Revelation 12:4 (WEB)

Passage

His tail drew one third of the stars of the sky, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

Nearby Context

Revelation 12:2 She was with child. She cried out in pain, laboring to give birth.

Revelation 12:3 Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

Revelation 12:4 His tail drew one third of the stars of the sky, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

Revelation 12:5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God, and to his throne.

Revelation 12:6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tail", "drew", "third", "stars", "threw", "earth", "dragon", and "stood". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tail" and "drew", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Another sign was seen in heaven Behold..." into verse 5's "She gave birth to a son a...", so "tail" and "drew" belong inside that flow. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "tail" and "drew" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.