REV 20:11-15

Judgment before the Great White Throne

11And I saw a great white throne and the one seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled, and no place was found for them. [20:12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. And another scroll was opened, which is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the scrolls, according to their works. [20:13] And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to their works. [20:14] And Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. This is the second death, the pool of fire. [20:15] And if anyone was not found written in the scroll of life, he was thrown into the pool of fire.

In the world it was spoken into

In the 1st century, the imagery of a great white throne would evoke both Jewish and Greco-Roman conceptions of divine judgment. Jewish apocalyptic literature often depicted God’s throne as a symbol of ultimate authority and justice, drawing from texts like Daniel 7:9-10. Greco-Roman audiences would associate thrones with imperial power and the finality of a ruler’s decree. The opening of books reflects Jewish courtroom practices, where deeds were recorded and judged according to Torah. The 'book of life' was a familiar concept in Jewish thought, symbolizing divine election and covenant faithfulness. The sea, Death, and Hades yielding the dead aligns with Jewish and Greco-Roman ideas of the underworld as a holding place for the dead, now subject to divine authority. The 'lake of fire' is a stark, apocalyptic image of final judgment, contrasting with the temporary nature of Hades. This scene underscores the universal scope of divine justice, transcending earthly and cosmic boundaries.

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How other translations render this

REV 20:11

KJV: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
BSB: Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.
Koinōnos: And I saw a great white throne and the one seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled, and no place was found for them.

REV 20:12

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.
BSB: And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And books were opened, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
Koinōnos: And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. And another scroll was opened, which is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the scrolls, according to their works.

REV 20:13

KJV: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
BSB: The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
Koinōnos: And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to their works.

REV 20:14

KJV: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
BSB: Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.
Koinōnos: And Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. This is the second death, the pool of fire.

REV 20:15

KJV: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
BSB: And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Koinōnos: And if anyone was not found written in the scroll of life, he was thrown into the pool of fire.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

REV 20:11

face:The word translated 'face' here refers to the visible appearance or presence of something, often implying a direct encounter or manifestation, rather than just a physical facial feature.

REV 20:12

books:The word translated 'books' refers to scrolls, which were the common form of written documents in the ancient world, not bound volumes as we understand books today.

REV 20:13

Hades:The term 'Hades' refers to the realm of the dead, a concept from Greek mythology that was adopted to describe the underworld or the grave, not necessarily a place of eternal torment.

REV 20:14

lake:The word translated 'lake' here can also refer to a marshy pool or a body of standing water, not necessarily a large, deep lake as the English word often implies.