Section 12:1–17
The woman fled from the dragon
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
-or-
The vision of the woman and the dragon
-or-
The ⌊spiritual⌋ conflict of God’s people and Satan
Paragraph 12:1–2
12:1a
And a great sign: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as a great sign refers to something that has a symbolic meaning. A sign suggests or points to something other than itself. Other ways to translate the Greek phrase are:
a great and wondrous sign (New International Version (1984))
-or-
a great and mysterious sight (Good News Translation)
-or-
a great portent (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
a great wonder (King James Version)
great: Here the word great refers to the intensity or importance of the sign. The word does not refer to size here. Other ways to translate this word are:
spectacular
-or-
amazing
appeared: This word indicates that before this time the sign was not visible and then suddenly it was visible.
heaven: The Greek word can mean either “heaven” or “sky.” There are two ways to interpret the Greek word:
(1) The word means heaven here, as in the Berean Standard Bible. This word refers generally to the location where John saw these things. The vision appeared or occurred in the spiritual realm.
(2) The word means sky here. This word further indicates that the sign appeared above the ground with the sky as its background. For example:
the sky (Good News Translation)
People in John’s time generally understood the spiritual realm to be up in the sky. Greek only has one word to refer to both heaven and sky. Some languages, like English, have two different words. If that is true in your language, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the same Greek word in 11:19 clearly refers to heaven.
12:1b–c
The symbols of the sun, moon, and twelve stars indicate that the woman probably represents Israel. Or it may represent all people who believe in Jesus as the Christ. These believers are then represented as the spiritual Israel. In either case, the woman represents the people of God.
12:1b
a woman clothed in the sun: This clause refers to the sun covering the woman like clothing covers a person. Other ways to translate this clause are:
a woman whose clothes were the sun (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
a woman robed with the sun (Revised English Bible)
with the moon under her feet: This phrase can mean either:
(1) The bottom of the woman’s feet touched the moon.
(2) The moon was a small distance below her feet.
Translate this phrase so that it allows both meanings. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
and who had the moon under her feet (Good News Translation)
-or-
and the moon was under her feet (New Century Version)
12:1c
a crown of twelve stars on her head: The phrase on her head is emphasized in the Greek. For example:
on her head a crown of twelve stars (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
her head was crowned/wreathed with twelve stars
If possible, emphasize the phrase on her head in a way that is natural in your language.
a crown of twelve stars: This phrase probably indicates that the stars were placed around her head like a crown. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
a crown/wreath made of twelve stars
-or-
twelve stars ⌊in a circle⌋ like a crown
crown: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crown refers to a victor’s wreath. It was worn on the head as a sign of having won a contest.
But here, the word probably refers to the twelve stars placed around her head so that it looked like a wreath of stars. Other ways to translate this word are:
wreath
-or-
headdress
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