Revelation 20:13
in Revelation 20The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
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.
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This verse in Revelation 20
Commentary
11 notes on this verseConsider, he says, whether too the blessed John, when he says, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it: and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them," does not mean the parts which are given up by the elements for the reconstruction of each one?
This site's exposition
the sea gave up the dead
on Revelation 20:13-15
Every custodian of the dead surrenders its charge, the sea, and death and hell, hades, the grave's holding place, so no manner of dying hides anyone from this court. Then death and hades are themselves cast into the lake of fire, the last enemy destroyed as 1 Corinthians 15:26 promised, and this is the second death, the phrase the overcomer was promised immunity from at 2:11. The chapter's final sentence is the Bible's most solemn, whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire, and the exposition leaves it at its full weight, for the whole book was written so that its readers' names would be found there.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Lest anyone say that those who have died at sea or have been drowned by water or have been eaten by beasts or have been destroyed by fire cannot be raised again, [it says therefore that] they gave up their dead. And since no one …
And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each was judged according to their works. Those who disbelieve in the resurrection of bodies mock both us and our doctrine …
Who, now, are these dead people who were in the sea and whom the sea will give up? Surely we are not to think that because a person drowns, his soul does not go to hell, or that his body is preserved in the sea, or—what is still more absurd—that the sea keeps the good dead people and hell the bad ones. No one could entertain such a notion. Surely those are right who take the sea in this text to stand for this world of ours. To indicate, accordingly, that the living who Christ is to find on earth are to be judged along with the arisen dead, John termed the former dead, too. Such are the good "dead" to whom the words were addressed: "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." The bad "dead" … are addressed in the verse: "Leave the dead to bury their own dead." There is another reason why living people can be called dead, namely, because they carry around bodies destined for death. This was Paul's thought when he wrote, "The body, it is true, is dead by reason of sin, but the spirit is life by reason of justification"35—a text in which he shows that both life and death exist in a person living in his body, death in his body, life in the spirit.… The sea is said to "deliver up" its dead, because they are presented for judgment living, just as they are; whereas death and hell are said to "give back their dead," because they are actually restored to life. And do not imagine that it would perhaps have been sufficient for John to say death or hell. He said both—death alone for the good people who, although they suffered death, did not go to hell; and hell for the evil people who, after death, suffer the pains of hell.
The Medieval Church2 voices
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, etc. This undoubtedly happened before the dead were judged. Therefore, he recapitulates what he had omitted and follows the order, saying:
And they were judged, each one according to their deeds. This signifies that bodies will be gathered from the earth and souls from their places. The good are designated by the name of death, which has only suffered the dissolution of the flesh, but not …
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
death and hell--Greek, "Hades." The essential identity of the dying and risen body is hereby shown; for the sea and grave give up their dead. The body that sinned or served God shall, in righteous retribution, be the body also that shall suffer or be rewarded.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The sea gave up the dead - Those who had been drowned in it, and those millions slain in naval contests, who had no other grave. And death - All who died by any kind of disease. Death is here personified, and represented as a keeper of defunct human beings; probably no more than earth or the grave is meant, as properly belonging to the empire of death. And hell - Ἁιδης, Hades, the place of separate spirits. The sea and death have the bodies of all human beings; hades has their spirits. That they may be judged, and punished or rewarded according to their works, their bodies and souls must be reunited; hades, therefore, gives up the spirits; and the sea and the earth give up the bodies.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it - All that had been buried in the depths of ocean. This number in the aggregate will be great.
The words behind it
28 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἔδωκεν | edoken | gave up | G1325 → | 412 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θάλασσα | thalassa | sea | G2281 → | 90 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| νεκροὺς | nekrous | dead | G3498 → | 128 times |
| τοὺς | tous | who were | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| αὐτῇ, | autea | her, | G846 → | 5565 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θάνατος | thanatos | Death | G2288 → | 120 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ᾅδης | hades | Hades | G86 → | 10 times |
| ἔδωκαν | edokan | gave up | G1325 → | 412 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| νεκροὺς | nekrous | dead | G3498 → | 128 times |
| τοὺς | tous | who were | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| αὐτοῖς, | autois | them, | G846 → | 5565 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐκρίθησαν | ekrithesan | they were judged | G2919 → | 114 times |
| ἕκαστος | hekastos | each [of them] | G1538 → | 81 times |
| κατὰ | kata | according to | G2596 → | 468 times |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἔργα | erga | works | G2041 → | 168 times |
| αὐτῶν. | auton | of them. | G846 → | 5565 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἔδωκενgave up
edokenG1325 →412 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
θάλασσαsea
thalassaG2281 →90 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
νεκροὺςdead
nekrousG3498 →128 times
τοὺςwho were
tousG3588 →19766 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
αὐτῇ,her,
auteaG846 →5565 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
θάνατοςDeath
thanatosG2288 →120 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ᾅδηςHades
hadesG86 →10 times
ἔδωκανgave up
edokanG1325 →412 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
νεκροὺςdead
nekrousG3498 →128 times
τοὺςwho were
tousG3588 →19766 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
αὐτοῖς,them,
autoisG846 →5565 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐκρίθησανthey were judged
ekrithesanG2919 →114 times
ἕκαστοςeach [of them]
hekastosG1538 →81 times
κατὰaccording to
kataG2596 →468 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
ἔργαworks
ergaG2041 →168 times
αὐτῶν.of them.
autonG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 26:19Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her…
it leads to
- Daniel 12:2
And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.
- Hosea 13:14
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 37:1–14
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones.
- Matthew 27:52
The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
- Ephesians 5:14
So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
- Daniel 12:2
Through
Hosea 13:14I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
it leads to
- Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52–57
in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
- Isaiah 25:8
Through
Revelation 6:8Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword,…
it leads to
- Revelation 1:18
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 1:18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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On this verse
About Revelation
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Apringius of Beja, TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 20:13; Augustine of Hippo, City of God 20.15; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Methodius of Olympus, From the Discourse on the Resurrection and Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation.