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 who was coming down from heaven. He was holding the key to the deep hole. He also held a great chain in his hand. 2He took hold of the dragon. That dragon is the Devil and Satan. He is the snake who has lived since long ago. The angel tied up the dragon with the chain for 1,000 years. 3Then he threw the dragon into the deep hole. He closed the door to the deep hole, and he locked it with the key. He put a seal on the door. During that time, Satan could no longer deceive the people of all nations. But after the 1,000 years have finished, he must go free for a short 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

Words taken from the KJV.

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

Cross-references for Revelation 20:1

• Revelation 10:1Then I saw another powerful angel. He was coming down from heaven. He had a cloud all round him, like his clothes. There was a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun and his legs shone like fire.
• Revelation 18:1After these things happened, I saw another angel. He was coming down from heaven. He had great authority. He was beautiful and he shone brightly. He gave light to the whole world.
• Revelation 1:18I am the one who always lives. I died once. But look! Now I am alive and I will be alive for ever. I have authority over death and over Hades, the place for dead people.
• Revelation 9:1The fifth angel made a sound with his trumpet. Then I saw a star that had fallen down from the sky to the earth. Someone gave a key to that star. The key could open the entrance to the deep hole.
• Luke 8:31These bad spirits asked Jesus not to send them away to the world below.
• 2 Peter 2:4God even punished the angels who refused to obey him. He threw them down into the deep hole of hell. He tied them up and he kept them in that completely dark place. They will remain there until the day when God will judge them.
• Jude 1:6Also remember that some angels refused to obey God. They took more authority for themselves than God had given them. They left their own proper place with God in heaven. So God has tied them up as prisoners for ever in a completely dark place. He will keep them there until that great day when he will judge everyone.

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