New International Version
Revelation 12:7
7Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
Revelation 12:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels.
Context of Revelation 12:7
5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Read all of Revelation 12Revelation 12:7 word by word
Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἐπολέμησεν καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- there wasγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- warπόλεμοςpolēmos · warG4171
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
- MichaelΜιχαήλMichaēl · MichaelG3413
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- angelsἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
- foughtπολεμέωpolemeō · to fightG4170
- againstκατάkata · according toG2596
- the dragonδράκωνdrakōn · dragonG1404
Cross-references for Revelation 12:7
- Revelation 13:7It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
- Revelation 19:11I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
- Isaiah 34:5My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed.
- Ephesians 6:12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
- Isaiah 55:4See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples.
- Daniel 10:13But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.
- Daniel 12:1“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
- Hebrews 2:10In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.
- Jude 1:9But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
- Matthew 13:41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
- Matthew 16:27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
- Matthew 24:31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
- Matthew 26:53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
- Revelation 12:3Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.
- Revelation 20:2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Commentaries on Revelation 12:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Revelation 12:7; per Adam Clarke There was war in heaven - In the same treatise, fol. 87, 2, on Exodus 14:7, Pharaoh took six hundred chariots, we have these words: "There was war among those above and among those below, בשמים חזקה היתה והמלחמה vehammilchamaĥ hayethah chazakah bashshamayim, and there was great war in heaven." Of Michael the rabbins are full. See much in Schoettgen, and see the note on Judges 1:9. The dragon - and his angels - The same as…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7And there was war in heaven - There was a state of things existing in regard to the woman and the child - the church in the condition in which it would then be - which would be well represented by a war in heaven; that is, by a conflict between the powers of good and evil, of light and darkness. Of course it is not necessary to understand this literally, anymore than the other symbolical representations in the book. All that is meant is, that a vision…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-11Verses 7-11 The attempts of the dragon proved unsuccessful against the church, and fatal to his own interests. The seat of this war was in heaven; in the church of Christ, the kingdom of heaven on earth. The parties were Christ, the great Angel of the covenant, and his faithful followers; and Satan and his instruments. The strength of the church is in having the Lord Jesus for the Captain of their salvation. Pagan idolatry, which was the worship of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-9This scene reveals the dragon’s identity and power. God sends Michael, the warrior archangel (see Daniel 12:1; Jude 1:9), to face the dragon and his angels. God does not need to fight the battle himself (see Matthew 26:53), and Satan is defeated.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. In Job 1:6-11; 2:1-6, Satan appears among the sons of God, presenting himself before God in heaven, as the accuser of the saints: again in Zec 3:1, 2. But at Christ's coming as our Redeemer, he fell from heaven, especially when Christ suffered, rose again, and ascended to heaven. When Christ appeared before God as our Advocate, Satan, the accusing adversary, could no longer appear before God against us, but was cast out judicially (Ro 8:33, 34). He and…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 12:7
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
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