Word Studies¶

G12 - abyssos (abyss / bottomless pit)¶

Original: ἄβυσσος Transliteration: abyssos Definition: From alpha-privative (a-) + byssos (depth); literally "depthless, bottomless." An abyss, a surging mass of water, the deep.

Translations¶

"bottomless pit" — 5x (Rev 9:1, 9:2, 9:11, 11:7, 17:8, 20:1, 20:3)
"deep" — 2x (Luk 8:31, Rom 10:7)
Total: 9 NT occurrences

Key Verses¶

Luk 8:31 — Demons beg Jesus not to send them into the "deep" (abyss) — demons FEAR it as a place of confinement
Rom 10:7 — "Who shall descend into the deep (abyss)?" — used as synonym for realm of the dead
Rev 9:1-2 — Key of the bottomless pit given to fallen star; smoke rises — a locked realm
Rev 9:11 — King of the abyss: Abaddon (Hebrew "Destroyer"), Apollyon (Greek "Destroyer")
Rev 11:7 — Beast ascends out of the abyss to make war
Rev 17:8 — Beast "was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit"
Rev 20:1 — Angel has key of the abyss (same key, different angel than 9:1)
Rev 20:3 — Satan CAST INTO the abyss; shut; sealed over him

LXX Connection¶

The LXX translates Hebrew tehom (H8415, "the deep") as abyssos 30 times (PMI score 9.16 — dominant mapping). This establishes the conceptual bridge: the primordial chaos (Gen 1:2 tehom/abyssos) = Satan's millennial prison (Rev 20:1 abyssos). The earth RETURNED to its pre-creation desolate state becomes the "abyss."

G254 - halysis (chain)¶

Original: ἅλυσις Transliteration: hálysis Definition: Of uncertain derivation; a fetter or manacle — bonds, chain.

Translations¶

"chains" — 5x (Mar 5:4x2, Act 12:6, Act 12:7, Act 21:33)
"chain" — 3x (Act 28:20, 2Ti 1:16, Rev 20:1)
"with chains" — 2x (Luk 8:29)
"bonds" — 1x (Eph 6:20)
Total: 11 occurrences

Key Verses¶

Mar 5:3-4 — Demoniac bound with chains (halysesin) but broke them — physical chains cannot hold demonic power
Luk 8:29 — Same demoniac bound with chains, broke bonds — parallel account
Act 12:6-7 — Peter bound with chains between soldiers; angel releases chains
Rev 20:1 — Angel has "a great chain" (halysin megalen) in his hand — ONLY Revelation occurrence

Significance¶

The Rev 20:1 chain is "great" (megalen) — the adjective intensifies. Given that physical chains cannot hold a spirit being (cf. the demoniac who broke chains), this must represent divine authority/power to confine. The symbol is real but the REALITY behind it is greater than any literal chain.

G4972 - sphragizo (to seal)¶

Original: σφραγίζω Transliteration: sphragízō Definition: To stamp with a signet or private mark for security or preservation.

Translations¶

"sealed" — 14x (dominant translation)
Total: 25 occurrences

Key Verses¶

Mat 27:66 — Tomb of Jesus sealed (same verb) — to PREVENT escape
Jhn 6:27 — Father sealed the Son (authentication/authority)
2 Cor 1:22 — God sealed us (ownership/security)
Eph 1:13; 4:30 — Sealed with the Holy Spirit (protection/ownership)
Rev 7:3-8 — Servants of God sealed on foreheads (preservation)
Rev 10:4 — "Seal up" the things the seven thunders uttered (concealment)
Rev 20:3 — Satan sealed (esphragisen) in the abyss — confinement/prevention of escape
Rev 22:10 — "Seal NOT" the words of this prophecy (opposite action)

Significance in Rev 20:3¶

The fifth action in the confinement sequence: seized, bound, cast, shut, SEALED. Sealing adds finality — it is not just closure but official, authoritative, inviolable closure (as with the tomb of Jesus, Mat 27:66, where the seal represented Roman authority).

G1210 - deo (to bind)¶

Original: δέω Transliteration: déō Definition: A primary verb; to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively).

Translations¶

"bound" — 15x, "bind" — 5x, "tied" — 4x
Total: 45 occurrences

Key Verses¶

Mat 12:29 — "except he first BIND (dese) the strong man" — binding as prerequisite for plundering
Mat 13:30 — "Bind (desate) the tares in bundles to burn them"
Rev 9:14 — "Loose the four angels which are BOUND (dedemenous) in the great river Euphrates" — angels bound in geographic location
Rev 20:2 — edesen auton chilia ete — "bound him a thousand years"

Antonym Pair: deo/luo¶

deo (bind) in Rev 20:2 → luo (loose) in Rev 20:3,7
This antonym pair FRAMES the millennium: binding opens it, loosing closes it
Mat 16:19 and 18:18 also use the deo/luo pair for binding/loosing authority

G2362 - thronos (throne)¶

Original: θρόνος Transliteration: thrónos Definition: From thrao (to sit); a stately seat ("throne"); by implication, power or authority.

Translations¶

"throne" — 47x, "thrones" — 4x, "seats" — 3x
Total: 61 occurrences (heavily concentrated in Revelation — ~40 occurrences)

Key Verses (Revelation focus)¶

Rev 3:21 — "sit with me in my throne" — PROMISE to overcomers
Rev 4:2-4 — Throne in heaven; 24 elders on thrones
Rev 20:4 — "I saw thrones, and they sat upon them" — FULFILLMENT of promise
Rev 20:11 — "a great white throne" — judgment throne
Mat 19:28 — "ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes"
Col 1:16 — thrones as category of celestial authority

Significance¶

The plural "thrones" (thronoi) occurs only 4 times in the NT: Mat 19:28, Luk 22:30, Col 1:16, Rev 20:4. In three of these, the thrones are given to saints for judgment. Rev 20:4 is the climactic fulfillment.

G2917 - krima (judgment/decision)¶

Original: κρίμα Transliteration: kríma Definition: A decision (the function or the effect, for or against); a verdict.

Key Verses¶

Rev 20:4 — krima edothe autois = "judgment was given unto them" (divine passive)
Rev 17:1 — "the judgment of the great whore"
Rev 18:20 — "God hath avenged you on her" (judgment accomplished)
1 Cor 6:7 — "there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law" (krima = lawsuit/case)

Significance¶

In Rev 20:4, krima (not krisis) is used — this is a judicial DECISION or verdict, not the process of judging. The divine passive (edothe, "was given") indicates God bestows this judicial authority on the saints.

G386 - anastasis (resurrection)¶

Original: ἀνάστασις Transliteration: anástasis Definition: From anistemi; a standing up again — a resurrection from death.

Translations¶

"resurrection" — 24x, "the resurrection" — 7x
Total: 37 occurrences

Key Verses¶

Rev 20:5 — haute he anastasis he prote = "This is the first resurrection"
Rev 20:6 — "he that hath part in the first resurrection"
Dan 12:2 (LXX uses anastasis) — "many that sleep in the dust shall awake"
Jhn 5:29 — "resurrection of life" and "resurrection of damnation"
1 Cor 15:42 — "So also is the resurrection of the dead"

Significance¶

Anastasis appears in Revelation ONLY at 20:5 and 20:6 — nowhere else in the entire book. This makes these verses uniquely significant as the only place Revelation explicitly names "resurrection." The paired ordinal "first" (prote) implies a SECOND, which is the resurrection at the end of the millennium (20:12-13).

G2409 - hiereus (priest)¶

Original: ἱερεύς Transliteration: hiereús Definition: From hieros (sacred); a priest (literally or figuratively).

Translations¶

"priests" — 13x, "priest" — 10x, "a priest" — 5x
Total: 31 occurrences

Key Verses¶

Rev 1:6 — "hath made us kings and priests unto God"
Rev 5:10 — "hast made us unto our God kings and priests"
Rev 20:6 — hiereis tou Theou kai tou Christou = "priests of God and of Christ"
Heb 5:6; 7:17,21 — Christ as priest after the order of Melchizedek

Significance¶

The priest-king identity is promised in Rev 1:6 and 5:10, and FULFILLED in Rev 20:6. The double genitive "of God AND of Christ" is unique to Rev 20:6 — elsewhere it is "priests unto God" (1:6) or "priests unto our God" (5:10). The addition of "and of Christ" in 20:6 may reflect the millennium's unique status as Christ's direct reign.

H5799 - azazel (scapegoat / Azazel)¶

Original: עֲזָאזֵל Transliteration: azazel Definition: From ez (goat) + azal (go away); goat of departure. Or: a proper noun — a desert demon/entity.

Translations¶

"for the scapegoat" — 2x (Lev 16:8, 16:26)
"to be the scapegoat" — 1x (Lev 16:10)
"for a scapegoat" — 1x (Lev 16:10)
Total: 4 occurrences (ALL in Leviticus 16)

Key Verses¶

Lev 16:8 — "one lot for the LORD (la-YHWH), and the other lot for the scapegoat (la-azazel)" — syntactic parallel as proper noun
Lev 16:10 — "the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive"
Lev 16:26 — "he that let go the goat for the scapegoat"

Significance¶

BHSA classifies azazel as a proper noun, syntactically parallel to YHWH in la-YHWH / la-azazel (Lev 16:8). This is not merely "a goat that goes away" but a designation of the entity receiving the sin-laden goat. The scapegoat goes ALIVE (not killed) — it is NOT a sacrifice. The verb is shalach (send away), not qarab (bring near) or zabach (sacrifice). All four occurrences are confined to Lev 16, making azazel exclusively a Day of Atonement term.

H4057 - midbar (wilderness / desert)¶

Original: מִדְבָּר Transliteration: midbâr Definition: From dabar in the sense of driving (cattle); a pasture (open field); by implication, a desert; also speech.

Translations¶

"wilderness" — 125x (dominant), "desert" — various
Total: 276 occurrences

Key Verses¶

Lev 16:21 — hammidbara = "the wilderness-ward" (he-locale directional suffix) — scapegoat's destination
Lev 16:22 — bammidbar = "in the wilderness" — where the goat is released
Deu 32:10 — typical of sinner's state: "waste howling wilderness"
Mat 4:1 — Jesus led by Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil
Mat 12:43 — unclean spirit walks through "dry places" (eremos topos)

Significance¶

The wilderness is the scapegoat's destination and the domain associated with evil/demonic presence. The correspondence wilderness (midbar) -> abyss (abyssos) represents an escalation from type to antitype: the earthly, uninhabited region becomes the cosmic, depthless realm of confinement. The erets gezerah of Lev 16:22 ("land of cutting off") intensifies the wilderness concept — not just uninhabited but fundamentally SEVERED from civilization.

H5375 - nasa (lift, bear, carry)¶

Original: נָשָׂא Transliteration: nâsâʼ Definition: To lift, to bear up, to carry, to take away.

Translations¶

"lifted up" — 27x, "bear" — 14x, "lift up" — 18x, "carry" — various
Total: 754 occurrences (extremely common verb)

Three Registers of nasa¶

God forgives — nasa as "pardon/forgive": Exo 34:7 ("forgiving iniquity"); Num 14:18; Psa 32:1 ("whose transgression is forgiven [nasa]")
Priest mediates — nasa as "bear before the LORD": Exo 28:38 ("Aaron shall bear [nasa] the iniquity of the holy things"); Lev 10:17 ("God hath given it you to bear [nasa] the iniquity of the congregation")
Scapegoat removes — nasa as "carry away to desolation": Lev 16:22 ("the goat shall bear [nasa] upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited")

Key Verse¶

Lev 16:22 — venasa hassa'ir alav et-kol-avonotam el-erets gezerah = "and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land of cutting off"

Significance¶

The three registers form a redemptive chain: God pardons (nasa#1), the priest mediates (nasa#2 — Christ bearing sins before God in heavenly sanctuary), and the scapegoat removes (nasa#3 — sin placed back on its originator, Satan). The scapegoat does NOT bear sin redemptively (that is Christ's priestly function); it receives sin back as its author.

G5507 - chilioi (thousand)¶

Original: χίλιοι Transliteration: chílioi Definition: Plural of uncertain affinity; a thousand.

Translations¶

"a thousand" — 8x, "thousand" — 3x
Total: 11 occurrences

Key Verses¶

2 Pet 3:8 — "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day"
Rev 11:3 — "my two witnesses... a thousand two hundred and threescore days"
Rev 20:2 — "bound him a thousand years (chilia ete)"
Rev 20:3 — "till the thousand years should be fulfilled"
Rev 20:4 — "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years"
Rev 20:5 — "until the thousand years were finished"
Rev 20:6 — "shall reign with him a thousand years"
Rev 20:7 — "when the thousand years are expired"

Significance¶

Six of the 11 NT occurrences of chilioi are concentrated in Rev 20:2-7, making chilia ete ("a thousand years") the defining temporal phrase of the passage. The repetition 6 times emphasizes the fixed duration of this period. The deo/luo (bind/loose) antonym pair frames these six occurrences.

H3615 - kalah (complete, finish, consume)¶

Original: כָּלָה Transliteration: kâlâh Definition: To end, cease, be finished, perish; to complete, prepare, consume.

Translations¶

"had made an end" — 13x, "finished" — 6x, "consumed" — various
Total: 254 occurrences

Key Verse¶

Lev 16:20 — vekhillah mikapper = "and when he had made an end of reconciling" — Piel perfect 3ms
The Piel stem indicates intensive/decisive completion — NOT merely stopping but finishing definitively.

Significance¶

This is the CLOSURE MARKER that separates blood-atonement (Lev 16:1-19) from scapegoat-removal (Lev 16:20-22). The completeness of the atonement is established BEFORE the scapegoat enters the narrative. The parallel in Revelation is gegonen ("It is done," Rev 16:17) — the Piel kalah of the OT type corresponds to the aorist gegonen of the NT antitype. Both mark the point after which the scapegoat/Satan-binding phase begins.