8:4a

And the smoke of the incense: As the incense burned, it produced sweet-smelling smoke. For example:

The smoke coming from the incense (NET Bible)

8:4b

from the hand of the angel: This phrase indicates that the angel used his hand to put the incense on the altar. The smoke came from the incense on the coals on the altar.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that the smoke came from the hand of the angel. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

from ⌊the incense that came from⌋ the angel’s hand
-or-
when the angel placed it there
-or-
from the altar where the angel had poured them out (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 8:4a–b

In some languages it is more natural to place the phrase “together with the prayers of the saints” at the end of the sentence. For example:

4a–b and the smoke of the incense from the angel’s hand went up before God with his people’s prayers. (Revised English Bible)

General Comment on 8:3b–4b

It is implied that the angel offered the incense. In some languages it is more natural to include the implied information in the translation. For example:

3b He was given much incense to offer 3c with the prayers of all God’s holy people. 3d The angel put this offering on the golden altar before the throne. 4a–b The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God with the prayers of God’s people. (New Century Version)
-or-

3b He was given a lot of incense to offer 3d on the gold altar in front of the throne. He offered it 3c with the prayers of all of God’s people. 4a–b The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God along with the prayers of God’s people. (God’s Word)

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