Discovery BoxRevelation 16:8-11 
Context16:8 Then 1 the fourth angel 2 poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people 3 with fire. 16:9 Thus 4 people 5 were scorched by the terrible heat, 6 yet 7 they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority 8 over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.
16:10 Then 9 the fifth angel 10 poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that 11 darkness covered his kingdom, 12 and people 13 began to bite 14 their tongues because 15 of their pain. 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings 16 and because of their sores, 17 but nevertheless 18 they still refused to repent 19 of their deeds.
Revelation 16:21
Context16:21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds 20 each, fell from heaven 21 on people, 22 but they 23 blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it 24 was so horrendous. 25
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
2 tn Grk “the fourth”; the referent (the fourth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the bowl poured on the sun.
5 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
6 tn On this phrase BDAG 536 s.v. καῦμα states, “burning, heat Rv 7:16…καυματίζεσθαι κ. μέγα be burned with a scorching heat 16:9.”
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
8 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
10 tn Grk “the fifth”; the referent (the fifth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” to indicate the implied result of the fifth bowl being poured out.
12 tn Grk “his kingdom became dark.”
13 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
14 tn On this term BDAG 620 s.v. μασάομαι states, “bite w. acc. τὰς γλώσσας bite their tongues Rv 16:10.”
15 tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) has been translated here and twice in the following verse with a causal sense.
16 tn Grk “pains” (the same term in Greek [πόνος, ponos] as the last word in v. 11, here translated “sufferings” because it is plural). BDAG 852 s.v. 2 states, “ἐκ τοῦ π. in pain…Rv 16:10; pl. (Gen 41:51; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 146; Test. Jud. 18:4) ἐκ τῶν π. …because of their sufferings vs. 11.”
17 tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).
18 tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.
19 tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.
20 tn Here BDAG 988 s.v. ταλαντιαῖος states, “weighing a talent…χάλαζα μεγάλη ὡς ταλαντιαία a severe hailstorm with hailstones weighing a talent (the talent=125 librae, or Roman pounds of c. 343 gr. or 12 ounces each) (weighing about a hundred pounds NRSV) Rv 16:21.” This means each hailstone would weigh just under 100 pounds or 40 kilograms.
21 tn Or “the sky.” Due to the apocalyptic nature of this book, it is probably best to leave the translation as “from heaven,” since God is ultimately the source of the judgment.
22 tn Grk “on men,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense to refer to people in general (the hailstones did not single out adult males, but would have also fallen on women and children).
23 tn Grk “the men”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun “they” is used here.
24 tn Grk “the plague of it.”
25 tn Grk “since the plague of it was exceedingly great.”
