The Meaning of Revelation 13:2 Explained

Revelation 13:2

KJV: 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.

YLT: and the beast that I saw was like to a leopard, and its feet as of a bear, and its mouth as the mouth of a lion, and the dragon did give to it his power, and his throne, and great authority.

Darby: And the beast which I saw was like to a leopardess, and its feet as of a bear, and its mouth as a lion's mouth; and the dragon gave to it his power, and his throne, and great authority;

ASV: 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 throne, and great authority.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Revelation 13:2 Mean?

Study Notes

like unto a leopard
The three animals, leopard, bear, and lion, are found in Daniel 7:4-6 as symbols of the empires which preceded Rome, and whose characteristics all entered into the qualities of the Roman empire: Macedonian swiftness of conquest, Persian tenacity of purpose, Babylonish voracity.

Verse Meaning

This beast possessed qualities of three animals, perhaps swiftness, agility, vigilance, craftiness, and fierce cruelty; brutality; and strength and majesty. In Daniel , these animals represented three kingdoms that previously ruled the world. These kingdoms are Greece ( Daniel 7:6), Medo-Persia ( Daniel 7:5), and Babylon ( Daniel 7:4). The fourth kingdom that Daniel described ( Daniel 7:23) includes Antichrist"s kingdom. The kingdom the beast rules and represents seems to reflect his personal qualities.
"The fact that the leopard of Greece, the bear of Medo-Persia, and the lion of old Babylon ( Daniel 7) are all seen in this Beast, shows how all-inclusive of human things will be his character; he sums up all the brilliancy (Greece), all of the massive ponderousness of power (Persia), all of the absolute autocratic royal dominion (Babylon), that the Gentiles have ever known." [1] Antichrist will derive his power and position from Satan (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9). Similarly Jesus Christ receives these things from His Father.

Context Summary

Revelation 13:1-18 - The Beast And His Worshipers
The horns symbolize power; the heads, intelligence; and the beast, an earthly kingdom. The dragon must stand for Satan, who has wrought his greatest achievements through earthly potentates and systems. It is through the world-power that the spleen and hatred of hell have been vented on the saints. What a comfort to know that the duration of such power is limited to 42 symbolic months, that is, 1,260 days (or years). If you are enduring hatred and persecution, be of good cheer, for your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, Revelation 13:8. This may well compensate us amid the most violent opposition.
The beast arising from the earth, Revelation 13:11-18, may represent the persecutions of papal Rome as contrasted with those of pagan Rome in the previous verses. Or this symbol may represent some of those modern devices by which men's hearts are turned from God, such as the new semi-religious schools of thought that strive for the empire of men's minds, or the customs of modern trade, Revelation 13:17. Be these as they may, the one outstanding lesson for us all is that the child of God is always in collision with the spirit of His age. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 13

1  A beast rises out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns, to whom the dragon gives his power
11  Another beast comes out of the earth,
14  causes an image to be made of the former beast,
15  and that men should worship it,
16  and receive his mark

Greek Commentary for Revelation 13:2

Like unto a leopard [ομοιον παρδαλει]
Associative-instrumental case of παρδαλις — pardalis old word for panther, leopard, here only in N.T. The leopard (λεο παρδ — leoως αρκου — pard) was considered a cross between a panther and a lioness. [source]
As the feet of a bear [αρκτος]
Old word, also spelled ως στομα λεοντος — arktos here only in N.T. From Daniel 7:4. No word in the Greek for “feet” before “bear.”As the mouth of a lion (εδωκεν αυτωι ο δρακων — hōs stoma leontos). From Daniel 7:4. This beast combines features of the first three beasts in Daniel 7:2. The strength and brutality of the Babylonian, Median, and Persian empires appeared in the Roman Empire. The catlike vigilance of the leopard, the slow and crushing power of the bear, and the roar of the lion were all familiar features to the shepherds in Palestine (Swete).The dragon gave him First aorist active indicative of αυτωι — didōmi (to give) and dative case autōi (the beast). The dragon works through this beast. The beast is simply Satan‘s agent. Satan claimed this power to Christ (Matthew 4:9; Luke 4:6) and Christ called Satan the prince of this world (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11). So the war is on. [source]
As the mouth of a lion [εδωκεν αυτωι ο δρακων]
From Daniel 7:4. This beast combines features of the first three beasts in Daniel 7:2. The strength and brutality of the Babylonian, Median, and Persian empires appeared in the Roman Empire. The catlike vigilance of the leopard, the slow and crushing power of the bear, and the roar of the lion were all familiar features to the shepherds in Palestine (Swete). [source]
The dragon gave him [διδωμι]
First aorist active indicative of αυτωι — didōmi (to give) and dative case autōi (the beast). The dragon works through this beast. The beast is simply Satan‘s agent. Satan claimed this power to Christ (Matthew 4:9; Luke 4:6) and Christ called Satan the prince of this world (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11). So the war is on. [source]
A leopard [παρδάλει]
The ancients do not seem to have distinguished between the leopard, the panther, and the ounce. The word stands for either. Leopard is leo-pard, the lion-pard, which was supposed to be a mongrel between a panther and a lioness. Compare Daniel 7:6. [source]
Bear []
Compare Daniel 7:5. [source]
Lion []
Compare Daniel 7:4. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 13:2

Revelation 13:3 And I saw [και]
No verb (ειδον — eidon) in the old MSS., but clearly understood from Revelation 13:2. [source]
Revelation 13:12 He exerciseth [ποιει]
Present active dramatic present of ποιεω — poieō In his sight In the eye of the first beast who gets his authority from the dragon (Revelation 13:2). The second beast carries on the succession of authority from the dragon and the first beast. It has been a common Protestant interpretation since the Reformation of Luther to see in the first beast Pagan Rome and in the second beast Papal Rome. There is undoubted verisimilitude in this interpretation, but it is more than doubtful if any such view comes within the horizon of the imagery here. Ramsay takes the first beast to be the power of imperial Rome and the second beast to be the provincial power which imitated Rome in the persecutions. [source]
Revelation 16:10 Upon the throne of the beast [επι τον τρονον του τηριου]
That is Rome (Revelation 13:2). The dragon gave the beast his throne (Revelation 2:13). [source]
Revelation 17:12 As kings [ως βασιλεις]
Compared to kings (see ως — hōs in Revelation 1:10; Revelation 4:6; Revelation 9:7; Revelation 13:3; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 16:21) without identification with the emperors, though succeeding them with “quasi-imperial powers” with the beast.For one hour (μιαν ωραν — mian hōran). Accusative of extent of time, and that a brief time (Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:16, Revelation 18:19) in comparison with the beast (Revelation 13:2). [source]
Revelation 17:12 For one hour [μιαν ωραν]
Accusative of extent of time, and that a brief time (Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:16, Revelation 18:19) in comparison with the beast (Revelation 13:2). [source]
Revelation 17:13 They give their power and authority unto the beast [την δυναμιν και την εχουσιαν αυτων τωι τηριωι διδοασιν]
Present active indicative of διδωμι — didōmi Just as the dragon gave both power and authority to the beast (Revelation 13:2), so they are wholly at the service of the beast. [source]
Revelation 9:7 Unto horses [ιπποις]
Associative-instrumental case, as is the rule with ομοιος — homoios (Revelation 1:15; Revelation 2:18; Revelation 4:6.; Revelation 9:10, Revelation 9:19; Revelation 11:1; Revelation 13:2, Revelation 13:11), but with the accusative in Revelation 1:13; Revelation 14:14. So also ομοιοι χρυσωι — homoioi chrusōi (like gold) in this same verse.Prepared for war (ητοιμασμενοις εις πολεμον — hētoimasmenois eis polemon). Perfect passive participle of ετοιμαζω — hetoimazō This imagery of war-horses is like that in Joel 2:4. “The likeness of a locust to a horse, especially to a horse equipped with armour, is so striking that the insect is named in German heupferd (hay horse), and in Italian cavalett a little horse” (Vincent).As it were crowns Not actual crowns, but what looked like crowns of gold, as conquerors, as indeed they were (Revelation 4:4; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 12:1; Revelation 14:14). These locusts of the abyss have another peculiar feature.As men‘s faces (ως προσωπα αντρωπων — hōs prosōpa anthrōpōn). Human-looking faces in these demonic locusts to give added terror, “suggesting the intelligence and capacity of man” (Swete). Vincent actually sees “a distinct resemblance to the human countenance in the face of the locust.” [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 13:2 mean?

And the beast that I saw was like a leopard the feet of it like a bear’s mouth [the] mouth of a lion gave to it the dragon the power of him the throne authority great
καὶ τὸ θηρίον εἶδον ἦν ὅμοιον παρδάλει οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὡς ἄρκου στόμα στόμα λέοντος ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δράκων τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ τὸν θρόνον ἐξουσίαν μεγάλην

θηρίον  beast 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: θηρίον  
Sense: an animal.
  that 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
εἶδον  I  saw 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
ὅμοιον  like 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: ὅμοιος  
Sense: like, similar, resembling.
παρδάλει  a  leopard 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: πάρδαλις  
Sense: a pard, panther, leopard.
πόδες  feet 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: πούς  
Sense: a foot, both of men or beast.
αὐτοῦ  of  it 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ὡς  like 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὡς 
Sense: as, like, even as, etc.
ἄρκου  a  bear’s 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἄρκος 
Sense: a bear.
στόμα  mouth 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: στόμα  
Sense: the mouth, as part of the body: of man, of animals, of fish, etc.
στόμα  [the]  mouth 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: στόμα  
Sense: the mouth, as part of the body: of man, of animals, of fish, etc.
λέοντος  of  a  lion 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: λέων  
Sense: a lion.
ἔδωκεν  gave 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
αὐτῷ  to  it 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
δράκων  dragon 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: δράκων  
Sense: a dragon, a great serpent, a name for Satan.
δύναμιν  power 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: δύναμις  
Sense: strength power, ability.
αὐτοῦ  of  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
θρόνον  throne 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: θρόνος  
Sense: a throne seat.
ἐξουσίαν  authority 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ἐξουσία  
Sense: power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases.
μεγάλην  great 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.