1And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the bottomless deep and a great chain in his hand. [20:2] And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Slanderer and the Adversary, and bound him for a thousand years, [20:3] and threw him into the bottomless deep 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 short time. [20:4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been axe-beheaded for the legal witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. [20:5] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years ended. This is the first resurrection. [20:6] Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
REV 20:1-6
Satan Bound
In the world it was spoken into
First-century listeners would have understood the 'Abyss' as a deep, chaotic realm, often associated with the primordial waters or a subterranean prison for demonic forces, distinct from Hades. The binding of 'Satan' and 'Devil' would evoke the common understanding of these terms as an adversary and slanderer, actively engaged in deception. The angel's action of seizing, binding, casting, shutting, and sealing would convey a definitive, inescapable imprisonment. The mention of 'beheading' for the 'testimony' of Jesus would resonate with Roman methods of execution for political or religious dissent, where beheading was a common, often public, form of capital punishment, particularly for those with Roman citizenship or higher status. This act of witness, even unto death, would be understood as a powerful affirmation of belief.
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How other translations render this
REV 20:1
- KJV
- And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
- BSB
- Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain.
- Koinōnos
- And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the bottomless deep and a great chain in his hand.
REV 20:2
- KJV
- And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
- BSB
- He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
- Koinōnos
- And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Slanderer and the Adversary, and bound him for a thousand years,
REV 20:3
- 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.
- BSB
- And 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.
- Koinōnos
- and threw him into the bottomless deep 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 short time.
REV 20:4
- KJV
- And 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.
- BSB
- Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
- Koinōnos
- And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been axe-beheaded for the legal witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
REV 20:5
- KJV
- But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
- BSB
- The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.
- Koinōnos
- The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years ended. This is the first resurrection.
REV 20:6
- KJV
- Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
- BSB
- Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
- Koinōnos
- Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
REV 20:1
- Abyss:The word translated 'Abyss' here refers to a primeval, bottomless deep, often associated with the underworld or a place of confinement for evil spirits in ancient thought.
REV 20:2
- [the] devil:The term used here for 'devil' literally means 'slanderer' or 'accuser,' highlighting a key aspect of this entity's character and actions.
REV 20:4
- beheaded:The word translated 'beheaded' specifically implies execution by an axe, a common method of capital punishment in the ancient world.
- testimony:The word translated 'testimony' carries a strong sense of legal witness or evidence, often given under oath, and can even imply a public declaration of faith.