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 .