Revelation 12:15

The Woman Persecuted

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted ^athe woman who gave birth to the male Child.

14 ^aBut the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, ^bthat she might fly ^cinto the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished ^dfor a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

15 So the serpent ^aspewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus¹ Christ.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< Revelation 12:14

Revelation 12:16 >>

Revelation 12:15

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood - This is special and uncommon imagery, and it is not necessary to suppose that anything like this literally occurs in nature. Some serpents are indeed said to eject from their mouths poisonous bile when they are enraged, in order to annoy their pursuers; and some sea monsters, it is known, spout forth large quantities of water; but the representation here does not seem to be taken from either of those cases. It is the mere product of the imagination, but the sense is clear. The woman is represented as having wings, and as being able thus to escape from the serpent. But, as an expression of his wrath, and as if with the hope of destroying her in her flight by a deluge of water, he is represented as pouring a flood from his mouth, that he might, if possible, sweep her away. The figure here would well represent the continued malice of the papal body against the true church, in those dark ages when it was sunk in obscurity, and, as it were, driven out into the desert. That malice never slumbered, but was continually manifesting itself in some new form, as if it were the purpose of papal Rome to sweep it entirely away.

That he might cause her to be carried away of the flood - Might cause the church wholly to be destroyed. The truth taught is, that Satan leaves no effort untried to destroy the church.

Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Revelation 12:15:

Revelation 11:19
Revelation 12:6
Revelation 12:6
Revelation 12:17

<< Revelation 12:14

Revelation 12:16 >>

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The Woman Persecuted

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