Revelation 12:3
New International Version
Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.

New Living Translation
Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads.

English Standard Version
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.

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

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

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.

New American Standard Bible
Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven crowns.

NASB 1995
Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

NASB 1977
And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

Amplified Bible
Then another sign [of warning] was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon (Satan) with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns (diadems).

Christian Standard Bible
Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

American Standard Version
And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And another sign appeared in Heaven and, behold, a great fiery Dragon that has seven heads and 10 horns, and upon its heads seven diadems.

Contemporary English Version
Something else appeared in the sky. It was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and a crown on each of its seven heads.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his head seven diadems:

English Revised Version
And there was seen another sign in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Another sign appeared in the sky: a huge fiery red serpent with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns on its heads.

Good News Translation
Another mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and a crown on each of his heads.

International Standard Version
Then another sign appeared in the sky: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on its heads.

Literal Standard Version
And there was seen another sign in the sky, and behold, a great fire-colored dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on his heads,

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

New American Bible
Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.

NET Bible
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns.

New Revised Standard Version
Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.

New Heart English Bible
Another sign was seen in heaven. Look, a great fiery red serpent, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

Weymouth New Testament
And another marvel was seen in Heaven--a great fiery-red Dragon, with seven heads and ten horns; and on his heads were seven kingly crowns.

World English Bible
Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

Young's Literal Translation
And there was seen another sign in the heaven, and, lo, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his head seven diadems,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Woman and the Dragon
2She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing 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.…

Cross References
Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent--Leviathan the coiling serpent--and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

Daniel 7:7
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.

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 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 12:4
His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing 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 12:7
Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.

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.


Treasury of Scripture

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

wonder.

Revelation 12:1
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

a great.

Revelation 12:4,9,17
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born…

Revelation 13:2,4
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…

Revelation 16:13
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

seven heads.

Revelation 13:1,3
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy…

Revelation 17:9,10
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth…

ten.

Revelation 17:3,7,12,16
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns…

Isaiah 9:15
The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Daniel 2:42
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

seven crowns.

Revelation 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

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Appeared Crowns Diadems Dragon Enormous Fiery-Red Great Head Heads Heaven Horns Kingly Marvel Portent Red Seven Sign Ten Wonder
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Appeared Crowns Diadems Dragon Enormous Fiery-Red Great Head Heads Heaven Horns Kingly Marvel Portent Red Seven Sign Ten Wonder
Revelation 12
1. A woman clothed with the sun travails.
4. The great red dragon stands before her, ready to devour her child;
6. when she is delivered she flees into the desert.
7. Michael and his angels fight with the dragon, and prevail.
13. The dragon, being cast down into the earth, persecutes the woman.














(3) And there appeared . . .--Better, And another sign was seen in the heaven; and behold a great red dragon. This, too, is a sign, and has a meaning. The dragon stands for some dread and hostile power. "The dragon is that fabulous monster of whom ancient poets told, as large in size, coiled like a snake, blood red in colour . . . insatiable in voracity, and ever athirst for human blood"--a fit emblem of him whom our Lord declared to be a murderer from the beginning; for the dragon is intended here to describe him who, in Revelation 12:9, is also said to be that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan. The red colour is the colour of flame and blood, and the symbol of destruction and slaughter. The dragon is the emblem of the evil spirit, the devil, the perpetual antagonist of good, the persecutor of the Church in all ages (comp. Psalm 74:13): just as the dragon is sometimes employed to represent the Egyptian power, the ancient foe of Israel (Isaiah 51:9; Ezekiel 29:3).

Having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns (diadems) upon his heads.--This is the further description of the dragon. He is one, yet diverse; one, as an evil spirit; diverse, in the varieties of his power. The woman is hut one: but her foe is multiform; she has one trust to keep, one work to do, and can but fulfil it in her Master's way: evil is bound by no law, regards no scruple, and exerts its power through any channel and by every means. Is there not also an assumption of divine similitude here in the use of the number seven? It is at least the representation of the great and world-wide power which he exercises as the prince of this world, whose kingdom is in much a parody of the true kingdom. The whole description should be compared with the account given of the beast in Revelation 17:3; Revelation 17:7; Revelation 17:10; Revelation 17:12. There the seven heads are explained as seven kings, and the heads here are crowned; the ten horns are also explained as ten kings. The sevenfold kingship and the tenfold power of the world are thus described as belonging to the dragon. The picture here, as the picture of the wild beast in Revelation 17, represents, as concentrated into a single hostile form, all the varying forces and successive empires which have opposed or oppressed the people of God, and sought to destroy their efforts for good: for all evil has its root in a spirit at enmity with God. Hence the dragon appears armed with all the insignia of those sovereignties and powers which have been animated by this spirit. . . .

Verse 3. - And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and there was seen another sign in heaven (Revised Version). (See on ver. 1.) The appearance seen is not a representation of the devil as he actually is, but the sign - the dragon - is figurative and descriptive of the particular characteristics now about to be exhibited. In heaven - most likely merely in the space above, where he could be easily seen. Wordsworth, however, says, "Because the power here represented assails the Church, the kingdom of heaven." And behold a great red dragon. His identity is established by ver. 9, where he is called "the great dragon, the old serpent, the devil, Satan, the deceiver." Red; no doubt to enhance his terrible appearance; suggestive of his murderous, destructive character. "Dragon" (δράκων,) in the New Testament occurs only in this book. In the Old Testament the word is of frequent occurrence. In the LXX. δράκων is used seventeen times to express the Hebrew tannin (a sea or land monster, especially a crocodile or serpent); five times it stands for leviathan; twice it represents kephir (young lion); twice nachash (serpent); once attud (he-goat); and once pethen (python). Tannin (singular) is always rendered by δράκων except in Genesis 1:21, where we find κῆτος; but twice it is corrupted into tannim (viz. Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 32:2). The latter word, tannim, is the plural of tan (a jackal), and is found only in the plural; but once it is found corrupted into tannin (Lamentations 4:3). There is no doubt as to the signification of the appearance. The dragon, is, in the Old Testament, invariably a symbol of what is harmful, tyrannous, murderous. It is a hideous, sanguinary monster, sometimes inhabiting the sea, sometimes the desolate places of the earth, always "seeking whom it may devour." In some passages it refers to Pharaoh (Psalm 74:13; cf. Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 32:2); in others it is a type of what is noxious or desolate (Job 7:12; Isaiah 13:22; Isaiah 34:13; Psalm 44:19; Jeremiah 9:11, etc.). In Isaiah 27:1 we have the combination, "leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent;... the dragon that is in the sea." Having seven heads and ten horns. The description of the beasts in Revelation 12-17, is evidently derived from the vision of Daniel (7.), although the details differ. It seems reasonable to conclude, therefore, that the interpretation generally should follow the same lines as that applied to the Old Testament symbols, with which the writer was so familiar. The appearances described in Daniel are universally considered to typify various worldly powers which oppressed the Church and nation of the Jews. Similarly here the symbolism seems intended to portray the opposition of the devil to the Church of God, working through the power of the world. The heads and horns are both declared in Revelation 17:10, 12 to typify kingdoms - in what way we shall presently see (Revelation 17:10). The numbers seven and ten are both symbolical of completeness (see Revelation 1:4; Revelation 5:1; Revelation 13:1; Revelation 17:3). We have, therefore, in this picture of the dragon, the idea of the full and complete power of the world arrayed on earth against God and his Church. This power, connected with and derived from the devil, the prince of this world (John 12:31), is often alluded to by St. John as being opposed to, or in contrast with, the godly (see John 7:7; John 14:17; John 15; John 16; John 17; 1 John 2:15; 1 John 3:13; 1 John 5:4, etc.). And seven crowns upon his heads; seven diadems (Revised Version). That is, the kingly crown, the symbol of sovereignty, worn by the dragon to denote his power as "prince of this world." The word διαδήματα is found in the New Testament only here and Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 19:12. It is not the στέφανος, the crown of victory worn by the saints (see Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:11; Revelation 6:2, etc.). No account is given of the disposition and arrangement of the heads, horns, and diadems; nor is it necessary. The seven crowned heads signify universal sovereignty; the ten horns, absolute power. Probably those to whom St. John wrote understood the symbol as referring specially to the power of heathen Rome, which was at that time oppressing the Church; but the meaning extends to the power of the world in all ages (see on Revelation 13:1).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Then
Καὶ (Kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

another
ἄλλο (allo)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 243: Other, another (of more than two), different. A primary word; 'else, ' i.e. Different.

sign
σημεῖον (sēmeion)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4592: Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of semaino; an indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally.

appeared
ὤφθη (ōphthē)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

heaven:
οὐρανῷ (ouranō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

a huge
μέγας (megas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense.

red
πυρρός (pyrros)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4450: Red, fire-colored. From pur; fire-like, i.e., flame- colored.

dragon
δράκων (drakōn)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1404: A dragon or huge serpent; met: Satan. Probably from an alternate form of derkomai; a fabulous kind of serpent.

[with]
ἔχων (echōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

seven
ἑπτὰ (hepta)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2033: Seven. A primary number; seven.

heads,
κεφαλὰς (kephalas)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2776: From the primary kapto; the head, literally or figuratively.

ten
δέκα (deka)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 1176: Ten. A primary number; ten.

horns,
κέρατα (kerata)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2768: From a primary kar; a horn.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

seven
ἑπτὰ (hepta)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2033: Seven. A primary number; seven.

royal crowns
διαδήματα (diadēmata)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 1238: A head-wreath, crown, diadem. From a compound of dia and deo; a 'diadem'.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

heads.
κεφαλὰς (kephalas)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2776: From the primary kapto; the head, literally or figuratively.


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NT Prophecy: Revelation 12:3 Another sign was seen in heaven (Rev. Re Apocalypse)
Revelation 12:2
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