Revelation 13:2

Revelation 13:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
• New International Version (NIV)The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

Context of Revelation 13:2

1Then I saw a wild animal that was coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and there was a crown on each horn. The animal also had seven heads. On each head there was a bad name that insulted God. The wild animal that I saw was like a leopard. But its feet were like a bear's feet and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave his own power and great authority to the wild animal so that it could rule as king. 3Someone had hurt one of the wild animal's heads with a bad wound. It seemed that it would soon die. But the wound in the animal's head had become well again. This surprised all the people who were living on the earth. As a result, they were ready to obey what the wild animal said. 4People worshipped the dragon because he had given his authority to the wild animal. They also worshipped the wild animal. They said, ‘Nobody is like this animal! Nobody is strong enough to fight against him!’

Revelation 13:2 word by word

καὶ τὸ θηρίον ὃ εἶδον ἦν ὅμοιον παρδάλει καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὡς ἄρκου καὶ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ὡς στόμα λέοντος. καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ δράκων τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξουσίαν μεγάλην.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• the beastὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the beastθηρίονthērion · wild animalG2342
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• I sawὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• like untoὅμοιοςhomoios · likeG3664
• a leopardπάρδαλιςpardalis · leopardG3917
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• feetπούςpous · footG4228
• were asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• of a bearἄρκτοςarktos · bearG715
• mouthστόμαstoma · mouthG4750
• of a lionλέωνleōn · lionG3023
• the dragonδράκωνdrakōn · dragonG1404
• gaveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• powerδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
• seatθρόνοςthronos · throneG2362
• greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• authorityἐξουσίαexousia · authorityG1849

Cross-references for Revelation 13:2

• Jeremiah 5:6So lions will come out of the forest to attack them. Wolves will come from the desert to destroy them. Leopards will wait outside their cities. They will kill anyone who goes outside. That will happen because the people have turned against the Lord. They have done many bad things.
• Jeremiah 13:23You have done evil things for a long time. So you cannot now start to do good things. Can anyone change the colour of his skin? Can a leopard remove the marks on its body? No! And you cannot change yourselves either.’
• Daniel 7:6Then I saw another animal. It seemed like a leopard, but it had four wings on its back. They were like a bird's wings. This animal had four heads. It received authority to rule.
• Hosea 13:7So I will attack them like a lion. I will be like a leopard that waits beside the road. It is ready to catch anything that goes that way.
• Habakkuk 1:8Their horses run faster than leopards. They are more cruel than wolves that attack in the evening. Their riders come on fast horses from places that are far away. They quickly attack their enemies, like hungry eagles that fly down to catch chickens.
• 1 Samuel 17:34But David said to Saul, ‘Sir, I have been a shepherd who takes care of his father's sheep. Sometimes a lion or a bear would come to take a lamb from among the sheep.
• 2 Kings 2:24Elisha turned around and he looked at them. He asked the Lord to punish them. Two bears came out from the forest. They tore 42 of the boys in pieces.
• Proverbs 17:12Do not go near a fool who is doing stupid things. It would be safer to meet a mother bear who has lost her babies.
• Proverbs 28:15A wicked ruler brings danger to poor people. He is as dangerous as an angry lion or a hungry bear.
• Daniel 7:4The first animal seemed like a lion, but it had the wings of an eagle. As I watched, someone pulled its wings off. They lifted it up and it stood on two feet like a man. They gave a man's mind to it.
• Hosea 13:8I will attack them like an angry bear that has lost her children. I will tear them into pieces. I will eat them like a hungry lion. I will attack them and kill them, like a wild animal.
• Amos 5:19Nobody will escape! It will be like a man who runs away from a lion, but then he meets a bear! When he goes into his house to be safe, he puts his hand on a wall and a snake bites him!
• Psalms 22:21Do not let those lions eat me! Keep me safe from the horns of those wild bulls! I know that you have answered my prayer!
• Isaiah 5:29As they march to fight, they roar like lions. They are like strong young lions that catch other animals to eat. They carry their prisoners away to places where nobody can rescue them.
• Hosea 11:10I will roar loudly like a lion, so that my children come to follow me. When I roar, my children will shake with fear, as they come from the west.
• Amos 3:12The Lord says, ‘When a lion catches a young sheep, the shepherd will try to save as much as he can. He might save only two legs, or a small part of an ear. It will be the same for the Israelites who live in Samaria. They will escape with only a piece of a bed, or a bit of cloth.’

Commentaries on Revelation 13:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard - This similitude of the beast to a leopard appears to be an allusion to the third beast of Daniel, which is well known to represent the empire of the Greeks. The Latin empire greatly resembled the modern empire of the Greeks; for that the power of the Greeks was still said to be like a leopard, even after its subjugation by the Romans, is evident from Daniel 7:12; : "As concerning the rest of the beasts…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard - For a description of the leopard, see the notes on Daniel 7:6. It is distinguished for bloodthirstiness and cruelty, and thus becomes an emblem of a fierce, tyrannical power. In its general character it resembles a lion and the lion and the leopard are often referred to together. In this description, it is observable that John has combined in one animal or monster, all those which Daniel brought…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Satan turns the beast into a false god by giving it his power, throne, and authority. In the first century, Roman emperors often claimed to be gods.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. leopard ... bear ... lion--This beast unites in itself the God-opposed characteristics of the three preceding kingdoms, resembling respectively the leopard, bear, and lion. It rises up out of the sea, as Daniel's four beasts, and has ten horns, as Daniel's fourth beast, and seven heads, as Daniel's four beasts had in all, namely, one on the first, one on the second, four on the third, and one on the fourth. Thus it represents comprehensively in one…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 13:2

• Lion
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• Leopard
• Authority in Religion
• Bear
• Dragon
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Goat
• Literature, Sub-Apostolic
• Nero
• Print; Printing; Printed
• Revelation of John

Commentaries on Revelation 13

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings