The big picture
Revelation 12 opens in verse 1 with “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 9 with “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which…”, and closes in verse 17 with “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her…” Repeated or prominent terms include dragon, woman, earth, heaven, child. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Revelation · King James Version · 17Revelation 12:1-6
1–6: There appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun…
Revelation 12:1–6 opens with “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under…” and reaches “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The woman, child, dragon, wilderness protection, and heavenly conflict, with particular weight carried by child, heaven, woman.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her…” The number twelve makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” The line’s distinctive content terms include birth, child, cried. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
Revelation 12:1-6
King James Version1And 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:
2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4And 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.
5And 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.
6And 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.
Revelation 12:7-12
7–12: There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the…
Revelation 12:7–12 opens with “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon…” and reaches “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The woman, child, dragon, wilderness protection, and heavenly conflict, with particular weight carried by angels, dragon, heaven.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,” Naming Michael keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” The line’s distinctive content terms include heaven, place, prevailed. Its relationship to verses 7 and 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he…” Naming Devil and Satan keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Revelation 12:7-12
King James Version7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9And 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.
10And 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.
11And 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.
12Therefore 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.
Revelation 12:13-17
13–17: When the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the…
Revelation 12:13–17 opens with “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought…” and reaches “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The woman, child, dragon, wilderness protection, and heavenly conflict, with particular weight carried by woman, dragon, earth.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” The line’s distinctive content terms include child, dragon, earth. Its relationship to verses 14 shows what work it does in this passage.
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Revelation 12:13-17
King James Version13And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14And 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.
15And 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.
16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17And 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.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Revelation 12:1 begins with “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:”
Where the chapter turns
Revelation 12:12 forms a natural hinge: “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…”
The final note
Revelation 12:17 leaves the reader with “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…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words dragon, woman, earth, heaven, child, angels help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Who is meant to benefit from Abram's call?
All families of the earth, according to verse 3. Election carries an outward purpose.
How does the Egypt episode complicate a hero story?
Abram acts from fear, while Pharaoh recognizes and challenges the wrong done.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.