But they were defeated: in Greek the verb is singular, not plural: “and he (that is, the dragon) did not prevail (or, win).” Of course the dragon’s angels were also defeated, as the next statement makes clear. Defeated in certain languages will be rendered as “did not win” or “could not overcome.”

There was no longer any place for them in heaven: this is a rather indirect way of saying “they could not stay in heaven any longer.” New Jerusalem Bible uses the positive form: “they were driven out of heaven.” This general statement of fact is made more specific in the verse that follows.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• But the dragon did not win, and they (unknown agents) would not allow him and his supporters to stay in heaven any longer.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .