9. Travailing in birth (@Sivovca). See on sorrows, Mark xiii. 9, and pains, Acts il. 24.
In pain (Bacavifouévn). Lit., being tormented. See on ch. xi. 10, and references. For the imagery compare Isa. xvi. 7, 8 John xvi. 21.
3. Red (auppos). See on ch. vi. 4.
Dragon (Spdxev). Satan. See ver. 9. The word is found only in the Apocalypse. In the Septuagint, of the serpent into which Moses’ rod was changed. In Isa. xxvii. 1; Ezek. xxix. 3, of the crocodile or leviathan of Job xli.1. In Jer. li. 34, of a dragon.
Crowns (Sadijjpara). The kingly crown, not the chaplet (créhavos). See on ch. ii. 10.
4. Of the stars of heaven. Some expositors find an allus- ion to the fallen angels (Jude 6).
Did cast them to the earth. Compare Dan. viii. 10.
To devour her child as soon as it was born (iva drap Tékn TO Téxvov avThs Katapdyy). Rev., more literally, that when she was delivered he might devour her child. Professor Milligan says: “In these words we have the dragon doing what Pharaoh did to Israel (Exod. i. 15-22), and again and again, in the Psalms and the Prophets, Pharaoh is spoken of as the dragon (Ps. Ixxiv. 18; Isa. xxvii. 1; 1i.9; Ezek. xxix. 3). Nor is it without interest to remember that Pharaoh’s crown was wreathed with a dragon (the asp or serpent of Egypt), and that just as the eagle was the ensign of Rome, so the dragon was that of Egypt. Hence the significance of Moses’ rod being turned into a serpent.”
5. A manschild (vidv d&peva). Lit. @ son, a male. The correct reading is dpcev, the neuter, not agreeing with the mas- culine individual (visv son) but with the neuter of the genus.