American Standard Version
Revelation 12:15
15And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream.
Revelation 12:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
Context of Revelation 12:15
13And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child. 14And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. 16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus:
Read all of Revelation 12Revelation 12:15 word by word
καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ὄφις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω τῆς γυναικὸς ὕδωρ ὡς ποταμόν, ἵνα αὐτὴν ποταμοφόρητον ποιήσῃ.Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Revelation 12:15
- Revelation 17:15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
- Psalms 18:4The cords of death compassed me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
- Psalms 65:7Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.
- Psalms 93:3The floods have lifted up, O Jehovah, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves.
- Isaiah 8:7now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the River, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory: and it shall come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks;
- Isaiah 28:2Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, will he cast down to the earth with the hand.
- Isaiah 59:19So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Jehovah driveth.
Commentaries on Revelation 12:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood - The water here evidently means great multitudes of nations and peoples; for in Revelation 17:15, the interpreting angel says, The waters which thou sawest - are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. This water, then, which the dragon cast out of his mouth, must be an inundation of heathen barbarous nations upon the Roman empire; and the purpose which the dragon has in view by this…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15And 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-17Verses 12-17 The church and all her friends might well be called to praise God for deliverance from pagan persecution, though other troubles awaited her. The wilderness is a desolate place, and full of serpents and scorpions, uncomfortable and destitute of provisions; yet a place of safety, as well as where one might be alone. But being thus retired could not protect the woman. The flood of water is explained by many to mean the invasions of barbarians…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16John imagines Satan as Leviathan, a great sea monster (compare Job 41:1), trying to destroy God's people (the woman; see study note on Revelation 12:1). In the vision, the earth protects the woman, and the dangerous waters are held back. This is similar to the way God contained the waters of chaos at creation (compare Genesis 1:2, 6–7, 9–10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1615-16. flood--Greek, "river" (compare Ex 2:3; Mt 2:20; and especially Ex 14:1-31). The flood, or river, is the stream of Germanic tribes which, pouring on Rome, threatened to destroy Christianity. But the earth helped the woman, by swallowing up the flood. The earth, as contradistinguished from water, is the world consolidated and civilized. The German masses were brought under the influence of Roman civilization and Christianity [Auberlen]. Perhaps it…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 12:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries