Revelation 12:2-6

12:2 She¹ was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling² to give birth. 12:3 Then³ another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns.⁴ 12:4 Now⁵ the dragon’s⁶ tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then⁷ 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. 12:5 So⁸ the woman gave birth to a son, a male child,⁹ who is going to rule¹⁰ over all the nations¹¹ with an iron rod.¹² Her¹³ child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 12:6 and she¹⁴ fled into the wilderness¹⁵ where a place had been prepared for her¹⁶ by God, so she could be taken care of¹⁷ for 1,260 days.

Revelation 12:13-17

12:13 Now¹⁸ when the dragon realized¹⁹ that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 12:14 But²⁰ the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness,²¹ to the place God²² prepared for her, where she is taken care of – away from the presence of the serpent – for a time, times, and half a time.²³ 12:15 Then²⁴ the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to²⁵ sweep her away by a flood, 12:16 but²⁶ the earth came to her rescue;²⁷ the ground opened up²⁸ and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 12:17 So²⁹ the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children,³⁰ those who keep³¹ God’s commandments and hold to³² the testimony about Jesus.³³ (12:18) And the dragon³⁴ stood³⁵ on the sand³⁶ of the seashore.³⁷

¹tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²tn Grk “and being tortured,” though βασανίζω (basanizw) 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.

³tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

⁴tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) 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.

⁵tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.

⁶tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

⁸tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the anticipated birth.

⁹tn 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.”

¹⁰tn Grk “shepherd.”

¹¹tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

¹²tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”

sn An allusion to Ps 2:9 (see also Rev 2:27; 19:15).

¹³tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁴tn Grk “and the woman,” which would be somewhat redundant in English.

¹⁵tn Or “desert.”

¹⁶tn Grk “where she has there a place prepared by God.”

¹⁷tn Grk “so they can take care of her.”

¹⁸tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.

¹⁹tn Grk “saw.”

²⁰tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.

²¹tn Or “desert.”

²²tn The word “God” is supplied based on the previous statements made concerning “the place prepared for the woman” in 12:6.

²³tc The reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai {hmisu kairou) is lacking in the important uncial C. Its inclusion, however, is supported by {Ì⁴⁷ 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 kairou") 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).

²⁴tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

²⁵tn Grk “so that he might make her swept away.”

²⁶tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.

²⁷tn Grk “the earth helped the woman.”

²⁸tn Grk “the earth opened its mouth” (a metaphor for the ground splitting open).

²⁹tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.

³⁰tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).

³¹tn Or “who obey.”

³²tn Grk “and having.”

³³tn Grk “the testimony of Jesus,” which may involve a subjective genitive (“Jesus’ testimony”) or, more likely, an objective genitive (“testimony about Jesus”).

³⁴tn Grk “he”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁵tc Grk ἐστάθη (estaqh, “he stood”). The reading followed by the translation is attested by the better mss (Ì⁴⁷ א A C 1854 2344 2351 pc lat sy^h) while the majority of mss (051 Ï vg^mss sy^ph co) have the reading ἐστάθην (estaqhn, “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.”

³⁶tn Or “sandy beach” (L&N 1.64).

³⁷sn The standard critical texts of the Greek NT, NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, 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.