Bible Strands
Revelation 12:17
And 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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the dragon’s reaction after the earth swallows the river he poured against the woman. The vision then shifts to his next target and his final standing position.
The words — ὠργίσθη (ōrgisthē) means “was enraged,” and δράκων (drakōn) translates literally as “dragon.” These terms anchor the text’s description of supernatural hostility directed at the woman’s offspring.
The thread — The conflict echoes Genesis 3:15’s promised enmity between the woman’s seed and the serpent’s seed. The description of believers aligns with Revelation 14:12’s call to persevere, while Revelation 19:10 distinguishes the worship due to God from the servant status of angels.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that faithful obedience to God’s commands and Jesus’ testimony provokes targeted opposition. Readers must expect sustained conflict rather than immediate resolution.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Cross-references
- Revelation 14:12 Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
- Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
- Revelation 19:10 So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
- Revelation 1:2 who testifies to everything he saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
- Revelation 6:9 And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.
- Revelation 11:7 When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.
- Revelation 13:7 Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
- Daniel 7:23 This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.
- John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
- 1 John 2:3 By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.