Discovery BoxRevelation 20:1-3
Context20:1 Then 1 I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding 2 in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 20:2 He 3 seized the dragon – the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan – and tied him up for a thousand years. 20:3 The angel 4 then 5 threw him into the abyss and locked 6 and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)
Revelation 20:8-15
Context20:8 and will go out to deceive 7 the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, 8 to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. 9 20:9 They 10 went up 11 on the broad plain of the earth 12 and encircled 13 the camp 14 of the saints and the beloved city, but 15 fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. 16 20:10 And the devil who deceived 17 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, 18 where the beast and the false prophet are 19 too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.
20:11 Then 20 I saw a large 21 white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven 22 fled 23 from his presence, and no place was found for them. 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then 24 books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life. 25 So 26 the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. 27 20:13 The 28 sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death 29 and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 20:14 Then 30 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. 20:15 If 31 anyone’s name 32 was not found written in the book of life, that person 33 was thrown into the lake of fire.
[20:1] 1 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[20:1] 2 tn The word “holding” is implied. The two clauses “having the key of the abyss” and “a huge chain in his hand” can be construed in two ways: (1) both are controlled by the participle ἔχοντα (econta) and both are modified by the phrase “in his hand” – “having in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain.” (2) The participle ἔχοντα refers only to the key, and the phrase “in his hand” refers only to the chain – “having the key of the abyss and holding a huge chain in his hand.” Because of the stylistic tendency in Rev to use the verb ἔχω (ecw) to mean “hold (something)” and the phrase “in his hand” forming a “bracket” along with the verb ἔχω around both the phrases in question, the first option is preferred.
[20:2] 3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:3] 4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel introduced in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:3] 5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[20:3] 6 tn Or “and shut.” While the lexical force of the term is closer to “shut,” it is acceptable to render the verb ἔκλεισεν (ekleisen) as “locked” here in view of the mention of the key in the previous verse.
[20:8] 8 sn The battle with Gog and Magog is described in the OT in Ezek 38:1-39:20.
[20:8] 9 tn Grk “of whom the number of them [is] like the sand of the sea” (an allusion to Isa 10:22).
[20:9] 10 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:9] 11 tn The shift here to past tense reflects the Greek text.
[20:9] 12 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.
[20:9] 14 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.”
[20:9] 15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[20:9] 16 tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesqiw) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”
[20:10] 18 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[20:10] 19 tn The verb in this clause is elided. In keeping with the previous past tenses some translations supply a past tense verb here (“were”), but in view of the future tense that follows (“they will be tormented”), a present tense verb was used to provide a transition from the previous past tense to the future tense that follows.
[20:11] 20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[20:11] 21 tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.
[20:11] 22 tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.
[20:12] 24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[20:12] 25 tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”
[20:12] 26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.
[20:12] 27 tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”
[20:13] 28 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:13] 29 sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).
[20:14] 30 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[20:15] 31 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:15] 32 tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[20:15] 33 tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”
