Revelation 12:3-5

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 12:1-11

Here we see that early prophecy eminently fulfilled in which God said he would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, Gen. 3:15. You will observe, I. The attempts of Satan and his agents to prevent the increase of the church, by devouring her offspring as soon as it was born; of this we have a very lively description in the most proper images. 1. We see how the church is represented in this vision. (1.) As a woman, the weaker part of the world, but the spouse of... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Revelation 12:1-17

It is necessary to read this chapter as a whole before we examine it in detail. 12:1-17 A great sign appeared in the sky--a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon beneath her feet, and with a crown of twelve stars on her head; and she was with child, and she cried aloud in her labour and in her agony to bear the child. And another sign appeared in heaven--lo! a great flame-coloured dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and with seven royal diadems upon its heads. Its tail... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:3

And there appeared another wonder in heaven ,.... Or "sign"; which represents the woman, or the church's adversary, Satan; not that he was in heaven, in the third heaven, the place of glory and happiness, for out of that he had been cast long ago; but in his great power and authority here on, earth, particularly in the Roman empire, where the church was labouring to bring forth her man child: and behold a great red dragon ; the devil, as it is explained in Revelation 12:9 ; though not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:4

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth ,.... So Solinus F5 Polyhist. c. 43. speaks of dragons that have power not only in their teeth, but in their tails, and do more hurt by striking than by biting; and the great serpent, which Attilius Regulus and his army fought with, not only destroyed many of his soldiers with its vast mouth, but dashed many to pieces with its tail F6 Valer. Maxim. l. 1. c. 8. ; which serpent, Pliny F7 ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:5

And she brought forth a man child ,.... Not Christ, literally and personally considered, or Christ in his human nature, as made of a woman, and born of a virgin, which was a fact that had been years ago; but Christ mystically, or Christ in his members, who are called by his name, because he is formed in them, and they are the seed of the woman, the church; and many of these were brought forth to Christ by the church in the primitive times, who were a manly birth, hale, strong, and robust... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:3

There appeared another wonder - a great red dragon - The dragon here is a symbol, not of the Roman empire in general, but of the Heathen Roman empire. This great pagan power must have, therefore, been thus represented from the religion which it supported. But what is a dragon? An entirely fabulous beast of antiquity, consequently, in this respect, a most proper emblem of the heathen worship, which consisted in paying adoration to numerous imaginary beings, termed gods, goddesses, etc. The... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:4

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven - It is not unusual in Scripture, as Dr. Mitchell observes, to call the hindmost of an enemy the tail, as in Joshua 10:19 ; : Ye shall cut off the hindmost of them, which is literally in Hebrew, אותם וזנבתם "Ye shall cut off their tail." See also Deuteronomy 25:18 . It is also observable that the word ουρα , in this verse, has been used by the Greeks in the same sense with the Hebrew word זנב already referred to. Thus ουρα... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:5

Revelation 12:5 ; per Adam Clarke And her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne - In Yalcut Rubeni are these words: "Rachael, the niece of Methusala, was pregnant, and ready to be delivered in Egypt. They trod upon her, and the child came out of her bowels, and lay under the bed; Michael descended, and took him up to the throne of glory. On that same night the first born of Egypt were destroyed." Revelation 12:5 ; per John Edward Clarke read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 12:1-6

Signs. It has been wisely said, "The Revelation of St. John gives no regularly progressive disclosure of the future, advancing in unbroken series from beginning to end; but it falls into a number of groups, which, indeed, supplement each other, every successive vision giving some other aspect of the future, but which are still formally complete in themselves, each proceeding from a beginning to an end." We have but just heard the accents of the shout of final triumph. Now we are thrown... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 12:1-6

Social Christhood and social fiendhood. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven," etc. What strange objects the human imagination can create, or in a passive state receive! What a remarkable dream or vision this is of the apostolic hermit on Patmos! "A woman arrayed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars around her head, brings forth a man child. A huge scarlet dragon with ten horns and seven diademed heads, whose tail sweeps after it the third part... read more

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