Revelation 20:3

Revelation 20:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
• New International Version (NIV)He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
• New King James Version (NKJV)and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

Context of Revelation 20:3

1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Revelation 20:3 word by word

καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον καὶ ἔκλεισεν καὶ ἐσφράγισεν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ πλανήσῃ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη. μετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ λυθῆναι αὐτὸν μικρὸν χρόνον.¶Read the interlinear

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• castβάλλωballō · to throw: throwG906
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the abyssἄβυσσοςabussos · abyssG12
• shutκλείωkleiō · to shutG2808
• set a sealσφραγίζωsphragizō · to sealG4972
• uponἐπάνωepanō · aboveG1883
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• he should deceiveπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
• the nationsἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
• noμήmē · notG3361
• moreἔτιeti · stillG2089
• tillἄχριachri achris · untilG891
• the thousandχίλιοιchilioi · thousandG5507
• yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094
• should be fulfilledτελέωteleō · to finishG5055
• afterμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
• thatοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• must beδεῖdei · be necessaryG1163
• loosedλύωluō · to looseG3089
• a littleμικρόςmikros mikroteros · smallG3398
• seasonχρόνοςchronos · timeG5550

Cross-references for Revelation 20:3

• Revelation 20:1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
• Revelation 17:8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the abyss, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
• Daniel 6:17And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
• Matthew 27:66So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
• Revelation 20:8And 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.
• Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
• Revelation 13:14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
• Revelation 16:14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
• Revelation 17:2With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
• Matthew 24:24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
• 2 Corinthians 11:3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
• Psalms 90:4For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
• 2 Peter 3:8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
• Revelation 20:7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Commentaries on Revelation 20:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3He should deceive the nations no more - Be unable to blind men with superstition and idolatry as he had formerly done.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3And cast him into the bottomless pit - See the notes on Revelation 9:1. A state of peace and prosperity would exist as if Satan, the great disturber, were confined in the nether world as a prisoner. And shut him up - Closed the massive doors of the dark prison-house upon him. Compare the notes on Job 10:21-22. And set a seal upon him - Or, rather, “upon it” - ̓́ ̓͂ epanō autouThe seal was placed upon the “door” or “gate” of the prison, not because this…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3This imprisonment, described as a bottomless pit (Abyss), represents an initial defeat for Satan and the forces of evil. Various New Testament passages explain how Christ's work impacts Satan (Luke 10:17–20; Acts 10:38; 26:18; Romans 16:20; Ephesians 6:11; James 4:7; see Matthew 12:24; 16:19; 18:18; John 12:31; 1 John 3:8). Christ's presence with his followers restrains evil powers (see 2 Thessalonians 2:7), reminding persecuted Christians that they have…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. shut him--A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, and Andreas omit "him." set a seal upon him--Greek, "over him," that is, sealed up the door of the abyss over his head. A surer seal to keep him from getting out than his seal over Jesus in the tomb of Joseph, which was burst on the resurrection morn. Satan's binding at' this juncture is not arbitrary, but is the necessary consequence of the events (Re 19:20); just as Satan's being cast out of heaven, where he had…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 20:3

• Millennium
• Pit
• Satan
• Vision
• Year

In the dictionaries

• Bottomless, Pit
• Millennium
• Pit
• Seal
• Abyss
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Parousia
• Print; Printing; Printed
• Revelation of John
• Satan

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