The ten horns … and the beast will hate: for some reason the beast and the ten kings who are his allies (verse 13) will turn against the infamous prostitute and attack her. For hate see 2.6.

They will make her desolate and naked: this is better translated “they will take away all her belongings, and will strip her naked” or “They will take … and take off all her clothes so that she is naked.” If the language level allows it, the appropriate verb for make … desolate is “to despoil,” “to plunder.”

Devour her flesh and burn her up with fire: it must be noted that the first and the last of the four actions (make … desolate and burn) apply more naturally to the city (Babylon); the other two actions (make her … naked, and devour her flesh) apply to the prostitute herself. In the translation the plain meaning of all four actions should be clearly represented. For devour her flesh the translation can say “will devour her” (see the figure in Psa 27.2, RSV footnote; Jer 10.25; Micah 3.3). The figure is that of a wild animal that eats its victim as soon as it kills it. The statement will … burn her up with fire means to consume her body with fire. The same verb “to burn up” appears also in 18.8. This phrase may also be expressed as “they will take fire and burn her up (or, destroy her)” or “they will set her on fire….”

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 .