Revelation 12

Revelation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

 


Rev 12:1

Καὶ σημεῖον μέγα ὤφθη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· γυνὴ περιβεβλημένη τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς στέφανος ἀστέρων δώδεκα,

and a great sign was seen in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 

Paraphrase:  Then I looked up and saw another sign in the sky above me.  This truly was a sign of incredible brilliance and majesty.  There was a woman in heaven who clothes…I don’t know how else to describe it.  It was as if she was wearing the very sun itself.  The moon was under her feet and on her head was a crown which had twelve starts embedded in it. 

Comments:

The woman represents Israel, note the twelve stars; cf Rev 12:17.

For the use of the accusative in ἥλιον, see GGBB 190, the section Conceptual Cognate.

 


Rev 12:2

καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα. καὶ κράζει, ὠδίνουσα, καὶ βασανιζομένη τεκεῖν.

and having in womb and she cried out having labor pains and being in anguish to give birth 

Paraphrase:  This woman had reached the end of her pregnancy and was now in labor.  Because of her labor pangs, she cried out in anguish and was clearly about to give birth. 

Comments:

 


Rev 12:3

Καὶ ὤφθη ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἰδοὺ, δράκων πυρρός μέγας, ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ, καὶ κέρατα δέκα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ, ἑπτὰ διαδήματα.

and another sign appeared in heaven in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and on his head seven diadems.

Paraphrase:  While I was studying this woman, I saw another sign in the sky.  I was horrified to see a most hideous dragon approaching the woman.  It was massive in size and red in color.  It had seven heads, ten terrible horns, and a royal crown was on each of the heads.

Comments:

Note Trench’s comment regarding the distinction between a crown and a diadem.

 


Rev 12:4

καὶ ἡ οὐρὰ αὐτοῦ σύρει τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἕστηκεν ἐνώπιον τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς μελλούσης τεκεῖν, ἵνα ὅταν τέκῃ, τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς καταφάγῃ.

and his tail dragged a third of the stars out of heaven and cast them down onto the earth, and the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, in order that when she gave birth, he might devour the child.

Paraphrase:  The tail of this dragon was so powerful that it swept through the heaven, took hold of the stars, and dragged them out of their orbits.  Then it threw the stars down onto the earth.  There stood this incredible and terrifying beast before this helpless woman writhing in the agony of childbirth.  There could be no question; the beast was resolved on one thing.  He intended to grasp the child as soon as he was born and to devour it.

Comments:

 


Rev 12:5

Καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν ἄρσεν, ὃς μέλλει ποιμαίνειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ· καὶ ἡρπάσθη τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ.

and she gave birth to a male child who was about to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod, and her child was snatched away to God and to His throne.

Paraphrase:  Then, I shuddered with horror as I saw the child beginning to emerge from the woman.  I trembled to think that this monster was just waiting for his chance to grab the infant and put an end to it.  I wept to think that this child was anointed by God to be the ruler of the nations, (Psalm 2:9) that this child would crush God’s enemies and save His people, this child was set for the fall and rising of many (Luke 2:34) and now it appeared as though the purpose of God would be lost.  Certainly, this woman could not possibly hope to fend off this dreadful beast and rescue her child.  For all that, however, I was struck with amazement and joy when I saw a mighty angel come from the very throne room of God, sweep down on this woman, grab her child, and with astonishing speed carried the child back to God where the child found safety under the protection of Almighty God Himself.

Comments:

 


Rev 12:6

καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἔφυγεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, ὅπου ἔχει ἐκεῖ τόπον ἡτοιμασμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα ἐκεῖ τρέφωσιν αὐτὴν ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα.

and the woman fled into the wilderness where she has there a place being prepared by God in order that there they might nourished her days, one thousand two hundred and sixty.

Paraphrase:  Then the beast was enraged with a terrible fury at missing his prey.  He turned on the woman to tear her to pieces, but she got up and fled from him.  God had prepared a place for her in the wilderness, and to this place she fled.  There she was safe from the terror of the beast.  Here, the angels of God nourished her and cared for her as a mother cares for her infant child.  The entire time of her tribulation, she was provided for and protected.

Comments:

 


Rev 12:7

Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος, καὶ ὁ δράκων ἐπολέμησεν, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ.

 


Rev 12:8

καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν*, οὐδὲ τόπος εὑρέθη αὐτῶν ἔτι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ.

Rev 12:9

καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ μέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ καλούμενος Διάβολος καὶ Ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ πλανῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην. ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐβλήθησαν.

Rev 12:10

Καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν μεγάλην ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, λέγουσαν· Ἄρτι ἐγένετο ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ ἡ δύναμις, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐβλήθη ὁ κατήγωρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ κατηγορῶν αὐτοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός.

Rev 12:11

καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Ἀρνίου, καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς μαρτυρίας αὐτῶν· καὶ οὐκ ἠγάπησαν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἄχρι θανάτου.

Rev 12:12

διὰ τοῦτο, εὐφραίνεσθε ‹οἱ› οὐρανοὶ, καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες! οὐαὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἔχων θυμὸν μέγαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει.

Rev 12:13

Καὶ ὅτε εἶδεν ὁ δράκων ὅτι ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐδίωξεν τὴν γυναῖκα ἥτις ἔτεκεν τὸν ἄρσενα.

Rev 12:14

καὶ ἐδόθησαν τῇ γυναικὶ αἱ δύο πτέρυγες τοῦ ἀετοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου, ἵνα πέτηται εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, ὅπου τρέφεται ἐκεῖ καιρὸν, καὶ καιροὺς, καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ὄφεως.

Rev 12:15

Καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ὄφις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω τῆς γυναικὸς ὕδωρ ὡς ποταμόν, ἵνα αὐτὴν ποταμοφόρητον ποιήσῃ.

Rev 12:16

καὶ ἐβοήθησεν ἡ γῆ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἤνοιξεν ἡ γῆ τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς καὶ κατέπιεν τὸν ποταμὸν, ὃν ἔβαλεν ὁ δράκων ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ.

Rev 12:17

καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ δράκων ἐπὶ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐχόντων τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ ἐστάθη ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης.

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