Revelation 12:4-9 BSB

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 12:4

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:6

And the woman fled into the wilderness ,.... Not as soon as she was delivered of her child, which is not reasonable to suppose, and would have been improper if not impracticable; nor indeed was this flight until after the war was over, mentioned in Revelation 12:13 ; nor until the dragon and his angels were conquered and cast out; nor until a fresh persecution was raised by the dragon against the woman, as appears from Revelation 12:14 ; where this account stands in its proper place, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:7

And there was war in heaven ,.... Not in the third heaven, the habitation of God, the seat of the angels and glorified saints, there is no discord, jars, and contentions there, nothing but peace, love, and joy; but in the church below, which is militant, and has in it as it were a company of two armies; or rather in the Roman empire, which was the heaven of Satan, the god of this world, and of his angels; and this war refers not to the dispute between Michael the archangel and the devil... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:8

And prevailed not ,.... That is, the dragon, or the devil, and his angels, prevailed not against Michael and his angels; but, on the other hand, were conquered by them, as the above tyrants were by Constantine and Theodosius: some copies read in the singular number, "and he prevailed not", as the Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition the Arabic and Ethiopic versions; and other copies in the plural number, "they prevailed not": and as the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions: neither... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:9

And the great dragon was cast out ,.... From heaven, or from power and authority in the Roman empire, namely, the devil, where he had long presided; it is observable that Constantine himself speaks of "the dragon" being removed from the government of the commonwealth by the providence of God, and by the ministry, or means of him F13 Euseb. de Vita Constantini, l. 2. c. 46. ; and he had his own effigies on a table placed before the porch of his palace, with the cross over his head, and... 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

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

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

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

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

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:9

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

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

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