Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Was cast down (eblhqh). Effective first aorist passive indicative of ballw, cast down for good and all, a glorious consummation. This vision of final victory over Satan is given by Jesus in Luke 10:18; John 12:31. It has not come yet, but it is coming, and the hope of it should be a spur to missionary activity and zeal. The word megas (great) occurs here with drakwn as in Revelation 12:3, and the whole picture is repeated in Revelation 20:2. The dragon in both places is identified with the old serpent (Genesis 3:1 ff.) and called arxaiov (from arxh, beginning), as Jesus said that the devil was a murderer "from the beginning" (John 8:44). Both diabolov (slanderer) and Satan (Satanav) are common in N.T. for this great dragon and old serpent, the chief enemy of mankind. See on Matthew 4:1; Revelation 2:10 for diabolov and Luke 10:18 for Satanav.
The deceiver of the whole world (o planwn thn oikoumenhn olhn). This is his aim and his occupation, pictured here by the nominative articular present active participle of planaw, to lead astray. For "the inhabited world" see Luke 2:1; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 16:14. Satan can almost "lead astray" the very elect of God (Matthew 24:24), so artful is he in his beguilings as he teaches us how to deceive ourselves (I John 1:8).
He was cast down to the earth (eblhqh eiv thn ghn). Effective aorist repeated from the beginning of the verse. "The earth was no new sphere of Satan's working" (Swete).
Were cast down (eblhqhsan). Triple use of the same verb applied to Satan's minions. The expulsion is complete.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Revelation 12:9:
John 8:44
Revelation 2:13
Revelation 8:5
Revelation 12:3
Revelation 12:13
Revelation 16:13
Revelation 20:2
Revelation 20:3
Revelation 20:8
Revelation 20:10
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