Translation commentary on Revelation 14:7

Fear God: see the verb “fear” in “fear thy name” in 11.18. It means to honor, to respect, to hold in awe and reverence. One may also say “You must show respect for God.”

Give him glory: this probably implies repentance and confession of sins (see 11.13), but in translation it will be better in some languages to say “You must say that he is great,” and in others this clause will sound more natural in direct discourse; for example, “You must say, ‘O God, you are very great (or, powerful).’ ”

For the hour of his judgment has come: this is the good news for the persecuted followers of the Lamb. The time (hour) has come for God to judge all peoples and punish the wicked. In certain languages one must use the verb “judge” and make the object explicit; for example, “judge all people on earth.”

And worship him who made heaven and earth: this may be more naturally expressed by “worship the Creator of….” For worship see 4.10. The phrase heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water means the whole universe, everything that exists (as stated in 4.11). The sea and the fountains of water is a way of including all bodies of water, both salt water and fresh water (compare 8.10; 16.4, where only fresh water is mentioned).

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• You must show respect for God and tell him how great he is. For the time has come for him to judge all people on earth. Show respect for him, because he is the creator of the heavens and the earth, the oceans (or, seas) and the springs of water.

Or:

• You must show respect for God and tell him, “God, you are very great.” For the time has come for him to judge all people on earth. You must show respect for him because he has created the heaven and the earth along with all the water, both salty and fresh.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 14:7

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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