NET | Revelation 12

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

12  Then [ a ] a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. [ b ] 2  She [ c ] was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling [ d ] to give birth. 3  Then [ e ] another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. [ f ] 4  Now [ g ] the dragon’s [ h ] tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then [ i ] the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 5  So [ j ] the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, [ k ] who is going to rule [ l ] over all the nations [ m ] with an iron rod . [ n ] Her [ o ] child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 6  and she [ p ] fled into the wilderness [ q ] where a place had been prepared for her [ r ] by God, so she could be taken care of [ s ] for 1,260 days.

War in Heaven

7  Then [ t ] war broke out in heaven: Michael [ u ] and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8  But [ v ] the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, [ w ] so there was no longer any place left [ x ] in heaven for him and his angels. [ y ] 9  So [ z ] that huge dragon—the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world—was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 10  Then [ aa ] I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority [ ab ] of his Christ, [ ac ] have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, [ ad ]
the one who accuses them day and night [ ae ] before our God,
has been thrown down.
11  But [ af ] they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives [ ag ] so much that they were afraid to die.
12  Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!
But [ ah ] woe to the earth and the sea
because the devil has come down to you!
He [ ai ] is filled with terrible anger,
for he knows that he only has a little time!”

13  Now [ aj ] when the dragon realized [ ak ] that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14  But [ al ] the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness, [ am ] to the place God [ an ] prepared for her, where she is taken care of—away from the presence of the serpent—for a time, times, and half a time. [ ao ] 15  Then [ ap ] the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to [ aq ] sweep her away by a flood, 16  but [ ar ] the earth came to her rescue; [ as ] the ground opened up [ at ] and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 17  So [ au ] the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, [ av ] those who keep [ aw ] God’s commandments and hold to [ ax ] the testimony about Jesus. [ ay ] 18  And the dragon [ az ] stood [ ba ] on the sand [ bb ] of the seashore. [ bc ]

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 12:1 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
  2. Revelation 12:1 sn Sun … moon … stars . This imagery is frequently identified with the nation Israel because of Joseph’s dream in Gen 37 .
  3. Revelation 12:2 tn Here καί ( kai ) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  4. Revelation 12:2 tn Grk “and being tortured,” though βασανίζω ( basanizō ) in this context refers to birth pangs. BDAG 168 s.v. 2.b states, “Of birth-pangs (Anth. Pal. 9, 311 βάσανος has this mng.) Rv 12:2 .” The καί ( kai ) has not been translated.
  5. Revelation 12:3 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  6. Revelation 12:3 tn For the translation of διάδημα ( diadēma ) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196. sn Diadem crowns were a type of crown used as a symbol of the highest ruling authority in a given area, and thus often associated with kingship.
  7. Revelation 12:4 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.
  8. Revelation 12:4 tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. Revelation 12:4 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  10. Revelation 12:5 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the anticipated birth.
  11. Revelation 12:5 tn On this term BDAG 135 s.v. ἄρσην states: “ male …The neut. ἄρσεν Rv 12:5 , difft. vs. 13 , comes fr. Is 66:7 and is in apposition to υἱόν . On the juxtaposition s. FBoll, ZNW 15, 1914, 253; BOlsson, Glotta 23, ’34, 112.”
  12. Revelation 12:5 tn Grk “shepherd.”
  13. Revelation 12:5 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
  14. Revelation 12:5 tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος ( rhabdos ) can mean either “rod” or “scepter.” sn An allusion to Ps 2:9 (see also Rev 2:27 ;   19:15 ).
  15. Revelation 12:5 tn Here καί ( kai ) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  16. Revelation 12:6 tn Grk “and the woman,” which would be somewhat redundant in English.
  17. Revelation 12:6 tn Or “desert.”
  18. Revelation 12:6 tn Grk “where she has there a place prepared by God.”
  19. Revelation 12:6 tn Grk “so they can take care of her.”
  20. Revelation 12:7 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
  21. Revelation 12:7 sn The archangel Michael had a special role in protecting the nation of Israel in the OT ( Dan 10:13 ,   21 ;   12:1 ; see also Jude 9 ).
  22. Revelation 12:8 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast.
  23. Revelation 12:8 tn The words “to prevail” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
  24. Revelation 12:8 tn Grk “found.”
  25. Revelation 12:8 tn Grk “for them”; the referent (the dragon and his angels, v. 7 ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. Revelation 12:9 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.
  27. Revelation 12:10 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  28. Revelation 12:10 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
  29. Revelation 12:10 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
  30. Revelation 12:10 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [ adelphoi ] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.
  31. Revelation 12:10 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”
  32. Revelation 12:11 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
  33. Revelation 12:11 sn They did not love their lives . See Matt 16:25 ;   Luke 17:33 ;   John 12:25 .
  34. Revelation 12:12 tn The word “But” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied. This is a case of asyndeton (lack of a connective).
  35. Revelation 12:12 tn Grk “and is filled,” a continuation of the previous sentence. Because English tends to use shorter sentences (especially when exclamations are involved), a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  36. Revelation 12:13 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.
  37. Revelation 12:13 tn Grk “saw.”
  38. Revelation 12:14 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
  39. Revelation 12:14 tn Or “desert.”
  40. Revelation 12:14 tn The word “God” is supplied based on the previous statements made concerning “the place prepared for the woman” in 12:6 .
  41. Revelation 12:14 tc The reading “and half a time” ( καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ ,  kai hēmisu kairou ) is lacking in the significant majuscule C. Its inclusion, however, is supported by P 47 א A and the rest of the ms tradition. There is apparently no reason for the scribe of C to intentionally omit the phrase, and the fact that the word “time” ( καιρὸν καὶ καιρούς ,  kairon kai kairous ) appears twice before may indicate a scribal oversight. sn The parallel statement in Rev 12:6 suggests that the phrase a time, times, and half a time equals 1,260 days (three and a half years of 360 days each).
  42. Revelation 12:15 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  43. Revelation 12:15 tn Grk “so that he might make her swept away.”
  44. Revelation 12:16 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
  45. Revelation 12:16 tn Grk “the earth helped the woman.”
  46. Revelation 12:16 tn Grk “the earth opened its mouth” (a metaphor for the ground splitting open).
  47. Revelation 12:17 tn Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.
  48. Revelation 12:17 tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).
  49. Revelation 12:17 tn Or “who obey.”
  50. Revelation 12:17 tn Grk “and having.”
  51. Revelation 12:17 tn Grk “the testimony of Jesus,” which may involve a subjective genitive (“Jesus’ testimony”) or, more likely, an objective genitive (“testimony about Jesus”).
  52. Revelation 12:18 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  53. Revelation 12:18 tc Grk ἐστάθη ( estathē , “he stood”). The reading followed by the translation is attested by the better   mss   ( P 47 א A C 1854 2344 2351 lat sy h ) while the majority of   mss   (051 M vg mss sy ph co) have the reading ἐστάθην ( estathēn , “I stood”). Thus, the majority of   mss   make the narrator, rather than the dragon of 12:17 , the subject of the verb. The first person reading is most likely an assimilation to the following verb in 13:1 , “I saw.” The reading “I stood” was introduced either by accident or to produce a smoother flow, giving the narrator a vantage point on the sea’s edge from which to observe the beast rising out of the sea in 13:1 . But almost everywhere else in the book, the phrase καὶ εἶδον ( kai eidon , “and I saw”) marks a transition to a new vision, without reference to the narrator’s activity. On both external and internal grounds, it is best to adopt the third person reading, “he stood.”
  54. Revelation 12:18 tn Or “sandy beach” (L&N 1.64).
  55. Revelation 12:18 sn The standard critical texts of the Greek NT, NA 28 and UBS 5 , both include this sentence as 12:18 , as do the RSV and NRSV. Other modern translations like the NASB and NIV include the sentence at the beginning of 13:1 ; in these versions chap. 12 has only 17 verses.