Verse-by-Verse Study Notes
STUDY NOTES — verse by verse. [Brackets] mark English helper words. Hebrew quoted word-for-word from the Tanakh, never invented. “Lord” = kurios (title), never the Name. Greek in pinned comment; apparatus free below. Rev 12:1 — א A P47. Lit: “And a great sign was seen in the heaven: a woman having been clothed with the sun, and the moon under the feet of her, and upon the head of her a crown of twelve stars.” Heb, Gen 37:9 (Joseph’s second dream — the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowing down): וַיַּחֲלֹם עוֹד חֲלוֹם אַחֵר וַיְסַפֵּר אֹתוֹ לְאֶחָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה חָלַמְתִּי חֲלוֹם עוֹד וְהִנֵּה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְאַחַד עָשָׂר כּוֹכָבִים מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לִי — “and he dreamed yet another dream, and he told it to his brothers, and he said: Behold, I dreamed a dream yet again, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me” Rev 12:2 — א A P47. Lit: “and having [a child] in womb, and she cries out, travailing and being tormented to give birth.” Heb, Isa 66:7 (before her pain came, she delivered a male child): בְּטֶרֶם תָּחִיל יָלָדָה בְּטֶרֶם יָבוֹא חֵבֶל לָהּ וְהִמְלִיטָה זָכָר — “before she travailed, she gave birth; before her pain came, she delivered a male child” Heb, Isa 26:17 (as a pregnant woman near birth writhes and cries in her pangs): כְּמוֹ הָרָה תַּקְרִיב לָלֶדֶת תָּחִיל תִּזְעַק בַּחֲבָלֶיהָ כֵּן הָיִינוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה — “as a pregnant woman draws near to giving birth, she writhes, she cries out in her pangs — so were we before You, YudHey-VavHey” Heb, Mic 4:10 (writhe and groan, daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor): חוּלִי וָגֹחִי בַּת צִיּוֹן כַּיּוֹלֵדָה — “writhe and groan, daughter of Zion, like a woman giving birth” Rev 12:3 — א A P47. Lit: “And another sign was seen in the heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon the heads of him seven diadems.” Heb, Isa 27:1 (in that day YudHeyVavHey with His sword upon Leviathan the fleeing serpent, and He shall slay the dragon in the sea): בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ וְעַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן וְהָרַג אֶת הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם — “in that day YudHeyVavHey shall visit with His hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan the fleeing serpent, and upon Leviathan the twisted serpent, and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea” Heb, Ps 74:13-14 (You broke the heads of the dragons upon the waters; You crushed the heads of Leviathan): אַתָּה פוֹרַרְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ יָם שִׁבַּרְתָּ רָאשֵׁי תַנִּינִים עַל הַמָּיִם אַתָּה רִצַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁי לִוְיָתָן — “You broke apart the sea by Your strength; You shattered the heads of the dragons upon the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan” Rev 12:4 — א A P47. Lit: “And the tail of him drags the third of the stars of the heaven, and he cast them into the earth; and the dragon stands before the woman, the [one] being about to give birth, so that when she gives birth, he might devour the child of her.” Heb, Dan 8:10 (and it grew great unto the host of heaven, and it cast down to the ground some of the host and of the stars): וַתִּגְדַּל עַד צְבָא הַשָּׁמָיִם וַתַּפֵּל אַרְצָה מִן הַצָּבָא וּמִן הַכּוֹכָבִים וַתִּרְמְסֵם — “and it grew great unto the host of heaven, and it cast down to the ground some of the host and of the stars, and it trampled them” Rev 12:5 — א A P47 C. Lit: “And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is about to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron; and the child of her was caught up to Elohim and to the throne of Him.” Heb, Ps 2:9 (You shall break them with a rod of iron): תְּרֹעֵם בְּשֵׁבֶט בַּרְזֶל כִּכְלִי יוֹצֵר תְּנַפְּצֵם — “You shall break them with a rod of iron; as a potter’s vessel You shall shatter them” Heb, Isa 66:7 (before her pain came, she delivered a male child — cited at 12:2 above): בְּטֶרֶם תָּחִיל יָלָדָה בְּטֶרֶם יָבוֹא חֵבֶל לָהּ וְהִמְלִיטָה זָכָר Rev 12:6 — א A P47. Lit: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has there a place having been prepared from Elohim, so that there they might nourish her [for] days a thousand two hundred sixty.” Heb: the woman’s flight to the wilderness and her nourishing there for 1,260 days — the book’s own vision; the day-count answers to the forty-two months of 11:2-3 and to Dan 7:25 / 12:7 below at 12:14; no single Tanakh verbal parallel. Rev 12:7 — א A P47. Lit: “And there was war in the heaven: Michael and the messengers of him [to] make war with the dragon; and the dragon made war, and the messengers of him.” Heb, Dan 12:1 (and at that time Michael the great prince shall stand up): וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יַעֲמֹד מִיכָאֵל הַשַּׂר הַגָּדוֹל הָעֹמֵד עַל בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ — “and at that time Michael the great prince, who stands over the sons of your people, shall stand up” Heb, Dan 10:13 (Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me): וְהִנֵּה מִיכָאֵל אַחַד הַשָּׂרִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים בָּא לְעָזְרֵנִי — “and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me” Heb, Dan 10:21 (there is none holding with me against these but Michael your prince): וְאֵין אֶחָד מִתְחַזֵּק עִמִּי עַל אֵלֶּה כִּי אִם מִיכָאֵל שַׂרְכֶם — “and there is none holding strongly with me against these except Michael your prince” Rev 12:8 — א A P47. Lit: “and he was not strong, nor was place found of them any longer in the heaven.” Heb: no direct Tanakh verbal parallel — the book’s own vision of the war in heaven. Rev 12:9 — א A P47. Lit: “And the great dragon was cast out — the serpent, the ancient [one], the [one] being called Devil and Satan, the [one] deceiving the whole inhabited [earth] — he was cast into the earth, and the messengers of him with him were cast.” Heb, Gen 3:1 (now the serpent was more crafty than every beast of the field): וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים — “now the serpent was more crafty than every beast of the field which YudHeyVavHey Elohim had made” Heb, Isa 27:1 (Leviathan the fleeing serpent; the dragon in the sea — cited at 12:3 above): בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ וְעַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן וְהָרַג אֶת הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם Rev 12:10 — א A P47. Lit: “And I heard a great voice in the heaven saying: Now came the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our Elohim, and the authority of His Anointed, because the accuser of our brothers was cast out, the [one] accusing them before our Elohim day and night.” Heb, Job 1:6 (and the sons of Elohim came to present themselves before YudHeyVavHey, and the satan came also among them): וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל יְהוָה וַיָּבוֹא גַם הַשָּׂטָן בְּתוֹכָם — “and it was the day, and the sons of Elohim came to present themselves before YudHeyVavHey, and the satan also came among them” Rev 12:11 — א A P47. Lit: “And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and through the word of the testimony of them; and they did not love the soul of them unto death.” Heb: no direct Tanakh verbal parallel — the book’s own confession of the overcomers. Rev 12:12 — א A P47. Lit: “Because of this, rejoice, the heavens, and the [ones] dwelling in them! Woe [to] the earth and the sea, because the devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has a little time.” Heb: the woe-cry over earth and sea — the book’s own formula; no direct Tanakh verbal parallel. Rev 12:13 — א A P47. Lit: “And when the dragon saw that he was cast into the earth, he pursued the woman who gave birth to the male [child].” Heb: no direct Tanakh verbal parallel — the book’s own narrative link between the war in heaven and the woman’s flight. Rev 12:14 — א A P47. Lit: “And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly into the wilderness, into the place of her, where she is nourished there [for] a time and times and half a time, from [the] face of the serpent.” Heb, Exod 19:4 (you saw what I did to Egypt, and I bore you on eagles’ wings): אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי לְמִצְרָיִם וָאֶשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם עַל כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים וָאָבִא אֶתְכֶם אֵלָי — “you saw what I did to Egypt, and I bore you on eagles’ wings, and I brought you to Me” Heb, Deut 32:11 (as an eagle stirs its nest, over its young it hovers; He spreads His wings): כְּנֶשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנּוֹ עַל גּוֹזָלָיו יְרַחֵף יִפְרֹשׂ כְּנָפָיו יִקָּחֵהוּ יִשָּׂאֵהוּ עַל אֶבְרָתוֹ — “as an eagle stirs its nest, over its young it hovers, He spreads His wings, He takes him, He bears him upon His pinion” Heb, Dan 7:25 (ARAMAIC — and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time): וְיִתְיַהֲבוּן בִּידֵהּ עַד עִדָּן וְעִדָּנִין וּפְלַג עִדָּן — “and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time” Heb, Dan 12:7 (for a set time, set times, and a half): כִּי לְמוֹעֵד מוֹעֲדִים וָחֵצִי — “for a set time, set times, and a half” Rev 12:15 — א A P47. Lit: “And the serpent cast out of the mouth of him after the woman water as a river, so that he might make her [one] carried away by a river.” Heb, Isa 59:19 (for the enemy shall come in like a flood): כִּי יָבוֹא כַנָּהָר צָר (full verse: וְיִירְאוּ מִמַּעֲרָב אֶת שֵׁם יְהוָה וּמִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ אֶת כְּבוֹדוֹ כִּי יָבוֹא כַנָּהָר צָר רוּחַ יְהוָה נֹסְסָה בוֹ — “and they shall fear the name of YudHeyVavHey from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; for the adversary shall come in like a rushing stream, the Ruach of YudHeyVavHey driving him”) — “for the adversary shall come in like a rushing stream” Rev 12:16 — א A P47. Lit: “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened the mouth of it, and swallowed the river which the dragon cast out of the mouth of him.” Heb, Num 16:32 (and the earth opened its mouth — at Korah’s rebellion; verbal parallel only): וַתִּפְתַּח הָאָרֶץ אֶת פִּיהָ וַתִּבְלַע אֹתָם — “and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them” Rev 12:17 — א A P47. Lit: “And the dragon was angered at the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of the seed of her, the [ones] keeping the commandments of Elohim and having the testimony of Yehoshua.” Heb: the keeping of the commandments of Elohim and the testimony of Yehoshua — the book’s own closing formula for the chapter; no single Tanakh verbal parallel.