Revelation 20:12

Revelation 20:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
• New International Version (NIV)And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Context of Revelation 20:12

10And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] both the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for the ages of ages. 11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled, and place was not found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [that] of life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which [were] in it, and death and hades gave up the dead which [were] in them; and they were judged each according to their works: 14and death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, [even] the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:12 word by word

καὶ εἶδον τοὺς νεκρούς, τοὺς μεγάλους καὶ τοὺς μικρούς, ἑστῶτας ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ βιβλία ἠνοίχθησαν. καὶ ἄλλο βιβλίον ἠνοίχθη ὅ ἐστιν τῆς ζωῆς. καὶ ἐκρίθησαν οἱ νεκροὶ ἐκ τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν.Read the interlinear

• sawὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• deadνεκρόςnekros · deadG3498
• greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• smallμικρόςmikros mikroteros · smallG3398
• standingἵστημιhistēmi · to standG2476
• throneθρόνοςthronos · throneG2362
• booksβιβλίονbiblion · scrollG975
• wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• openedἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
• lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
• judgedκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
• thingsὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• writtenγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• accordingκατάkata · according toG2596
• worksἔργονergon · workG2041

Cross-references for Revelation 20:12

• Revelation 20:11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled, and place was not found for them.
• Daniel 12:2And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, to everlasting contempt.
• John 5:28Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice,
• John 11:25Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes on me, though he have died, shall live;
• Acts 24:15having hope towards God, which they themselves also receive, that there is to be a resurrection both of just and unjust.
• 1 Corinthians 15:21For since by man [came] death, by man also resurrection of [those that are] dead.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:15(For this we say to you in [the] word of [the] Lord, that we, the living, who remain to the coming of the Lord, are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep;
• Revelation 19:5And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his bondmen, [and] ye that fear him, small and great.
• Romans 14:10But thou, why judgest thou thy brother? or again, thou, why dost thou make little of thy brother? for we shall all be placed before the judgment-seat of God.
• 1 Corinthians 4:5So that do not judge anything before [the] time, until the Lord shall come, who shall also both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and shall make manifest the counsels of hearts; and then shall each have [his] praise from God.
• 2 Corinthians 5:10For we must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of the Christ, that each may receive the things [done] in the body, according to those he has done, whether [it be] good or evil.
• Daniel 7:10A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
• Revelation 3:5He that overcomes, he shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, and will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
• Revelation 13:8and all that dwell on the earth shall do it homage, [every one] whose name had not been written from [the] founding of [the] world in the book of life of the slain Lamb.
• Revelation 17:8The beast which thou sawest was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go into destruction: and they who dwell on the earth, whose names are not written from the founding of the world in the book of life, shall wonder, seeing the beast, that it was, and is not, and shall be present.
• Revelation 21:27And nothing common, nor that maketh an abomination and a lie, shall at all enter into it; but those only who [are] written in the book of life of the Lamb.

Commentaries on Revelation 20:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12The dead, small and great - All ranks, degrees, and conditions of men. This description seems to refer to Daniel 7:9, Daniel 7:10. And the books were opened - See Daniel 12:1. "Rab. Jehuda said: All the actions of men, whether good or bad, are written in a book, and of all they shall give account." - Sohar Gen., fol. 79, col. 298. "How careful should men be to shun vice, and to act uprightly before the holy blessed God, seeing there are so many which go…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And I saw the dead, small and great - All the dead - for this language would express that - the whole race being composed of the “small and great.” Thus, in other language, the same idea might be expressed by saying, the young and old; the rich and poor; the bond and free; the sick and well; the happy and the unhappy; the righteous and the wicked; for all the human family might, in these respects, be considered as thus divided. The fair meaning in this…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-15Verses 11-15 After the events just foretold, the end will speedily come; and there is no mention of any thing else, before the appearing of Christ to judge the world. This will be the great day: the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, will then put on majesty and terror. The persons to be judged are the dead, small and great; young and old, low and high, poor and rich. None are so mean, but they have some talents to account for; and none so great, as to avoid…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12books were opened: See Psalm 56:8; Daniel 7:10. The Book of Life contains the names of faithful people who have experienced God's saving power (Malachi 3:16; see Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:15). They are likely the same ones who experience the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5–6). the dead were judged: The works of both the redeemed and the unredeemed will be judged (see Revelation 22:12; Matthew 16:27; 25:31–46).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. the dead--"the rest of the dead" who did not share the first resurrection, and those who died during the millennium. small and great--B has "the small and the great." A, Vulgate, Syriac, and Andreas have "the great and the small." The wicked who had died from the time of Adam to Christ's second advent, and all the righteous and wicked who had died during and after the millennium, shall then have their eternal portion assigned to them. The godly who…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 20:12

• Book
• Death
• Judgment
• Millennium
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• God
• Book of Life
• Judgment, The final
• Seal
• Dead
• Eschatology of the Old Testament
• Geba
• Immortal; Immortality
• Print; Printing; Printed
• Punishment, Everlasting

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