So: “As a result,” “Because of this,” or “Because Babylon boasts like this.”

Her plagues: that is, the punishments that will be poured out on her (see 9.18).

In a single day: an expression for a short time; quickly or suddenly (as “one hour” in verses 10, 17, 19). One may also say “Because she boasts like this, in a very short time….”

Pestilence: this translates the Greek word that ordinarily means “death” (see 6.8b).

Mourning: this is not, as such, a plague or a punishment, but the result of one; here, then, the word may have the more restricted sense of “bereavement,” that is, the loss of her “husband” (see the language of Isa 47.8-9).

Famine: see 6.8.

She shall be burned with fire: this means she will be consumed, she will be destroyed, by fire.

Mighty: this adjective is used of an angel in 5.2; 10.1; only here is it used of God. It does not refer specifically to physical strength but to power in general.

For Lord God see 1.8; 4.8, where it is suggested that in many languages it will be more natural to say simply “God.”

Who judges her: that is, who condemns her, who punishes her (see 6.10). Other ways of saying this are “who decides how she will be punished” or “who decides how he (God) will punish her.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Because Babylon boasts like this, in a very short time (or, one day) God will punish her with disease, the death of a loved one, and famine. Fire will burn her up, because God, who decides how to punish her, is all powerful.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .