Revelation 20:8-9

20:8 and will go out to deceive ¹  the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, ²  to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. ³  20:9 They ⁴  went up ⁵  on the broad plain of the earth ⁶  and encircled ⁷  the camp ⁸  of the saints and the beloved city, but ⁹  fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. ¹⁰ 

Revelation 19:20-21

19:20 Now ¹¹  the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf ¹²  – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. ¹³  19:21 The ¹⁴  others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged ¹⁵  themselves with their flesh.

¹ tn Or “mislead.”

² sn The battle with Gog and Magog is described in the OT in Ezek 38:1-39:20.

³ tn Grk “of whom the number of them [is] like the sand of the sea” (an allusion to Isa 10:22).

⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁵ tn The shift here to past tense reflects the Greek text.

⁶ tn On the phrase “broad plain of the earth” BDAG 823 s.v. πλάτος states, “τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς Rv 20:9 comes fr. the OT (Da 12:2 LXX. Cp. Hab 1:6; Sir 1:3), but the sense is not clear: breadth = the broad plain of the earth is perh. meant to provide room for the countless enemies of God vs. 8, but the ‘going up’ is better suited to Satan (vs. 7) who has recently been freed, and who comes up again fr. the abyss (vs. 3).” The referent here thus appears to be a plain large enough to accommodate the numberless hoards that have drawn up for battle against the Lord Christ and his saints.

⁷ tn Or “surrounded.”

⁸ tn On the term παρεμβολή (parembolh) BDAG 775 s.v. states, “Mostly used as a military t.t.…so always in our lit.…1. a (fortified) camp…ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶν ἁγίων Rv 20:9 is also to be understood fr. the OT use of the word.”

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

¹⁰ tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesqiw) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of an unexpected development in the account: The opposing armies do not come together in battle; rather the leader of one side is captured.

¹² tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”

¹³ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁵ tn On the translation of ἐχορτάσθησαν (ecortasqhsan) BDAG 1087 s.v. χορτάζω 1.a states, “of animals, pass. in act. sense πάντα τὰ ὄρνεα ἐχορτάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτῶν all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh Rv 19:21 (cp. TestJud. 21:8).”