Revelation 12:3

Translations

Modern

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

Traditional

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Literal

And another sign was seen in heaven, and behold, a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.

Latin

Et visum est aliud signum in cælo: et ecce draco magnus rufus habens capita septem, et cornua decem: et in capitibus ejus diademata septem,

Original

Greek

English

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

Notes

Revelation 12:3–4

The large red dragon symbolizes Satan (see Revelation 12:9).
seven heads, ten horns: These numbers symbolize a mix of divine and created powers (see Revelation 17:7–14).
The historic battle between evil and God's people occurs on a cosmic scale (see Genesis 3:1–7, 14–15; Job 1:9–12).
Herod’s wish to kill Jesus showed Satan’s attempt to destroy her baby after birth (see Matthew 2:7–8, 16).

Revelation 12:1–17

Satan is shown as a dragon. He plots to oppose God's plans but fails. After losing a direct battle with God and Christ, he tries to harm God's followers. Three short scenes summarize the story (Revelation 12:1–6), followed by details of the war in heaven (12:7–9) and the war on earth (12:13–17).

Revelation 12:1–14:20

The people of God are pictured as a woman who gives birth to the Messiah. Even though the devil has already been defeated, he continues to attack her and her children (Revelation 12:1–17). With his two followers, the beast and the false prophet, Satan tries to keep controlling the world (Revelation 13:1–18) before the final battle with the Lord (14:1–20).

Theme notes and profiles

Adam and Eve Satan Symbolic Numbers Visions

Related verses

Revelation 17:12
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings along with the beast.
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Daniel 7:24
And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.
Daniel 7:20
I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
Revelation 17:16
And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
Revelation 17:7
“Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
Revelation 17:3–4
And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
Revelation 12:1
And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
Revelation 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Revelation 12:4
His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, hurling them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.
Revelation 17:9–10
This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
Daniel 7:7–8
After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.

Glossary

Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Book of Revelation Crown Dragon Head Lucifer Red

Topics

Astronomy: Sidereal Phenomena Colors: Crimson, Red, Purple, and Scarlet, Symbols of Various Ideas: Conquest Crown: Symbolical Dragons Horn: Symbolical Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena: Symbolical used in the Revelation of John Satan: Great Red Dragon Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Heads and Seven Crowns The Color Red The Dragon: Often of a Red Colour The Number Seven Titles and Names of the Devil: Great Red Dragon Vision of John on the Island of Patmos: The Red Dragon

Revelation 12:3

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