Revelation 12:15

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 had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. 16But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17And the dragon was enraged at the woman and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Revelation 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

• Thenκαίkai · andG2532
• fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• mouthστόμαstoma · mouthG4750
• serpentὄφιςophis · snakeG3789
• spewedβάλλωballō · to throw: pourG906
• waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• likeὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• a riverποταμόςpotamos · riverG4215
• to overtakeὀπίσωopisō · afterG3694
• womanγυνήgunē · womanG1135
• ·ἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• sweepποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• away in the torrentποταμοφόρητοςpotamophorētos · floodedG4216

Cross-references for Revelation 12:15

• Revelation 17:15Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
• Psalms 18:4The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
• Psalms 65:7You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.
• Psalms 93:3The floodwaters have risen, O LORD; the rivers have raised their voice; the seas lift up their pounding waves.
• Isaiah 8:7the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.
• Isaiah 28:2Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground.
• Isaiah 59:19So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.

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

• Vision
• Water

In the dictionaries

• Adultery
• Earth
• Star
• Apostolic Age
• Astronomy
• Dragon
• Flood
• Michael
• Revelation of John

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