12:1 {A great sign} (sˆmeion mega). The first of the visions to be so described (13:3; 15:1), and it is introduced by “phthˆ as in 11:19; 12:3, not by meta tauto or by eidon or by eidon kai idou as heretofore. This "sign" is really a teras (wonder), as it is so by association in Mt 24:24; Joh 4:48; Ac 2:22; 5:12. The element of wonder is not in the word sˆmeion as in teras, but often in the thing itself as in Lu 21:11; Joh 9:16; Re 13:13ff.; 15:1; 16:14; 19:20.
{A woman} (gunˆ). Nominative case in apposition with sˆmeion. "The first 'sign in heaven' is a Woman--the earliest appearance of a female figure in the Apocalyptic vision" (Swete).
{Arrayed with the sun} (peribeblˆmenˆ ton hˆlion). Perfect passive participle of periball“, with the accusative retained as so often (9 times) in the Apocalypse. Both Charles and Moffatt see mythological ideas and sources behind the bold imagery here that leave us all at sea. Swete understands the Woman to be "the church of the Old Testament" as "the Mother of whom Christ came after the flesh. But here, as everywhere in the Book, no sharp dividing line is drawn between the Church of the Old Testament and the Christian Society." Certainly she is not the Virgin Mary, as verse 17 makes clear. Beckwith takes her to be "the heavenly representative of the people of God, the "ideal" Zion, which, so far as it is embodied in concrete realities, is represented alike by the people of the Old and the New Covenants." John may have in mind Isa 7:14 (Mt 1:23; Lu 1:31) as well as Mic 4:10; Isa 26:17f.; 66:7 without a definite picture of Mary. The metaphor of childbirth is common enough (Joh 16:21; Ga 4:19). The figure is a bold one with the moon "under her feet" (hupokat“ t“n pod“n autˆs) and "a crown of twelve stars" (stephanos aster“n d“deka), a possible allusion to the twelve tribes (Jas 1:1; Re 21:12) or to the twelve apostles (Re 21:14).

12:2 {And she was with child} (kai en gastri echousa). Perhaps estin to be supplied or the participle used as a finite verb as in 10:2. This is the technical idiom for pregnancy as in Mt 1:18,23, etc.
{Travailing in birth} (“dinousa). Present active participle of “din“, old verb (from “din birth-pangs 1Th 5:3), in N.T. only here and Ga 4:27.
{And in pain} (kai basanizomenˆ). "And tormented" (present passive participle of basaniz“, for which see already 9:5; 11:10), only here in N.T. in sense of childbirth.
{To be delivered} (tekein). Second aorist active infinitive of tikt“, to give birth, epexegetical use. Also in verse 4.

12:3 {Another sign} (allo sˆmeion). "A second tableau following close upon the first and inseparable from it" (Swete).
{And behold} (kai idou). As often (4:1; 6:2,5,8, etc.).
{A great red dragon} (drak“n megas purros). Homer uses this old word (probably from derkomai, to see clearly) for a great monster with three heads coiled like a serpent that ate poisonous herbs. The word occurs also in Hesiod, Pindar, Eschylus. The Babylonians feared a seven-headed hydra and Typhon was the Egyptian dragon who persecuted Osiris. One wonders if these and the Chinese dragons are not race memories of conflicts with the diplodocus and like monsters before their disappearance. Charles notes in the O.T. this monster as the chief enemy of God under such title as Rahab (Isa 51:9f.; Job 26:12f.), Behemoth (Job 40:15-24), Leviathan (Isa 27:1), the Serpent (Am 9:2ff.). In Ps 74:13 we read of "the heads of the dragons." On purros (red) see 6:4. Here (12:9) and in 20:2 the great dragon is identified with Satan. See Da 7 for many of the items here, like the ten horns (Da 7:7) and hurling the stars (Da 8:10). The word occurs in the Apocalypse alone in the N.T.
{Seven diadems} (hepta diadˆmata). Old word from diade“ (to bind around), the blue band marked with white with which Persian kings used to bind on the tiara, so a royal crown in contrast with stephanos (chaplet or wreath like the Latin "corona" as in 2:10), in N.T. only here, 13:1; 19:12. If Christ as Conqueror has "many diadems," it is not strange that Satan should wear seven (ten in 13:1).

12:4 {His tail} (hˆ oura autou). See 9:10,19.
{Draweth} (surei). Present active indicative of sur“, old verb, to drag, here alone in the Apocalypse, but see Joh 21:8.
{The third part of the stars} (to triton t“n aster“n). Like a great comet is this monster. See Da 8:10. Perhaps only the third is meant to soften the picture as in Re 8:7f.
{Did cast them} (ebalen autous). Second aorist active indicative. Charles takes this to refer to a war in heaven between the good angels and Satan, with the fall of some angels (Jude 1:6). But John may have in mind the martyrs before Christ (Heb 11:32f.) and after Christ's ascension (Mt 23:35).
{Stood} (estˆken). Imperfect active of a late verb, stˆk“, from the perfect hestˆka of histˆmi, graphic picture of the dragon's challenge of the woman who is about to give birth.
{When she was delivered} (hotan tekˆi). Indefinite temporal clause with hotan and the second aorist active subjunctive of tikt“, "whenever she gives birth." {That he might devour} (hina kataphagˆi). Purpose clause with hina and the second aorist active subjunctive of katesthi“, to eat up (down). Cf. Jer 28:34. This is what Pharaoh did to Israel (Ex 1:15-22; Ps 85:13; Isa 27:1; 51:9; Eze 29:3). Precisely so the devil tried to destroy the child Jesus on his birth.

12:5 {She was delivered of a son} (eteken huion). Literally, "she bore a son" (second aorist active indicative of tikt“).
{A man child} (arsen). So A C with the neuter teknon or paidion in mind, as often in O.T. (eteken arsen, Ex 1:16ff.; 2:2; Le 12:2,7; Isa 66:7; Jer 20:15, etc.), but P and some cursives read arsena (masculine accusative), as in verse 13 (ton arsena), while Aleph Q have arrena. The word is old (either arsˆn or arrˆn), as in Mt 19:4, only in this chapter in the Apocalypse. It is really redundant after huion (son), as in Tob. 6:12 (Aleph).
{Who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron} (hos mellei poimainein panta ta ethnˆ en rabd“i sidˆrƒi). See 2:27 for these words (from Ps 2:9) applied there to victorious Christians also, and in 19:15 to the triumphant Christian. His rule will go beyond the Jews (Mt 2:6). There is here, of course, direct reference to the birth of Jesus from Mary, who thus represented in her person this "ideal woman" (God's people).
{Was caught unto God} (hˆrpasthˆ). First aorist passive indicative of harpaz“, old verb for seizing or snatching away, as in Joh 10:12, here alone in the Apocalypse. Reference to the ascension of Christ, with omission of the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ because he is here simply showing that "the Dragon's vigilance was futile" (Swete). "The Messiah, so far from being destroyed, is caught up to a share in God's throne" (Beckwith).

12:6 {Fled into the wilderness} (ephugen eis tˆn erˆmon). Second aorist active indicative of pheug“. Here, of course, not Mary, but "the ideal woman" (God's people) of the preceding verses, who fled under persecution of the dragon. God's people do not at once share the rapture of Christ, but the dragon is unable to destroy them completely. The phrases used here seem to be reminiscent of De 8:2ff. (wanderings of Israel in the wilderness), 1Ki 17:2f. and 19:3f. (Elijah's flight), I Macc. 2:29 (flight of the Jews from Antiochus Epiphanes), Mt 2:13 (flight of Joseph and Mary to Egypt), Mr 13:14 (the flight of Christians at the destruction of Jerusalem).
{Where} (hopou--ekei). Hebrew redundancy (where--there) as in 3:8; 8:9,9; 13:8,12; 17:9; 20:8.
{Prepared} (hˆtoimasmenon). Perfect passive predicate participle of hetoimaz“, for which verb see Mt 20:23; Re 8:6; 9:7,15; 16:12; 19:7; 21:2, and for its use with topos Joh 14:2f. and for the kind of fellowship meant by it (Ps 31:21; 2Co 13:13; Col 3:3; 1Jo 1:3).
{Of God} (apo tou theou). "From (by) God," marking the source as God (9:18; Jas 1:13). This anticipatory symbolism is repeated in 12:13f.
{That there they may nourish her} (hina ekei treph“sin autˆn). Purpose clause with hina and the present for continued action: active subjunctive according to A P though C reads trephousin, present active indicative, as is possible also in 13:17 and certainly so in 1Jo 5:20 (Robertson, "Grammar", p. 984), a solecism in late vernacular Greek. The plural is indefinite "they" as in 10:11; 11:9. One MSS. has trephetai (is nourished). The stereotyped phrase occurs here, as in 11:2f., for the length of the dragon's power, repeated in 12:14 in more general terms and again in 13:5.

12:7 {There was war in heaven} (egeneto polemos en t“i ouran“i). "There came to be war in heaven" (egeneto, not ˆn). "Another tableau, not a sˆmeion (vv. 1,3), but consequent upon the two sˆmeia which precede it. The birth and rapture of the Woman's Son issue in a war which invades the epourania" (Swete). The reference is not to the original rebellion of Satan, as Andreas held. As the coming of Christ brought on fresh manifestations of diabolic power (Mr 1:13; Lu 22:3,31; Joh 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), just so Christ's return to heaven is pictured as being the occasion of renewed attacks there. We are not to visualize it too literally, but certainly modern airplanes help us to grasp the notion of battles in the sky even more than the phalanxes of storm-clouds (Swete). John even describes this last conflict as in heaven itself. Cf. Lu 10:18; 1Ki 22:1ff.; Job 1; 2; Zec 3:1ff.
{Michael and his angels} (ho Michaˆl kai hoi aggeloi autou). The nominative here may be in apposition with polemos, but it is an abnormal construction with no verb, though egeneto (arose) can be understood as repeated. Michael is the champion of the Jewish people (Da 10:13,21; 12:1) and is called the archangel in Jude 9.
{Going forth to war} (tou polemˆsai). This genitive articular infinitive is another grammatical problem in this sentence. If egeneto (arose) is repeated as above, then we have the infinitive for purpose, a common enough idiom. Otherwise it is anomalous, not even like Ac 10:25.
{With the dragon} (meta tou drakontos). On the use of meta with poleme“ see 2:16; 13:4; 17:14 (nowhere else in N.T.). The devil has angels under his command (Mt 25:41) and preachers also (2Co 11:14f.). {Warred} (epolemˆsen). Constative aorist active indicative of poleme“, picturing the whole battle in one glimpse.

12:8 {And they prevailed not} (kai ouk ischusan). Here kai equals "and yet" or "but." A few MSS. read the singular ischusen like epolemˆsen, but wrongly so.
{Neither was their place found any more} (oude topos heurethˆ aut“n eti). First aorist passive indicative of heurisk“, to find. Probably aut“n is the objective genitive (place for them), just as in 20:11 autois (dative, for them) is used with topos ouch heurethˆ. The phrase occurs in Da 2:35 Theod. and Zec 10:10. The dragon is finally expelled from heaven (cf. Job 1:6), though to us it seems a difficult conception to think of Satan having had access to heaven.

12:9 {Was cast down} (eblˆthˆ). Effective first aorist passive indicative of ball“, cast down for good and all, a glorious consummation. This vision of final victory over Satan is given by Jesus in Lu 10:18; Joh 12:31. It has not come yet, but it is coming, and the hope of it should be a spur to missionary activity and zeal. The word megas (great) occurs here with drak“n as in 12:3, and the whole picture is repeated in 20:2. The dragon in both places is identified with the old serpent (Ge 3:1ff.) and called archaios (from archˆ, beginning), as Jesus said that the devil was a murderer "from the beginning" (Joh 8:44). Both diabolos (slanderer) and Satan (Satanƒs) are common in N.T. for this great dragon and old serpent, the chief enemy of mankind. See on ¯Mt 4:1; Re 2:10 for diabolos and Lu 10:18 for Satanƒs.
{The deceiver of the whole world} (ho plan“n tˆn oikoumenˆn holˆn). This is his aim and his occupation, pictured here by the nominative articular present active participle of plana“, to lead astray. For "the inhabited world" see Lu 2:1; Re 3:10; 16:14. Satan can almost "lead astray" the very elect of God (Mt 24:24), so artful is he in his beguilings as he teaches us how to deceive ourselves (1Jo 1:8).
{He was cast down to the earth} (eblˆthˆ eis tˆn gˆn). Effective aorist repeated from the beginning of the verse. "The earth was no new sphere of Satan's working" (Swete).
{Were cast down} (eblˆthˆsan). Triple use of the same verb applied to Satan's minions. The expulsion is complete.

12:10 {A great voice saying} (ph“nˆn megalˆn legousan). Accusative after ˆkousa in this phrase as in 5:11; 10:4; 14:2; 18:4, but the genitive ph“nˆs legousˆs in 11:12; 14:13. We are not told whence this voice or song comes, possibly from one of the twenty-four elders (Swete) or some other heavenly beings (11:15) who can sympathize with human beings (19:10), the martyrs in heaven (Charles).
{Now is come} (arti egeneto). Arti (Joh 13:33) shows how recent the downfall of Satan here proleptically pictured as behind us in time (aorist tense egeneto).
{The salvation} (hˆ s“tˆria). Here "the victory" as in 7:10; 19:1.
{The power} (hˆ dunamis). Gods power over the dragon (cf. 7:12; 11:17; 19:1).
{The kingdom} (hˆ basileia). "The empire of God" as in 11:15.
{The authority of his Christ} (hˆ exousia tou Christou autou). Which Christ received from the Father (Mt 28:18; Joh 17:2). See 11:15 (Ps 2:2) for "his Anointed."
{The accuser} (ho katˆg“r). The regular form, katˆgoros, occurs in Joh 8:10; Ac 23:30,35; 25:16,18 and in many MSS. here in Re 12:10, but A reads katˆg“r, which Westcott and Hort accept. It was once considered a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word, but Deissmann ("Light", etc., p. 93f.) quotes it from a vernacular magical papyrus of the fourth century A.D. with no sign of Jewish or Christian influence, just as diak“n appears as a vernacular form of diakonos. Only here is the word applied to Satan in the N.T. In late Judaism Satan is the accuser, and Michael the defender, of the faithful.
{Of our brethren} (t“n adelph“n hˆm“n). The saints still on earth battling with Satan and his devices.
{Which accuseth them} (ho katˆgor“n autous). Articular present active participle of katˆgore“, old verb, to accuse, usually with the genitive of the person (Joh 5:45), but here with the accusative. This is the devil's constant occupation (Job 1:6f.).
{Day and night} (hˆmeras kai nuktos). Genitive of time. "By day and by night."

12:11 {They overcame him} (autoi enikˆsan). First aorist active indicative of nika“, the verb used by Jesus of his own victory (Joh 16:33) and about him (Re 3:21; 5:5). "The victory of the martyrs marks the failure of Satan's endeavours" (Swete). {Because of the blood of the Lamb} (dia to haima tou arniou). As in 1:5; 5:6,9; 7:14. The blood of Christ is here presented by dia as the ground for the victory and not the means, as by en in 1:5; 5:9. Both ideas are true, but dia with the accusative gives only the reason. The blood of Christ does cleanse us from sin (Joh 1:29; 1Jo 1:7). Christ conquered Satan, and so makes our victory possible (Lu 11:21f.; Heb 2:18). "Thus the Lamb is the true sunˆgoros (like Michael) of the New Israel, its paraklˆtos pros ton patera (1Jo 2:1)" (Swete).
{Because of the Word of their testimony} (dia ton logon tˆs marturias aut“n). The same use of dia, "because of their testimony to Jesus" as in John's own case in 1:9. These martyrs have been true to their part.
{They loved not their life even unto death} (ouk ˆgapˆsan ten psuchˆn aut“n achri thanatou). First aorist active indicative of agapa“. They did resist "unto blood" (mechris haimatos Heb 12:4) and did not put their own lives before loyalty to Christ. There is a direct reference to the words of Jesus in Joh 12:25 as illustrated also in Mr 8:35; Mt 10:39; 16:25; Lu 9:24; 17:33. Paul's own example is pertinent (Ac 21:13; Php 1:20ff.). Jesus himself had been "obedient unto death" (Php 2:8). These martyrs seem to be still alive on earth, but their heroism is proleptically pictured.

12:12 {Therefore} (dia touto). "For this reason" as in 7:15; 18:8 (15 times in John's Gospel, Charles notes). It points back to verse 10.
{Rejoice} (euphrainesthe). Present middle imperative of euphrain“ as in 11:10; 18:20.
{O heavens} (hoi ouranoi). Plural here alone in the Apocalypse, though common elsewhere in the N.T. Satan is no longer in the heavens.
{They that dwell therein} (hoi en autois skˆnountes). Present active articular participle of skˆno“ (see 7:15; 13:6) to dwell (tabernacle) as of Christ in Joh 1:14 and of God in Re 21:3. The inhabitants of heaven (angels and saints) have cause to rejoice, and earth reason to mourn.
{Woe for the earth and for the sea} (ouai tˆn gˆn kai tˆn thalassan). The accusative after ouai as in 8:13, but nominative in 18:10,16,19 in place of the usual dative (Mt 11:21; 18:7, etc.).
{Is gone down} (katebˆ). Second aorist (effective) active indicative of katabain“, "did go down."
{But a short time} (oligon kairon). Accusative of extent of time, "a little time." The devil's departure from his warfare in the heavens reveals (eid“s, knowing, perfect active participle) to him that his time for doing harm to men is limited, and hence his great wrath (thumon, boiling rage).

12:13 {He persecuted} (edi“xen). First aorist active participle of di“k“, to pursue, to chase, hostile pursuit here as in Mt 5:10f.; 10:23, etc. John now, after the "voice" in 10-13, returns to the narrative in verse 9. The child was caught away in verse 5, and now the woman (the true Israel on earth) is given deadly persecution. Perhaps events since A.D. 64 (burning of Rome by Nero) amply illustrated this vision, and they still do so.
{Which} (hˆtis). "Which very one."

12:14 {There were given} (edothˆsan). As in 8:2; 9:1,3.
{The two wings of the great eagle} (hai duo pteruges tou aetou tou megalou). Not the eagle of 8:13, but the generic use of the article. Every eagle had two wings. Probably here, as in Mt 24:28, the griffon or vulture rather than the true eagle is pictured. For the eagle in the O.T. see Ex 19:4; Isa 40:31; Job 9:26; Pr 24:54.
{That she might fly} (hina petˆtai). Purpose clause with hina and present middle subjunctive of petomai, old verb, to fly, in N.T. only in the Apocalypse (4:7; 8:13; 12:14; 14:6; 19:17). Resumption of the details in verse 6 (which see) about the "wilderness," her "place," the redundant ekei with hopou, the "time and times, and half a time" (kairon kai kairous kai hˆmisu), 1260 days, but with trephetai (present passive indicative) instead of treph“sin (general plural of the present active subjunctive), and with the addition of "from the face of the serpent" (apo pros“pou tou ophe“s), because the serpent rules the earth for that period. "To the end of the present order the Church dwells in the wilderness" (Swete), and yet we must carry on for Christ.

12:15 {Water as a flood} (hud“r h“s potamon). "Water as a river," accusative case after ebalen (cast). The serpent could not follow the woman or stop her flight and so sought to drown her.
{That he might cause her to be carried away by the stream} (hina autˆn potamophorˆton poiˆsˆi). Purpose clause with hina and the first aorist active subjunctive of poie“. For this use of poie“ see 17:16. This compound verbal potamophorˆton in the predicate accusative (potamos, river, phorˆton from phore“, to bear) was not coined by John, but occurs in a papyrus of B.C. 110 and in several others after N.T. times. It means simply "carried away by the river."

12:16 {Helped the woman} (eboˆthˆsen tˆi gunaiki). First aorist active indicative of boˆthe“, old verb with the dative as in Heb 2:18, which see. Herodotus tells of the Lycus disappearing underground near Colossae. But this vivid symbol is not dependent on historical examples.
{Swallowed up} (katepien). Second aorist active indicative of katapin“, literally "drank down."

12:17 {Waxed wroth} (“rgisthˆ). First aorist (ingressive) passive indicative of orgizomai, "became angry."
{With the woman} (epi tˆi gunaiki). "At the woman," "because of the woman."
{Went away} (apˆlthen). "Went off" in his rage to make war with the scattered followers of the Lamb not in the wilderness, perhaps an allusion to Ge 3:15. The devil carries on relentless war with all those "which keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus" (t“n tˆrount“n tas entolas tou theou kai echont“n tˆn marturian Iˆsou). These two marks excite the wrath of the devil then and always. Cf. 1:9; 6:9; 14:12; 19:10; 20:4.