Revelation 8:2-5

8:2 Then ¹  I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 8:3 Another ²  angel holding ³  a golden censer ⁴  came and was stationed ⁵  at the altar. A ⁶  large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne. 8:4 The ⁷  smoke coming from the incense, ⁸  along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 8:5 Then ⁹  the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring, ¹⁰  flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Revelation 8:13

8:13 Then ¹¹  I looked, and I heard an ¹²  eagle ¹³  flying directly overhead, ¹⁴  proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!” ¹⁵ 

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¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

³ tn Grk “having.”

⁴ sn A golden censer was a bowl in which incense was burned. The imagery suggests the OT role of the priest.

⁵ tn The verb “to station” was used to translate ἑστάθη (Jestaqh) because it connotes the idea of purposeful arrangement in English, which seems to be the idea in the Greek.

⁶ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁸ tn The expression τῶν θυμιαμάτων (twn qumiamatwn) is taken as a “genitive of producer,” i.e., the noun in the genitive produces the head noun.

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹⁰ tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹² tn Grk “one eagle.”

¹³ tc Ï^A reads “angel” (ἀγγέλου, angelou) instead of “eagle” (ἀετοῦ, aetou), a reading strongly supported by {א A 046 Ï^K and several versions}. On external grounds, ἀετοῦ is clearly the superior reading. ἀγγέλου could have arisen inadvertently due to similarities in spelling or sound between ἀετοῦ and ἀγγέλου. It may also have been intentional in order to bring this statement in line with 14:6 where an angel is mentioned as the one flying in midair. This seems a more likely reason, strengthened by the facts that the book only mentions eagles two other times (4:7; 12:14). Further, the immediate as well as broad context is replete with references to angels.

¹⁴ tn Concerning the word μεσουράνημα (mesouranhma), L&N 1.10 states, “a point or region of the sky directly above the earth – ‘high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.’ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἁετοῦ πετομένου ἐν μεσουρανήματι ‘I looked, and I heard an eagle that was flying overhead in the sky’ Re 8:13.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “about to sound their trumpets,” but this is redundant in English.