Revelation 12:3-4

12:3 Then ¹  another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. ²  12:4 Now ³  the dragon’s ⁴  tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then ⁵  the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.

Revelation 12:9-13

12:9 So ⁶  that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 12:10 Then ⁷  I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the ruling authority ⁸  of his Christ, ⁹  have now come,

because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, ¹⁰ 

the one who accuses them day and night ¹¹  before our God,

has been thrown down.

12:11 But ¹²  they overcame him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives ¹³  so much that they were afraid to die.

12:12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!

But ¹⁴  woe to the earth and the sea

because the devil has come down to you!

He ¹⁵  is filled with terrible anger,

for he knows that he only has a little time!”

12:13 Now ¹⁶  when the dragon realized ¹⁷  that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

Revelation 13:1-7

The Two Beasts

13:1 Then ¹⁸  I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It ¹⁹  had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, ²⁰  and on its heads a blasphemous name. ²¹  13:2 Now ²²  the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The ²³  dragon gave the beast ²⁴  his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. ²⁵  13:3 One of the beast’s ²⁶  heads appeared to have been killed, ²⁷  but the lethal wound had been healed. ²⁸  And the whole world followed ²⁹  the beast in amazement; 13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority ³⁰  to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” ³¹  13:5 The beast ³²  was given a mouth speaking proud words ³³  and blasphemies, and he was permitted ³⁴  to exercise ruling authority ³⁵  for forty-two months. 13:6 So ³⁶  the beast ³⁷  opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, ³⁸  that is, those who dwell in heaven. 13:7 The beast ³⁹  was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. ⁴⁰  He was given ruling authority ⁴¹  over every tribe, people, ⁴²  language, and nation,

Revelation 13:11-18

13:11 Then ⁴³  I saw another beast ⁴⁴  coming up from the earth. He ⁴⁵  had two horns like a lamb, ⁴⁶  but ⁴⁷  was speaking like a dragon. 13:12 He ⁴⁸  exercised all the ruling authority ⁴⁹  of the first beast on his behalf, ⁵⁰  and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13:13 He ⁵¹  performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of people ⁵²  13:14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told ⁵³  those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. 13:15 The second beast ⁵⁴  was empowered ⁵⁵  to give life ⁵⁶  to the image of the first beast ⁵⁷  so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 13:16 He also caused ⁵⁸  everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave ⁵⁹ ) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 13:17 Thus no one was allowed to buy ⁶⁰  or sell things ⁶¹  unless he bore ⁶²  the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number. ⁶³  13:18 This calls for wisdom: ⁶⁴  Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s number, for it is man’s number, ⁶⁵  and his number is 666. ⁶⁶ 

[12:3]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:3]  ² tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.

[12:4]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.

[12:4]  ⁴ tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:4]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:9]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.

[12:10]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:10]  ⁸ tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.

[12:10]  ⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[12:10]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.

[12:10]  ¹¹ tn Or “who accuses them continually.”

[12:11]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[12:11]  ¹³ sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.

[12:12]  ¹⁴ tn The word “But” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied. This is a case of asyndeton (lack of a connective).

[12:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and is filled,” a continuation of the previous sentence. Because English tends to use shorter sentences (especially when exclamations are involved), a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[12:13]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.

[12:13]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “saw.”

[13:1]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[13:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “having” (a continuation of the previous sentence). All of the pronouns referring to this beast (along with the second beast appearing in 13:11) could be translated as “it” because the word for beast (θηρίον, qhrion) is neuter gender in Greek and all the pronouns related to it are parsed as neuter in the Gramcord/Accordance database. Nevertheless, most interpreters would agree that the beast ultimately represents a human ruler, so beginning at the end of v. 4 the masculine pronouns (“he,” “him,” etc.) are used to refer to the first beast as well as the second beast appearing in 13:11.

[13:1]  ²⁰ tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.

[13:1]  ²¹ tc ‡ Several mss (A 051 1611 1854 2053 2344 2351 Ï^K) read the plural ὀνόματα (onomata, “[blasphemous] names”), while the singular ὄνομα (onoma, “name”) has somewhat better support (Ì⁴⁷ א C 1006 1841 2329 Ï^A). The plural reading seems motivated by the fact that what is written is written “on its heads.” In the least, it is a clarifying reading. NA²⁷ puts the plural in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[13:2]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the following description of the beast.

[13:2]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “gave it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:2]  ²⁵ tn For the translation “authority to rule” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:3]  ²⁶ tn Grk “one of its heads”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:3]  ²⁷ tn Grk “killed to death,” an expression emphatic in its redundancy. The phrase behind this translation is ὡς ἐσφαγμένον (Jw" ejsfagmenon). The particle ὡς is used in Greek generally for comparison, and in Revelation it is used often to describe the appearance of what the author saw. In this instance, the appearance of the beast’s head did not match reality, because the next phrase shows that in fact it did not die. This text does not affirm that the beast died and was resurrected, but some draw this conclusion because of the only other use of the phrase, which refers to Jesus in 5:6.

[13:3]  ²⁸ tn The phrase τοῦ θανάτου (tou qanatou) can be translated as an attributive genitive (“deathly wound”) or an objective genitive (the wound which caused death) and the final αὐτοῦ (autou) is either possessive or reference/respect.

[13:3]  ²⁹ tn On the phrase “the whole world followed the beast in amazement,” BDAG 445 s.v. θαυμάζω 2 states, “wonder, be amazed…Rv 17:8. In pregnant constr. ἐθαυμάσθη ὅλη ἡ γῆ ὀπίσω τ. θηρίου the whole world followed the beast, full of wonder 13:3 (here wonder becomes worship: cp. Ael. Aristid. 13 p. 290 D.; 39 p. 747 of Dionysus and Heracles, οἳ ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐθαυμάσθησαν. Sir 7:29; Jos., Ant. 3, 65. – The act. is also found in this sense: Cebes 2, 3 θ. τινά = ‘admire’ or ‘venerate’ someone; Epict. 1, 17, 19 θ. τὸν θεόν).”

[13:4]  ³⁰ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:4]  ³¹ tn On the use of the masculine pronoun to refer to the beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.

[13:5]  ³² tn Grk “and there was given to him.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:5]  ³³ tn For the translation “proud words” (Grk “great things” or “important things”) see BDAG 624 s.v. μέγας 4.b.

[13:5]  ³⁴ tn Grk “to it was granted.”

[13:5]  ³⁵ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:6]  ³⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the permission granted to the beast.

[13:6]  ³⁷ tn Grk “he” (or “it”); the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ³⁸ tc The reading “and his dwelling place” does not occur in codex C, but its omission is probably due to scribal oversight since the phrase has the same ending as the phrase before it, i.e., they both end in “his” (αὐτοῦ, autou). This is similar to the mistake this scribe made in 12:14 with the omission of the reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai {hmisu kairou).

[13:7]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and it was given to him to go to war.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:7]  ⁴⁰ tc Many mss omit the phrase “it was given to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Ì⁴⁷ A C 2053 Ï^A sa). It is, however, found in Ì^115vid א 051 1006 (1611) 1841 (1854) 2329 2344 2351 (Ï^K) lat sy^ph,(h) bo. Although the ms evidence is somewhat in favor of the shorter reading, the support of ̹¹⁵ (a recently-discovered ms) for the longer reading balances things out. Normally, the shorter reading should be given preference. However, in an instance in which homoioteleuton could play a role, caution must be exercised. In this passage, accidental omission is quite likely. That this could have happened seems apparent from the two occurrences of the identical phrase “and it was given to him” (καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ, kai edoqh autw) in v. 7. The scribe’s eye skipped over the first καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ and went to the second, hence creating an accidental omission of eleven words.

[13:7]  ⁴¹ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:7]  ⁴² tn Grk “and people,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[13:11]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[13:11]  ⁴⁴ sn This second beast is identified in Rev 16:13 as “the false prophet.”

[13:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “and it had,” a continuation of the preceding sentence. On the use of the pronoun “he” to refer to the second beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.

[13:11]  ⁴⁶ tn Or perhaps, “like a ram.” Here L&N 4.25 states, “In the one context in the NT, namely, Re 13:11, in which ἀρνίον refers literally to a sheep, it is used in a phrase referring to the horns of an ἀρνίον. In such a context the reference is undoubtedly to a ‘ram,’ that is to say, the adult male of sheep.” In spite of this most translations render the word “lamb” here to maintain the connection between this false lamb and the true Lamb of the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ.

[13:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:12]  ⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:12]  ⁴⁹ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:12]  ⁵⁰ tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”

[13:13]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:13]  ⁵² tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both men and women.

[13:14]  ⁵³ tn Grk “earth, telling.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek.

[13:15]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “it”; the referent (the second beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “it was given [permitted] to it [the second beast].”

[13:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “breath,” but in context the point is that the image of the first beast is made to come to life and speak.

[13:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “of the beast”; the word “first” has been supplied to specify the referent.

[13:16]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “forced”; Grk “makes” (ποιεῖ, poiei).

[13:16]  ⁵⁹ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[13:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “and that no one be able to buy or sell.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Although the ἵνα (Jina) is left untranslated, the English conjunction “thus” is used to indicate that this is a result clause.

[13:17]  ⁶¹ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context. In the context of buying and selling, food could be primarily in view, but the more general “things” was used in the translation because the context is not specific.

[13:17]  ⁶² tn Grk “except the one who had.”

[13:17]  ⁶³ tn Grk “his name or the number of his name.”

[13:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Here is wisdom.”

[13:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “it is man’s number.” ExSyn 254 states “if ἀνθρώπου is generic, then the sense is, ‘It is [the] number of humankind.’ It is significant that this construction fits Apollonius’ Canon (i.e., both the head noun and the genitive are anarthrous), suggesting that if one of these nouns is definite, then the other is, too. Grammatically, those who contend that the sense is ‘it is [the] number of a man’ have the burden of proof on them (for they treat the head noun, ἀριθμός, as definite and the genitive, ἀνθρώπου, as indefinite – the rarest of all possibilities). In light of Johannine usage, we might also add Rev 16:18, where the Seer clearly uses the anarthrous ἄνθρωπος in a generic sense, meaning ‘humankind.’ The implications of this grammatical possibility, exegetically speaking, are simply that the number ‘666’ is the number that represents humankind. Of course, an individual is in view, but his number may be the number representing all of humankind. Thus the Seer might be suggesting here that the antichrist, who is the best representative of humanity without Christ (and the best counterfeit of a perfect man that his master, that old serpent, could muster), is still less than perfection (which would have been represented by the number seven).” See G. K. Beale, Revelation, [NIGTC], 723-24, who argues for the “generic” understanding of the noun; for an indefinite translation, see the ASV and ESV which both translate the clause as “it is the number of a man.”

[13:18]  ⁶⁶ tc A few mss (̹¹⁵ C, along with a few mss known to Irenaeus {and two minuscule mss, 5 and 11, no longer extant}), read 616 here, and several other witnesses have other variations. Irenaeus’ mention of mss that have 616 is balanced by his rejection of such witnesses in this case. As intriguing as the reading 616 is (since the conversion of Nero Caesar’s name in Latin by way of gematria would come out to 616), it must remain suspect because such a reading seems motivated in that it conforms more neatly to Nero’s gematria.