Revelation 13:5 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Revelation 13:5 kjv
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Revelation 13:5 nkjv
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
Revelation 13:5 niv
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.
Revelation 13:5 esv
And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.
Revelation 13:5 nlt
Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months.
Revelation 13 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rev 13:1 | And I saw a beast rise up out of the sea... | Context of the beast's appearance. |
| Rev 13:2 | The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. | Source of the beast's authority is satanic. |
| Rev 13:7 | It was given unto him to make war with the saints... | Amplification of beast's permitted activity. |
| Dan 7:8 | a mouth speaking great things. | Direct Old Testament parallel for arrogant speech. |
| Dan 7:11 | the voice of the great words which the horn spake. | Consequence of the horn's boastful speech. |
| Dan 7:20 | a mouth that spake very great things... | Emphasizes the beast's characteristic arrogance. |
| Dan 7:25 | And he shall speak great words against the most High... | Explicitly states "against the Most High" clarifies blasphemy. |
| Dan 11:36 | he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god... | Describes an arrogant, blasphemous ruler. |
| 2 Thes 2:4 | Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God... | Man of Lawlessness opposing and exalting God. |
| Ez 28:2 | Thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God... | Example of claiming divine status. |
| Isa 14:13-14 | thou hast said... I will ascend into heaven... I will be like the most High. | Satan's original blasphemous pride. |
| Psa 73:8-9 | They speak loftily...They set their mouth against the heavens... | Wicked speaking arrogantly against God. |
| Rev 11:2 | The holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. | Parallel time period for Gentile dominance. |
| Rev 11:3 | My two witnesses... shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days. | Parallel time period for witness prophecy. |
| Rev 12:6 | The woman fled... into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared... one thousand two hundred and threescore days. | Parallel time period for God's protection. |
| Rev 12:14 | from the face of the serpent. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness... for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. | Parallel time period (Danielic) for Satan's pursuit. |
| Lk 4:25 | In the days of Elias... the heaven was shut up three years and six months. | Example of a 3.5-year period of tribulation. |
| Acts 4:27-28 | For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus... both Herod, and Pontius Pilate... were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. | God's sovereignty over evil actions. |
| Rom 9:17 | Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. | God raises up instruments for His purposes. |
| Lam 3:37-38 | Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? | God's ultimate sovereignty over all events. |
| 1 Pet 5:8 | Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. | The dragon (devil) enabling the beast. |
| 2 Thes 2:9-10 | Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders... | Beast empowered by Satan to deceive. |
Revelation 13 verses
Revelation 13 5 meaning
Revelation 13:5 describes the characteristics and allowed duration of the beast from the sea, an entity representing a powerful anti-God system or ruler. It specifies that this beast is empowered to utter arrogant and blasphemous words, proclaiming prideful boasts against God and sacred things. Furthermore, it is granted a fixed period of activity—forty-two months—during which it will exercise its delegated authority and accomplish its destructive agenda.
Revelation 13 5 Context
Revelation 13 introduces the "beast from the sea," a major antagonist in John's vision, representing a global political power or empire fundamentally opposed to God. This beast consolidates characteristics from the four beasts in Daniel 7, signifying a culmination of human rebellion and oppression throughout history, reaching its peak in the final days. The verse specifically details this beast's primary activities: blasphemous speech and its fixed period of operation. For John's original audience, the oppressive and self-deifying Roman Empire and its imperial cult, which demanded emperor worship, provided a clear contemporary context for this portrayal of blasphemous power that persecuted God's people.
Revelation 13 5 Word analysis
- And there was given (καὶ ἐδόθη - kai edothē): The passive voice highlights that the beast's authority is not inherent but is permitted and delegated by a higher power—ultimately God, through Satan's agency (Rev 13:2). This emphasizes divine sovereignty over even evil.
- unto him (αὐτῷ - autō): Refers to the first beast, which embodies universal, anti-God authority and persecution.
- a mouth (στόμα - stoma): A metaphor for pronouncements, public decrees, and the projection of power through speech and propaganda. It also suggests the controlling head or leader of the beast.
- speaking great things (λαλοῦν μεγάλαι - laloun megala): "Great things" here signify arrogance, boastful claims, prideful self-exaltation, and presumptuous declarations that challenge divine authority. This aligns with the "little horn" of Daniel 7.
- and blasphemies (καὶ βλασφημίας - kai blasphemias): Impious, irreverent, or slanderous speech directed against God, His character, His name, or His divine claims. It also includes claiming divine attributes for oneself or defying sacred truth.
- and power (καὶ ἐξουσία - kai exousia): Refers to delegated authority or legitimate right to act, distinct from brute force.
- was given unto him (ἐδόθη αὐτῷ - edothē autō): Repeats the emphasis on delegated, not inherent, power, underscoring God's ultimate control.
- to continue (ποιῆσαι - poiēsai): Meaning "to do," "to act," or "to accomplish." In this context (and further clarified by Rev 13:7), it implies exercising authority, making war, and carrying out its destructive purposes.
- forty and two months (τεσσεράκοντα δύο μῆνας - tesserakonta dyo mēnas): A precise prophetic time period, equivalent to 3.5 years or 1260 days. This symbolic duration, repeatedly found in Daniel and Revelation, signifies a set, limited period of intense tribulation and persecution for God's people.
Revelation 13 5 Bonus section
The specific timeframe of "forty and two months" is crucial, appearing consistently throughout prophetic literature as 3.5 years, 1260 days, or "a time, times, and half a time." This repeated symbolic duration signifies a predetermined and finite period of intensified suffering and testing for God's people before final deliverance and judgment. It serves as a stark reminder that even the most formidable forces of evil operate within a timeline set by God, not by their own will or power. The "mouth" is central to the beast's power; it deceives and persuades, making pompous claims that defy the truth of God. This highlights the importance of discerning truth from falsehood, especially during times when oppressive systems attempt to control through propaganda and religious blasphemy.
Revelation 13 5 Commentary
Revelation 13:5 presents the twofold character of the sea beast: its verbally defiant nature and its divinely permitted duration of activity. The repeated declaration that power "was given unto him" emphatically establishes God's absolute sovereignty; even this formidable evil entity operates under God's precise allowance and timing, possessing no inherent authority. The beast's "mouth speaking great things and blasphemies" characterizes it as arrogant, self-exalting, and openly hostile towards God, attempting to usurp the reverence due solely to the Creator. Its activities, including severe persecution, are confined to a strict period of "forty and two months," a fixed period indicating that its dominion, no matter how oppressive, is temporary and bound by God's decree. This precise limitation serves as a profound comfort to believers, assuring them that divine justice will eventually prevail over all human and satanic evil.