Text -- Revelation 8:1-4 (NET)

The Seventh Seal

8:1 Now when the Lamb opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 8:2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 8:3 Another angel holding a golden censer came and was stationed at the altar. A 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 smoke coming from the incense, along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Rev 8:1

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption of the topic of the seals.

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the Lamb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Rev 8:2

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

NET Notes: Rev 8:3

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² tn Grk “having.”

³ sn A golden censer was a bowl in which incense was burned. The imagery suggests the OT role of the priest.

⁴ 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.

⁵ 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.

NET Notes: Rev 8:4

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² 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.