Amplified Bible
Revelation 20:2
2And he overpowered and laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and bound him [securely] for a thousand years (a millennium);
Revelation 20:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
- New International Version (NIV)He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
- New King James Version (NKJV)He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
Context of Revelation 20:2
1And then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss (the bottomless pit) and a great chain was in his hand. And he overpowered and laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and bound him [securely] for a thousand years (a millennium); 3and the angel hurled him into the abyss, and closed it and sealed it above him [preventing his escape or rescue], so that he would no longer deceive and seduce the nations, until the thousand years were at an end. After these things he must be liberated for a short time. 4And then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom judgment [that is, the authority to act as judges] was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had refused to worship the beast or his image, and had not accepted his mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Read all of Revelation 20Revelation 20:2 word by word
καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸν δράκοντα, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὅς ἐστιν διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς. καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτηRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- he laid hold onκρατέωkrateō · to grasp/seizeG2902
- the dragonδράκωνdrakōn · dragonG1404
- that oldἀρχαῖοςarchaios · ancientG744
- serpentὄφιςophis · snakeG3789
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- the Devilδιάβολοςdiabolos · devilish/the DevilG1228
- SatanΣατανᾶςSatanas · SatanG4567
- boundδέωdeō · to bindG1210
- himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- a thousandχίλιοιchilioi · thousandG5507
- yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094
Cross-references for Revelation 20:2
- Genesis 3:15And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”
- Isaiah 27:1In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent With His fierce and great and mighty sword [rescuing Israel from her enemy], Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
- Isaiah 49:24“Can the spoils of war be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?”
- Matthew 8:29And they screamed out, “What business do we have [in common] with each other, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time [of judgment]?”
- Matthew 19:29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
- Mark 5:7and screaming with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have in common with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God [swear to me], do not torment me!”
- Luke 11:20But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you.
- John 12:31Now judgment is upon this world [the sentence is being passed]. Now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out.
- John 16:11about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned.
- Romans 16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The [wonderful] grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
- Hebrews 2:14Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in a similar manner also shared in the same [physical nature, but without sin], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—
- Revelation 9:11They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss (the bottomless pit); in Hebrew his name is Abaddon (destruction), and in Greek he is called Apollyon (destroyer-king).
- Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- Revelation 13:2And the beast that I saw resembled a leopard, but his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like that of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
- Job 1:7The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it.”
- Job 2:1Again there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
Commentaries on Revelation 20:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The dragon - See the notes on Revelation 12:9. That old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan - He who is called the old serpent is the Devil - the calumniator, and Satan - the opposer. He who supposes that the term old serpent here plainly proves that the creature that tempted our first parents was actually a snake, must enjoy his opinion; and those who can receive such a saying, why let them receive it. Selah. A thousand years - In what this binding of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2And he laid hold on - Seized him by violence - ̓́ ekratēsenThe word denotes “the employment of strength” or “force”; and it implies that he had power superior to that of the dragon. Compare Matthew 14:3; Matthew 18:28; Matthew 21:46; Matthew 22:6; Matthew 26:4. We can at once see the propriety of the use of this word in this connection. The great enemy to be bound has himself mighty power, and can be overcome only by a superior. This may teach us that it…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2Like the Old Testament angel of the LORD (see Genesis 16:7–11; 22:15; Exodus 3:2; Numbers 22:22–34; Judges 2:1–4; 6:11–22), the angel coming down from heaven has God's authority. This is symbolized by the key that controls the bottomless pit and the power to chain God's great enemy (see Revelation 12:7–9) for a thousand years. See the "The Thousand Years (The Millennium)" Theme Note.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. that old--ancient serpent (Re 12:9). thousand years--As seven mystically implies universality, so a thousand implies perfection, whether in good or evil [Aquinas on ch. 11]. Thousand symbolizes that the world is perfectly leavened and pervaded by the divine; since thousand is ten, the number of the world, raised to the third power, three being the number of God [Auberlen]. It may denote literally also a thousand years.Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 20:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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