Another angel, a second, followed, saying: a more natural way of saying this in English appears in Good News Translation, “A second angel followed the first one.” The idea of followed here is not that the second angel pursued the first one, but that he appeared high in the air after the first one had disappeared. In some languages this will be expressed as “When the first angel left a second one appeared.” Saying in many languages will be rendered as “called out” or “shouted.”

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great: when used of a city, the verb “to fall” means that the city no longer exists as a place where people can lead normal lives; for whatever reason—war, earthquake, fire, pestilence—it has ceased to function as a community and is abandoned by its citizens (see a more detailed description in 18.2-3). The repetition of the verb fallen is to emphasize the complete nature of Babylon’s ruin. For some languages translators will need to find a term or phrase that carries the idea of the complete collapse of a city’s government and economy. One may say something like “The great city of Babylon is finished (or, collapsed). It is completely deserted (or, No people are left in it).” Babylon is called the great because of its power and prestige. Most commentators agree that the name is a way of referring to imperial Rome.

She: cities in some languages, mostly the Indo-European, are often spoken of as female, but in most languages they occur with pronouns that are not marked for gender.

Made all nations drink: the causative form of the verb “to drink” does not mean that Babylon necessarily forced the nations to drink her wine, but that she gave it to them, shared it with them. For this figure of drinking wine, see Jer 51.7.

Wine: although the Greek word for wine is used, in translation a general word for “strong drink” or “strong alcoholic beverage” can be used, rather than the specific fermented beverage made from grapes. In some cultures palm wine will be the closest natural equivalent.

The Greek text says “the wine of the fury of her immorality.” Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and other translations take “fury” here to mean “strong,” “wild,” “unrestrained,” referring to the immorality of Babylon: (impure) passion; New Revised Standard Version “(the wine of) her licentious (passion)”; Good News Translation “her immoral (lust).” But others take the word to refer to God’s anger (as in 14.10), so that the statement combines the idea of the corrupting power of Babylon’s immorality and God’s anger, or punishment. It is possible therefore to translate “She made all the nations drink the wine of her immorality, the wine that brings God’s anger (or, punishment) on her.” Translator’s New Testament has “has made all nations drink the wine of her sexual vice, the wine that brings God’s anger.” Revised English Bible translates “the wine of God’s anger roused by her fornication.” This understanding of the passage may well be correct, and a translator may choose to follow it. Immorality here refers to all kinds of sexual sins, not just sleeping with someone else’s spouse. In some languages it will be expressed as “evil sexual practices.”

The verdict is that Babylon, with her immorality (that is, her idolatry), has corrupted all the nations. It may be impossible to speak of “the wine of her impure passion,” so it may be necessary to translate somewhat as follows:

• Babylon’s immoral actions corrupted all the nations on earth. It was as though she gave them wine to drink, and this will cause God to punish them.

Or:

• Babylon’s evil sexual practices have caused all the nations on earth to sin in a similar way. It was as though….

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 .