Revelation 15:5--16:1

15:5 After ¹  these things I looked, and the temple (the tent ²  of the testimony) ³  was opened in heaven, 15:6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts ⁴  around their chests. 15:7 Then ⁵  one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath ⁶  of God who lives forever and ever, 15:8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus ⁷  no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.

The Bowls of God’s Wrath

16:1 Then ⁸  I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” ⁹ 

[15:5]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:5]  ² tn On this term BDAG 928 s.v. σκηνή 1.b.α states, “ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου the Tabernacle or Tent of Testimony (Ex 27:21; 29:4; Lev 1:1; Num 1:1 and oft.…) Ac 7:44; 1 Cl 43:2, 5,” and then continues in section 2 to state, “Rv 15:5 speaks of a ναὸς τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. God’s σκ.= dwelling is in heaven 13:6, and will some time be among humans 21:3.”

[15:5]  ³ tn Grk “the temple of the tent of the testimony” (ὁ ναός τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, Jo naos ths skhnhs tou marturiou). The genitive “of the tent” is probably an appositional genitive and should be rendered as “the temple, which is the tent.” The entire expression, then, would be “the temple which is the tent of testimony,” that is, “the heavenly equivalent of the tent or tabernacle that was with Israel in the wilderness” (G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 801-2).

[15:6]  ⁴ tn Or “wide golden sashes,” but these would not be diagonal, as some modern sashes are, but horizontal. The Greek term can refer to a wide band of cloth or leather worn on the outside of one’s clothing (L&N 6.178).

[15:7]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[15:7]  ⁶ tn Or “anger.”

[15:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “power, and no one.” A new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the temple being filled with smoke.

[16:1]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[16:1]  ⁹ tn Or “anger.” Here τοῦ θυμοῦ (tou qumou) has been translated as a genitive of content.