Vincent's Word Studies And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. Dwell (σκηνοῦντες)
See on John 1:14. Compare Revelation 7:15; Revelation 13:6; Revelation 21:3. To the inhabiters (τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν) Omit. Read, as Rev., woe for the earth and for the sea. Wrath (θυμὸν) See on John 3:36. Time (καιρὸν) See on Matthew 12:1; see on Mark 1:15; see on Acts 1:7. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. Two wings
The definite article αἱ the should be added: "the two wings." Compare Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11; Psalm 36:7. The great eagle The article does not point to the eagle of Revelation 8:13, but is generic. A time and times and half a time Three years and a half. See on Revelation 11:2. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. Cause her to be carried away of the flood (παύτην ποταμοφόρητον ποιήσῃ)
Lit., might make her one carried away by the stream: a river-born one. The word occurs only here in the New Testament. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, Jesus Christ
Omit Christ. The best texts add to this chapter the opening words of ch. 13 (A.V.), "And I stood upon the sand of the sea." Some, however, change ἐστάθην I stood, to ἐστάθη he stood, referring to the dragon. So Rev. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. Beast (θηρίον)
Properly rendered. See remarks on ζῶα living creatures, Revelation 4:6. Rise up (ἀναβαῖνον) Rev., better, coming up, thus giving the force of the participle. Ten horns Compare Daniel 7:7. Crowns (διαδήματα) Compare Revelation 12:3. See on Revelation 2:10. The name (ὄνομα) Read ὀνόματα names. On each head a name. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. A leopard (παρδάλει)
The ancients do not seem to have distinguished between the leopard, the panther, and the ounce. The word stands for either. Leopard is leo-pard, the lion-pard, which was supposed to be a mongrel between a panther and a lioness. Compare Daniel 7:6. Bear Compare Daniel 7:5. Lion Compare Daniel 7:4. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. I saw (εἶδον)
Omitted in the best texts. Wounded (ἐφαγμένην) Lit., slain. See on Revelation 5:6. The Rev. smitten is questionable. The word occurs eight times in Revelation, and in seven of these it must be rendered slain or slaughtered. Professor Milligan rightly observes that the statement is the counterpart of that in Revelation 5:6, where we read of the lamb as though it had been slaughtered. In both cases there had been actual death, and in both revival. The one is a mocking counterpart of the other. Deadly wound (πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου) Lit., stroke of death. Rev., death-stroke. After the beast (ὀπίσω τοῦ θηρίου) A pregnant construction for wondered at and followed after. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Which gave (ὁς ἔδωκεν)
The correct reading is ὅτι "because he gave." Who is like unto the beast? A parody on a similar ascription to God. See Isaiah 40:18, Isaiah 40:25; Isaiah 46:5; Psalm 113:5; Micah 7:18; Jeremiah 49:19. Compare Revelation 18:18. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. To continue forty and two months (ποιῆσαι μῆνας τεσσεράκοντα δύο)
Lit., to make forty and two months. Similarly, Acts 15:33, ποιήσαντες χρόνον having tarried a space; lit., having made a time. See on continued there a year, James 4:13. The best expositors, however, render ποιῆσαι absolutely, to work, and the following accusative as the accusative of duration, "during forty and two months." Rev., margin to do his works during, etc. See Daniel 11:28. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. In blasphemy (εἰς βλασφημίαν)
Read βλασφημίας blasphemies. Rev., giving the force of εἰς more correctly, "for blasphemies." And them that dwell in heaven (καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ σκηνοῦντας) The best texts omit καὶ and, making the following words in apposition with ὄνομα and σκηνὴν name and tabernacle. Thus the literal sense would be to blaspheme the name and tabernacle which dwell in heaven. "The meaning is to enhance the enormity of the blasphemy by bringing out the lofty nature of God's holy name and dwelling-place" (Alford). The word dwell is, literally, tabernacle. See on Revelation 12:12. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. The saints (τῶν ἁγίων)
See on Acts 26:10. All kindreds (πᾶσαν φυλὴν) Rev., more literally and correctly, every tribe. See on Revelation 1:7; see on Revelation 5:9. After tribe insert καὶ λαὸν and people. See on 1 Peter 2:9. Nation (ἔθνος) See on 1 Peter 2:9. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. From the foundation of the world
These words may be construed with slain or with written. In favor of the latter is Revelation 18:8; of the former, 1 Peter 1:19, 1 Peter 1:20. Alford, pertinently as I think, urges the position of the words in favor of the connection with slain, and says that had it not been for the apparent difficulty of the sense thus conveyed, no one would have thought of going so far back as to hath been written for a connection. Render, as Rev., the lamb that hath been slain from the foundation of the world. Καταβολή foundation is literally a throwing or laying down, from καταβάλλω to throw down; hence a laying down of a foundation. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity (εἴ τις αἰχμαλωσίαν συνάγει, εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ὑπάγει) Lit., if any one assemble captivity (i.e., bring together captives) into captivity he goeth away. The best texts insert εἰς into before the first captivity, and omit assemble, thus reading if any man is for captivity into captivity he goeth. So Rev. See on dispersion, John 7:35. Compare Jeremiah 15:2; Jeremiah 43:11. The persecutors of the Church shall suffer that which they inflict on the saints. Sword (μαχαὶρῃ) See on Revelation 6:4. Here In the thought that God judgeth in the earth. Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886]. Text Courtesy of Internet Sacred Texts Archive. Bible Apps.com |
