Revelation 20:1

Revelation 20:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
• New International Version (NIV)And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

Context of Revelation 20:1

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.

Revelation 20:1 word by word

Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔχοντα τὴν κλεῖν τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν μεγάλην ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear

• Thenκαίkai · andG2532
• I sawὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• an angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• coming downκαταβαίνωkatabainō · to come/go downG2597
• fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• keyκλείςkleis · keyG2807
• Abyssἄβυσσοςabussos · abyssG12
• holdingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• inἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• handχείρcheir · handG5495
• a greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• chainἅλυσιςhalusis · chainG254

Cross-references for Revelation 20:1

• Revelation 10:1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.
• Revelation 18:1After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.
• Revelation 1:18the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
• Revelation 9:1Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.
• Luke 8:31And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.
• 2 Peter 2:4For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
• Jude 1:6And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day.

Commentaries on Revelation 20:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1An angel came down from heaven - One of the executors of the Divine justice, who receives criminals, and keeps them in prison, and delivers them up only to be tried and executed. The key of the prison and the chain show who he is; and as the chain was great, it shows that the culprit was impeached of no ordinary crimes.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1And I saw an angel come down from heaven - Compare the notes on Revelation 10:1. He does not say whether this angel had appeared to him before, but the impression is rather that it was a different one. The whole character of the composition of the book leads us to suppose that different angels were employed to make these communications to John, and that, in fact, in the progress of things disclosed in the book, he had contact with a considerable number of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Satan is bound for a thousand years. (1-3) The first resurrection; those are blessed that have part therein. (4-6) Satan loosed, Gog and Magog. (7-10) The last and general resurrection. (11-15) Verses 1-3 Here is a vision, showing by a figure the restraints laid on Satan himself. Christ, with Almighty power, will keep the devil from deceiving mankind as he has hitherto done. He never wants power and instruments to break the power of Satan. Christ shuts by…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. 1-151. The destruction of his representatives, the beast and the false prophet, to whom he had given his power, throne, and authority, is followed by the binding of Satan himself for a thousand years. the key of the bottomless pit--now transferred from Satan's hands, who had heretofore been permitted by God to use it in letting loose plagues on the earth; he is now to be made to feel himself the torment which he had inflicted on men, but his full torment is…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 20:1

• Chains
• Key
• Millennium
• Pit
• Satan
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• Bottomless, Pit
• Millennium
• Pit
• Seal
• Abyss
• Chain; Chains
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Key
• Keys, Power of the
• Mizpah; Mizpeh

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