Merchants sold pearls as jewelry (see Revelation 18:12). A single pearl could be worth millions and be one’s most precious possession. The merchant is probably a wholesaler, a wealthy man (see Revelation 18:23). The value of fine pearls is shown in how the foundations of the New Jerusalem are adorned with precious stones, including pearls (Revelation 21:18–21).
During the time of Jesus, divers often fished pearls out of the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. Pearl merchants sold them as jewelry (see Revelation 18:12). A single pearl could sometimes be worth millions and was often the most precious thing a person owned. The merchant is probably a wholesaler, a wealthy man (see Revelation 18:23).1
The value of fine pearls is highlighted in the fact that the foundations of the New Jerusalem are adorned with precious stones, including pearls (Revelation 21:18–21). In the kingdom of heaven, radiance and splendour are united. Yet there is something strikingly ordinary in this image, in how it links Israel’s highest hope—the kingdom of heaven itself—with the familiar beauty of mysterious, earthly gems.2
45 Le royaume des cieux est encore semblable à un marchand qui cherche de belles perles.