The smoke of the incense: it is better to make this quite clear: “the smoke that rose from the burning incense.”

The prayers of the saints: see the previous verse.

From the hand of the angel: the angel is holding the gold censer, in which the incense is burning on coals taken from the altar, causing smoke to go up (see the process described in Lev 10.1; 16.12; Num 16.46). If readers in certain languages understand this phrase to mean that the burning incense was actually in the hands of the angel rather than in a censer, then one should render this phrase as “from the censer (pan) in the hand of the angel….”

Before God: both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation connect this phrase with the angel. This follows quite literally the order of words in the Greek text and may be defended as the meaning of the text. It seems much more likely, however, that before God modifies the verb rose, and that the meaning is that the smoke rose to God’s presence. So New Jerusalem Bible “in the presence of God”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “to the presence of God” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Translator’s New Testament, An American Translation, Barclay, Phillips, New American Bible, Revised). Other possible translations are “to where God was” or “to where God could see it.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• The smoke from the burning incense (or, sweet smelling powder) in the censer that the angel was holding, and also the prayers of God’s people, went up to where God was.

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 .