14:7a

And he said: The Greek word is literally “saying” (as in the King James Version). This word probably indicates that the angel’s message follows in 14:7b–e.

14:7b

Fear God: Here the word Fear means “respect” or “revere.” People who Fear God are humble before God and are in awe of him. They also realize he is all-powerful and does as he chooses. So they respect and honor him.

In some languages the word Fear only means “be afraid of.” If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Include the meaning of “respect” or “revere.” For example:

Fear ⌊and respect/revere⌋ God

• Translate the meaning of Fear as “respect,” “honor,” or “revere.” For example:

Honor God (Good News Translation)

give Him glory: This is a command to agree that God has glory. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

acknowledge his majesty
-or-
praise his greatness (Good News Translation)
-or-
say that he is great/glorious
-or-
honor God (Contemporary English Version)

See how you translated a similar phrase “give glory” in 4:9 or 11:13.

14:7c

the hour of His judgment has come: This clause indicates that the time for God to judge people is now. This time is when God would judge people.

In some languages it is more natural to use wording other than has come here. For example:

the hour of his judgment is now
-or-
It has become the hour of his judgment

the hour: Here the word hour refers generally to the time when God begins to judge people. For example:

the time (Good News Translation)

His judgment: This phrase refers to God deciding whether someone is guilty or innocent of wrongdoing. For example:

for God to judge all people (New Century Version)

14:7d

Worship: This word refers to honoring someone or something as sacred/divine. Other ways to translate this word are:

Venerate
-or-
Revere

See how you translated this word in 13:4 or 13:12.

14:7e

the heavens: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates with the plural word heavens is literally “the heaven.” It includes the sky, outer space, and the stars.

sea: The word sea refers to a large body of water. A sea is often so large that someone standing on one side cannot see the other side. Here the word sea refers to seas and oceans in general. Some languages do not have a word or phrase for sea. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

all the large bodies of water
-or-
saltwater

• Use the major language word.

See how you translated this word in 5:13 or 13:1.

springs of waters: This phrase refers to places where water arises out of the ground. In some languages it is more natural to omit the phrase of water.

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