In the next three verses a particular verb is used four times in the Greek that is correctly translated as “was given.” In our English Bibles we see the word once in Revelation 13:5 and once in Revelation 13:7, while the other two times the Greek is rendered as, “It was allowed” (Revelation 13:6–7, Revelation 13:14–15). This is a common grammatical form known as a “divine passive,” where no agent is mentioned as doing the acting but where the context requires us to understand that that agent is in fact God almighty. The fact that the dragon was defeated (Revelation 12:8) illustrates that ultimately he has no right to anything; he is under Jesus’ feet. The same is true of every creature under the earth; all are under Jesus’ lordship (Revelation 5:13). If anything, then, is to be “given” to the beast, it can only happen under the permission and will of the sovereign Lamb, Jesus Christ. Through these divine passives, John and his readers are assured that this beast whom the whole world worships simply does not have all power or authority, nor does he own the throne of the universe.
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.