1And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman2543 clothed with the sun! The moon was under her feet and on her head was a crown of twelve stars.2544 2She was with child, crying out in pain, in labor to give birth. 3Another sign was seen in heaven: Behold, a great red dragon,2545 having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns. 4His tail drew one third of the stars2546 of heaven and threw them down to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.2547 But her child was caught up2548 to God, and to his throne. 6The woman fled into the wilderness2549 where she has a place prepared by God so that she may be nourished one thousand two hundred sixty days.
War in heaven
7A war took place in heaven: Michael and his angels made war on the dragon, and the dragon and his angels made war. 8But they did not prevail, and there was no longer any place found for him2550 in heaven.2551 9The dragon was hurled down, the great old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now has come the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the accuser of our brethren has been cast down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. They did not love their life, even to death. 12Therefore, rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he only has a short time.”
13When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he began to persecute the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly from the face of the serpent [and escape] into the wilderness, to the place where she might be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15Then from his mouth, the serpent spewed water2552 like a river after the woman, so that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. 16But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing up the river which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17The dragon became enraged with the woman and departed to make war with the rest of her seed,2553 those who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.2554
The beast with ten horns and seven heads
- The woman (or wife) seems to be Wisdom manifested in God’s people, most obviously and historically in the motherly figures of the Theotokos (as the new Eve) who give birth to Christ and to the Church who gives birth to the Christian race (see below). The spiritual conflict is between true, divine and heavenly Wisdom and false, demonic and earthly wisdom symbolized by the serpent. Compare Genesis 3:15; Wisdom 7:12; Luke 7:35.
- Compare Wisdom 7:29-30
- Or “serpent” (Hebrew vx’n—often translated dra,kwn in the LXX, as in Isaias/Isaiah 27:1)
- See verse 9; Job 38:7
- See Psalm 2:9; Revelation 2:27
- Compare Acts 8:39; 2 Corinthians 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:17
- Compare verses 4-6 with Matthew 2:1-18 and see notes. Compare also 1 Peter 1:23; Luke 8:11-12
- CT and TR read “them”
- Compare Luke 10:17-20; 11:18-22
- Water may be a symbol of the force of chaos, especially manifested in unruly crowds and peoples
- Compare Genesis 3:15
- TR adds “Christ”
Text: The Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible, New Testament (EOB). Used with permission.
