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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Rev C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22
Rev 12 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18
OET (OET-LV) Because_of this be_being_gladdened, heavens, and you_all in them sheltering.
woe the earth and the sea, because came_down the devil to you_all, having rage great, having_known that a_little time he_is_having.
OET (OET-RV) So, be glad you heavens and those who shelter in them. The earth and the sea won’t have a good ending because the devil has gone down to you and he’s very angry because he knows he doesn’t have much time left.”
In this section, John saw several signs or symbols representing spiritual reality. The first sign was a woman, representing the people of God. The second sign was a dragon, representing Satan. The woman was about to give birth, and the dragon wanted to kill the child. The child is symbolic of Jesus as the Christ. God took the son to heaven and protected the woman.
In 12:7–12, John interrupted the story of the woman and the dragon to tell about the war between the dragon and the angels. These verses help explain why the dragon wanted to kill the woman. In 12:13, John continued the story of the woman and the dragon.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
The sign of the dragon chasing the woman
The vision of the woman and the dragon
The spiritual conflict of God’s people and Satan
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
For those reasons, you(plur) heavens and all who dwell in them, rejoice!
On account of those things, all who live in heaven, rejoice/celebrate!
Therefore: This conjunction introduces what should be done based on the fact that Michael and his angels threw the dragon and his angels down (12:9–10).Mounce, Smalley, Johnson. Considering the rest of this verse, it seems most likely the connection is to 12:9–10 rather than 12:11. But some scholars (for example, Beale and Osbourne) include 12:11. Other ways to translate this word are:
For this reason, (NASB)
Because of that,
rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!: The direct address is after the command. In some languages it is more natural to have the direct address first. For example:
you heavens and you who dwell in them, rejoice!
rejoice: This word is a command. In some languages it is not natural to command people to rejoice. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
Change the command to an exhortation. For example:
you heavens and you who dwell in them, let us rejoice
Change the command to a time clause. For example:
you heavens and you who dwell in them, now is the time to rejoice
Use the verb “celebrate” (or similar verb) to indicate rejoicing indirectly. For example:
you heavens and you who dwell in them, celebrate
O heavens, and you who dwell in them!: The loud voice speaks to the heavens as though they were people. The phrase you who dwell in them refers to the angels who live with God in heaven.
In some languages it is not natural to speak directly to the heavens. If that is true in your language, you may want to refer to the angels and other beings in the heavens. For example:
everyone and everything in the heavens
all who dwell in heaven
heavens: At that time many people thought that heaven had several layers. Each layer was a different “heaven.” But in the New Testament the plural heavens has the same meaning as the singular “heaven.” In some languages the singular “heaven” is more natural. See the above example.
But woe to the earth and the sea;
How terrible for the earth and the sea,
But there will be great trouble for all creatures/beings on the earth and in the seas;
But: The Greek does not have a conjunction here. However, many English versions add But to indicate the contrast between 12:12a and 12:12b.
woe to the earth and the sea: The Greek word that the BSB translates as woe here means “There will be trouble for (someone).” The word indicates sorrow about the troubles. The speaker was saying that the earth and the sea are to be pitied, for they will soon have great trouble. Other ways to translate this clause are:
how terrible for the earth and the sea (GNT)
alas for the earth and the sea (JBP)
great trouble comes to the earth and the sea
the earth and the sea: This phrase refers to the whole world and implies all the creatures that live there.
sea: The word sea refers to a large body of water. A sea is often so large that someone standing on one side cannot see the other side. The word sea is symbolic, so you should not name a particular sea. See how you translated this word in 5:13 or 10:2.
with great fury
He is very angry,
with fierce anger, (GW)
The Greek wording of 12:12c begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “because” or “for.” It introduces the reason for the warning to the earth and the sea. For example:
because (NIV)
Some English versions, like the BSB, do not translate this conjunction, but leave the connection with 12:12b implicit.
with great fury: This clause indicates that the devil is very angry. Other ways to translate this clause are:
He is filled with anger (NCV)
he is very angry (CEV)
He is furious
the devil has come down to you,
because the Devil/Slanderer has descended to you(plur)/them.
the Demon Chief has come down to you,
the devil has come down to you: This clause indicates that the devil left heaven and went to the earth.
you: Here the pronoun you refers to the earth and the sea (12:12b). In some languages it is more natural to use the pronoun “them.”
knowing he has only a short time.”
because he knows that he has little time left.”
for he knows that little time is left to him.”
knowing he has only a short time: The devil knew that he only had a short time left to accomplish his purposes. Other ways to translate this clause are:
knowing that he has little time left (NJB)
he knows that he does not have much time to do what he wanted to do
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
εὐφραίνεσθε οὐρανοὶ, καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες
˓be_being˒_gladdened (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε οὐρανοί καί οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες οὐαί τήν γῆν καί τήν θάλασσαν ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρός ὑμᾶς ἔχων θυμόν μέγαν εἰδώς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρόν ἔχει)
The voice is speaking to the heavens as if they were a living thing that could rejoice. This may be something that readers could understand literally within the world of this vision. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning differently. Alternate translation: [all of you who live in the heavens, rejoice in a way that can be heard throughout the heavens]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
οὐαὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε οὐρανοί καί οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες οὐαί τήν γῆν καί τήν θάλασσαν ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρός ὑμᾶς ἔχων θυμόν μέγαν εἰδώς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρόν ἔχει)
The voice is speaking of the earth and the sea as if they were living things that could suffer Woe. This may be something that readers could understand literally within the world of this vision. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning differently. Alternate translation: [Woe to all the creatures who live on the earth and in the sea]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει
˓a˒_little (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε οὐρανοί καί οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες οὐαί τήν γῆν καί τήν θάλασσαν ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρός ὑμᾶς ἔχων θυμόν μέγαν εἰδώς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρόν ἔχει)
The voice implicitly means that the devil knows that God will soon judge and punish him, and so he has little time left in which to resist God and try to turn people away from God. You can provide this information in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [he has little time left in which to keep resisting God]
12:1-17 Satan (pictured as a dragon) plots to challenge God’s purposes but is thwarted. Having failed in direct confrontation with God and Christ, he attempts to attack God’s people. Three brief scenes present an overview of the story (12:1-6), followed by elaborations of the war in heaven (12:7-9) and the war on earth (12:13-17).
OET (OET-LV) Because_of this be_being_gladdened, heavens, and you_all in them sheltering.
woe the earth and the sea, because came_down the devil to you_all, having rage great, having_known that a_little time he_is_having.
OET (OET-RV) So, be glad you heavens and those who shelter in them. The earth and the sea won’t have a good ending because the devil has gone down to you and he’s very angry because he knows he doesn’t have much time left.”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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