Revelation 20:8

Revelation 20:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
• New International Version (NIV)and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
• New King James Version (NKJV)and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

Context of Revelation 20:8

6God has blessed those people that he raises up that first time. They belong to God as his holy people. The second death has no power over them. Instead, they will be priests who serve God and Christ. They will rule as kings with him for 1,000 years. 7When the 1,000 years have finished, God will let Satan go free out of his prison. Satan will then go and deceive people in nations everywhere in the world. He will make them believe him. Those nations are God's enemies, Gog and Magog. Satan will bring them together to fight a war against God's people. Satan's army has many people, as much as the sand on the shore of the sea. 9I saw them as they marched over the whole earth. They arrived at the city which God loves. That is where God's people had made their camp. Satan's army made their camp all around the city. Then fire came down from heaven and it destroyed them completely. 10The Devil had deceived those people. I saw God throw him into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. That is the lake where he had already thrown the wild animal and the false prophet. They will have a lot of pain in that place, all day and all night for ever.

Revelation 20:8 word by word

καὶ ἐξελεύσεται πλανῆσαι τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐν ταῖς τέσσαρσιν γωνίαις τῆς γῆς, τὸν Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ, συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, ὧν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• shall go outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• to deceiveπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
• the nationsἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the fourτέσσαρεςtessares tessara · fourG5064
• quartersγωνίαgōnia · cornerG1137
• of the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• GogΓώγGōg · GogG1136
• MagogΜαγώγMagōg · MagogG3098
• to gatherσυνάγωsunagō · to assembleG4863
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• battleπόλεμοςpolēmos · warG4171
• the numberἀριθμόςarithmos · numberG706
• of whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• the sandἄμμοςammos · sandG285
• of the seaθάλασσαthalassa · seaG2281

Cross-references for Revelation 20:8

• Revelation 20:3Then 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.
• Ezekiel 38:1The Lord gave this message to me:
• Revelation 16:14Those bad spirits are the spirits of demons. They had the power to do miracles. They went to all the rulers in the whole world, to bring them together to fight in a big war. That war will happen on the great day of God, who has all power and authority.
• Judges 7:12The valley was full of Midianites, Amalekites and all the people from the east. They covered the ground like locusts. There were too many men to count. Their camels also were more than the sand on the shore of the sea.
• 1 Samuel 13:5The Philistines' army came together to fight against the Israelites. The Philistines had 3,000 chariots. They had 6,000 soldiers who rode on horses. Their whole army had more soldiers than the sand on the shore of the sea! The Philistine army went to make their camp at Michmash, which was east of Beth Aven.
• 1 Kings 4:20The people in Judah and Israel were too many to count. There were as many of them as the sand on the shore of the sea. They had enough to eat and to drink and they were happy.
• Isaiah 10:22Israel's people are now very many, as many as the sand on the shore of the sea. But only a few will remain to return. The Lord has decided to destroy you, people of Israel. His punishment is fair and right.
• Jeremiah 33:22I promise that my servant David will always have many descendants. There will also be very many Levites to serve me as priests. You will not be able to count them. They will be more than the stars in the sky and more than the sand on the shore of the sea.” ’
• Hebrews 11:12Abraham was so old that he was almost like a dead man. But from this one man there came very many grandchildren. His family became so large that nobody could count them. They were like the number of stars in the sky. They were as many as the bits of sand on the shore of the sea.

Commentaries on Revelation 20:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Gog and Magog - This seems to be almost literally taken from the Jerusalem Targum, and that of Jonathan ben Uzziel, on Numbers 11:26. I shall give the words at length: "And there were two men left in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, the name of the other was Medad, and on them the spirit of prophecy rested. Eldad prophesied and said, 'Behold, Moses the prophet, the scribe of Israel, shall be taken from this world; and Joshua the son of Nun…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8And shall go out to deceive the nations - See the notes on Revelation 12:9. The meaning here is, that he would again, for a time, act in his true character, and in some way delude the nations once more. In what way this would be done is not stated. It would be, however, clearly an appeal to the wicked passions of mankind, exciting a hope that they might yet overthrow the kingdom of God on the earth. Which are in the four quarters of the earth - Literally…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-10Verses 7-10 While this world lasts, Satan's power in it will not be wholly destroyed, though it may be limited and lessened. No sooner is Satan let loose, than he again begins deceiving the nations, and stirring them up to make war with the saints and servants of God. It would be well if the servants and ministers of Christ were as active and persevering in doing good, as his enemies in doing mischief. God will fight this last and decisive battle for his…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Jewish traditions differ on where Gog and Magog are located. Symbolically, they are to the north (see Jeremiah 1:14–15), the direction from which enemies traditionally approached Megiddo and Jerusalem. The names represent nations and rulers from all over the earth that oppose God's people (see Ezekiel 38–39). to assemble them for battle: This repeats earlier scenes where God's enemies gather for battle (Revelation 16:16; 19:19). Here, Satan makes a final…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Gog and Magog--(Eze 38:1-39:29; see on Eze 38:2). Magog is a general name for northern nations of Japheth's posterity, whose ideal head is Gog (Ge 10:2). A has but one Greek article to "Gog and Magog," whereby the two, namely, the prince and the people, are marked as having the closest connection. B reads the second article before Magog wrongly. Hiller [Onomasticon] explains both words as signifying "lofty," "elevated." For "quarters" the Greek is…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 20:8

• Gog
• Magog
• Millennium
• Satan
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Ezekiel, Book of
• Gog
• Seal
• Corner
• Ecclesiastes, the Preacher
• Four
• Magog
• Mizpah; Mizpeh
• Number

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