Revelation 9:2
in Revelation 9The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
KJV
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
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This verse in Revelation 9
Commentary
12 notes on this verseHe opened the bottomless pit - Το φρεαρ της αβυσσου· The pit of the bottomless deep. Some think the angel means Satan, and the bottomless pit hell. Some suppose Mohammed is meant; and Signior Pastorini professes to believe that Luther is intended! There arose a smoke - False doctrine, obscuring the true light of heaven.
This site's exposition
the pit of the Abyss
on Revelation 9:1-2
A star fallen from heaven to earth is given the key to the pit of the Abyss, the abussos of Luke 8:31 and 20:1-3. Smoke rises like the smoke of a great furnace, as over Sodom in Genesis 19:28, and darkens the sun as in Joel 2:10.
This site's exposition
like the smoke of a great furnace
The smoke rises like the smoke of a great furnace, the words used of Sodom in Genesis 19:28 and of Sinai in Exodus 19:18. It darkens the sun and the air, and out of it the locusts come in verse 3.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
And it was said to him, "You are given the key to the shaft of the abyss". The shaft of the abyss is called Gehenna. Therefore, "smoke rose from the shaft", like the smoke of a great fire burning in the shaft. Indeed, the "smoke" …
A commentator
Caesarius of ArlesEXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 9:2, HOMILY 7 · Written before 542.
proposed
[The devil] revealed his own heart, which sins without any fear or shame. "And smoke rose from the pit," that is, from a people that covers and obscures the church, so that it is said that "the sun and air were darkened with the smoke." …
"He opened the shaft of the pit" means that he revealed his own heart and taught people to sin without any fear or shame. "And smoke arose from the pit," that is, from the heart of a blasphemous people which also persecutes the church. "And …
The Medieval Church2 voices
And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth, and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss. And he opened the pit of the abyss: and the smoke of the …
And the smoke of the pit arose, like the smoke of a great furnace, etc. Proclaiming the great furnace, that is, the final persecution, the heretical madness rages, not only attempting to obscure the light of the weaker ones, who, like the air, touch the …
4 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
'On this Caius objects, that according to this, the unrighteous are consumed by the locusts; whereas Scripture has said that sinners prosper and the righteous are persecuted, in the world' [Ps. lxxiii. 12 ] ; and Paul, that the faithful shall be persecuted and the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And there arose a smoke out of the pit - The locusts, who afterwards rise out of it, seem to be, as we shall afterwards see, the Persians; agreeable to which, this smoke is their detestable idolatrous doctrine, and false zeal for it, which now broke out in an uncommon paroxysm.
And he opened the bottomless pit,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And he opened the bottomless pit - It is represented before as wholly confined, so that not even the smoke or vapor could escape. And there arose a smoke out of the pit - Compare Rev 14:11. The meaning here is that the pit, as a place of punishment, or as the abode of the wicked, was filled with burning sulphur, and consequently that it emitted smoke and vapor as soon as opened. The common image of the place of punishment, in the Scriptures, is that of a “lake that burns with fire and brimstone.” Compare Rev 14:10; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:10; Rev 21:8. See also Psa 11:6; Isa 30:33; Eze 38:22. It is not improbable that this image was taken from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen 19:24. Such burning sulphur would produce, of course, a dense smoke or vapor; and the idea here is, that the pit had been closed, and that as soon as the door was opened a dense column escaped that darkened the heavens. The purpose of this is, probably, to indicate the origin of the plague that was about to come upon the world. It would be of such a character that it would appear as if it had been emitted from hell; as if the inmates of that dark world had broke loose upon the earth. Compare notes on Rev 6:8. As the smoke of a great furnace - So in Gen 19:28, whence probably this image is taken: “And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the land of the plain, and beheld and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.” And the sun and the air were darkened, ... - As will be the case when a smoke ascends from a furnace. The meaning here is, that an effect would be produced as if a dense and dark vapor should ascend from the under-world. We are not, of course, to understand this literally.
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 |
| ἤνοιξεν | enoixen | he opened | G455 → | 77 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| φρέαρ | phrear | pit | G5421 → | 7 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀβύσσου· | abussou | abyss; | G12 → | 9 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἀνέβη | anebe | went up | G305 → | 82 times |
| καπνὸς | kapnos | smoke | G2586 → | 13 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| φρέατος | phreatos | pit | G5421 → | 7 times |
| ὡς | hos | like | G5613 → | 500 times |
| καπνὸς | kapnos | [the] smoke | G2586 → | 13 times |
| καμίνου | kaminou | of a furnace | G2575 → | |
| μεγάλης, | megales | great, | G3173 → | 243 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐσκοτώθη | eskotothe | was darkened | G4656 → | |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἥλιος | helios | sun | G2246 → | 32 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀὴρ | aer | air | G109 → | |
| ἐκ | ek | by | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| καπνοῦ | kapnou | smoke | G2586 → | 13 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| φρέατος. | phreatos | pit. | G5421 → | 7 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἤνοιξενhe opened
enoixenG455 →77 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
φρέαρpit
phrearG5421 →7 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
ἀβύσσου·abyss;
abussouG12 →9 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἀνέβηwent up
anebeG305 →82 times
καπνὸςsmoke
kapnosG2586 →13 times
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
φρέατοςpit
phreatosG5421 →7 times
ὡςlike
hosG5613 →500 times
καπνὸς[the] smoke
kapnosG2586 →13 times
καμίνουof a furnace
kaminouG2575 →
μεγάλης,great,
megalesG3173 →243 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐσκοτώθηwas darkened
eskototheG4656 →
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἥλιοςsun
heliosG2246 →32 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἀὴρair
aerG109 →
ἐκby
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
καπνοῦsmoke
kapnouG2586 →13 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
φρέατος.pit.
phreatosG5421 →7 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
Joel 2:10Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will…
- Isaiah 13:10
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.
- Joel 3:15–16
The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.
- Matthew 24:29
Through
Acts 2:19I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
it leads to
- Joel 2:30–31
I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
- Joel 2:30–31
Through
Joel 2:2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be…
it leads to
- Joel 1:6
For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness.
- Zephaniah 1:14–15
The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
- Joel 2:10–11
Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.
- Joel 1:6
Through
Genesis 19:28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
it leads to
- Revelation 18:9
Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.
- Revelation 18:9
Where this verse is studied
About Revelation
This page draws on 12 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); Alcuin of York, COMMENTARY ON REVELATION; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Caesarius of Arles, EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 9:2, HOMILY 7; Jacob Bar-Salibi, Commentary (church-history corpus); 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); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation and Ticonius, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 9:2.