Swung his sickle on the earth: as in verse 16.

Gathered the vintage of the earth: this means “cut off the clusters of grapes from the vine (or, vineyard) of the earth.” The Greek word translated the vintage is the same one that is translated “the vine” in verse 18. The English word “vintage” means the yield, or harvest, of grapes from a vineyard or a given wine district. An alternative way to translate this in cultures where grapes are unknown is “gathered all the fruit named grape from the vine of the earth.”

Threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God: here, in another change of figures, it is the wine press that represents God’s anger. The wine press at that time was usually a pit cut into stone in which the grapes were placed. People would then trample on the grapes, in this way causing the grape juice to flow out. By means of a channel cut into the wine press, the juice ran into a bucket, or vat, placed lower than the press itself. One may also translate “the place where the juice is squeezed out of grapes” or “the place where they trample grapes and squeeze the juice out of them.”

In Greek the adjective great is masculine, whereas wine press is feminine. Commentators and translations take this to be an error in concordance; of the translations consulted only Good News Translation takes the adjective to modify wrath, which is feminine. It is recommended that the adjective be made to modify wine press. So one may say “the great wine press” or “the large place to trample grapes.”

If there is some difficulty in representing “the great wine press of the wrath of God,” it may be better to translate “The angel threw the grapes into the place where they are to be squeezed out (or, trampled). This represents God’s punishment of the wicked.” But it is better, if possible, simply to maintain the figurative language of the Greek text, without any additional information.

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 .