].” Acts 21:3
• “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes [γόμον] anymore.” Revelation 18:11
• “cargoes [γόμον] of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble.” Revelation 18:12

Cultural Insights

The concept of γόμος provides a fascinating window into ancient Mediterranean commerce. In the first-century world, maritime trade was the lifeblood of the Roman Empire, with massive grain ships from Egypt feeding Rome, luxury goods from the East arriving at bustling ports, and a complex network of commerce binding together the known world. A typical merchant vessel might carry anywhere from 70 to 500 tons of cargo—a substantial amount for ancient shipping technology.

Ships arriving at major ports like Tyre (mentioned in Acts 21:3) would be met by customs officials who would inspect the γόμος and collect appropriate taxes before goods could be unloaded. The unloading process itself was a major undertaking, employing numerous dockworkers, creating a vibrant (if often exploitative) economic ecosystem around major ports. When Paul’s ship stopped at Tyre “to unload its cargo,” he would have witnessed this bustling commercial activity, which provides important context for understanding the economic realities that shaped early Christian communities in major trading centers.

The γόμος listed in Revelation 18:12-13 corresponds precisely to the luxury trade of the Roman Empire, beginning with precious metals and ending, tragically, with “human souls”—likely a reference to the slave trade that underpinned much of ancient commerce. This list draws on similar catalogs in Ezekiel’s lament for Tyre, creating an intentional parallel between these two great mercantile powers that ultimately valued wealth over human dignity and divine justice.

Theological Significance

The theological implications of γόμος emerge powerfully in Revelation’s critique of commercial systems that prioritize profit over people. By detailing the cargoes of “Babylon” so extensively before culminating in “slaves and human lives,” the text delivers a devastating prophetic critique of economic systems that reduce human beings created in God’s image to mere commodities. This resonates with the Hebrew prophetic tradition, particularly Amos’s condemnation of those who “buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals” (Amos 8:6).

The listing of cargo in Revelation 18 serves as a catalog of misplaced values—a stark reminder that material wealth, no matter how impressive, ultimately proves worthless when God’s judgment falls. This passage stands in stark contrast to Yeshua’s teachings about storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). The merchants weeping over their unsold cargoes graphically illustrate the futility of placing ultimate trust in material possessions.

There is also a profound redemptive contrast at work in Scripture’s use of commercial imagery. While the γόμος of Babylon represents exploitation and materialism, the New Testament elsewhere employs commercial metaphors positively—speaking of the “pearl of great price” and the “treasure hidden in a field” (Matthew 13:44-46). This highlights the radical reorientation of values that occurs when the kingdom of God becomes our primary treasure.

Personal Application

Reflecting on γόμος invites us to examine our own relationship with material possessions and consumption. What constitutes the “cargo” of our lives—the things we value, accumulate, and perhaps even define ourselves by? In a consumer culture that constantly encourages us to load our lives with more possessions, the biblical perspective on γόμος reminds us that material things, while not inherently evil, can become spiritually dangerous when they displace God from the center of our lives.

The imagery of merchants weeping over unsold cargo in Revelation offers a sobering reminder that all earthly treasures are ultimately temporary. This should prompt us to consider whether we’re investing primarily in that which will last eternally—relationships, spiritual growth, and kingdom values—or focusing on accumulating goods that will ultimately prove worthless in light of eternity. When we align our values with God’s priorities, we find the freedom to enjoy material blessings without being enslaved by them, and to use our resources as tools for advancing יהוה’s kingdom rather than building our own.

Related Words

• φορτίον (phor-TEE-on) – burden, load; often refers to a personal burden or something carried; can have metaphorical usage referring to spiritual or emotional burdens. Similar to γόμος in denoting something carried, but more general and often used of personal items rather than commercial cargo. See G5413
• ἐμπορία (em-po-REE-ah) – merchandise, commerce, trade; refers to the business of buying and selling rather than the goods themselves. Connected to γόμος as the commercial activity that produces the cargo. See G1711
• πλοῦτος (PLOO-tos) – wealth, riches, abundance; represents the outcome or goal of shipping cargo for commercial gain. Related to γόμος as what merchants seek to obtain through trading goods. See G4149
• ἀγοράζω (ag-or-AD-zo) – to buy, purchase in the marketplace; the action taken regarding cargo once it reaches its destination. Describes what happens to γόμος when it successfully arrives at market. See G59
• πραγματεία (prag-mat-I-ah) – business, occupation, affair; denotes commercial enterprise more broadly. Where γόμος is the specific goods, πραγματεία is the overall business venture. See G4230

Did you Know?

• The detailed list of cargo items in Revelation 18:12-13 provides archaeologists and historians with valuable information about luxury trade routes in the first-century Roman Empire. The sequence begins with the most precious items (gold, silver, jewels) and proceeds through luxury textiles, exotic woods, and finally basic commodities and slaves—effectively cataloging the entire ancient Mediterranean economy in just a few verses.
• The port of Tyre mentioned in Acts 21:3, where Paul’s ship stopped to unload its γόμος, was famous throughout the ancient world for producing a highly valuable purple dye extracted from the murex shellfish. This “Tyrian purple” was so expensive that it became associated exclusively with royalty and wealth. One pound of dye required processing approximately 12,000 shellfish and would have been part of the luxury cargo transported on Mediterranean trading vessels.
• The Greek word γόμος has left a linguistic legacy in modern Spanish, where “en gomo” is still used in some contexts to describe a fully loaded cargo ship. This demonstrates how ancient Greek maritime terminology influenced Mediterranean languages and shipping practices well into the modern era.

Remember This

γόμος reminds us that what we value as precious cargo in this life may prove worthless in eternity, while what truly matters—faith, hope, and love—cannot be bought or sold in any marketplace.