20:1 Then 4 I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding 5 in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain.
9:1 Then 6 the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky 7 to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. 8 9:2 He 9 opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it 10 like smoke from a giant furnace. The 11 sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft.
1 sn Both the Hebrew Abaddon and the Greek Apollyon mean “Destroyer.”
2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
3 tn Or “be victorious over”; traditionally, “overcome.”
4 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
5 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.
6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
7 tn Or “from heaven” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
8 tn On this term BDAG 2 s.v. ἄβυσσος 2 states, “netherworld, abyss, esp. the abode of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8; of ᾿Αβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the underworld 9:11…φρέαρ τῆς ἀ. 9:1f; capable of being sealed 9:1; 20:1, 3.”
9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
10 tn Grk “the shaft,” but since this would be somewhat redundant in English, the pronoun “it” is used here.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
12 tn On this term BDAG 2 s.v. ἄβυσσος 2 states, “netherworld, abyss, esp. the abode of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8; of ᾿Αβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the underworld 9:11…φρέαρ τῆς ἀ. 9:1f; capable of being sealed 9:1; 20:1, 3.”
13 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
14 tn Some translations take the ὅτι (Joti) here as causal: “because he was, and is not, but is to come” (so NIV, NRSV), but it is much more likely that the subject of the ὅτι clause has been assimilated into the main clause: “when they see the beast, that he was…” = “when they see that the beast was” (so BDAG 732 s.v. ὅτι 1.f, where Rev 17:8 is listed).
15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel introduced in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
17 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.