Apollyon

a destroyer

Apollyon

or, as it is literally in the margin of the Authorized Version of (Revelation 9:11) "a destroyer," is the rendering of the Hebrew word ABADDON, "the angel of the bottomless pit." From the occurrence of the word in (Psalms 88:11) the rabbins have made Abaddon the nethermost of the two regions into which they divide the lower world; but that in (Revelation 9:11) Abaddon is the angel and not the abyss is perfectly evident in the Greek.

Apollyon

See ABADDON, or Apollyon.

Destroyer, the name given to the king of the hosts represented by the locusts (Revelation 9:11). It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Abaddon (q.v.). (n.) The Destroyer; -- a name used (Rev. ix. 11) for the angel of the bottomless pit, answering to the Hebrew Abaddon.APOLLYON

a-pol'-i-on (Apolluon; 'abhaddon, "destroyer"): Present participle of the verb apolluo, "to destroy."

I. Definition.

A proper name, original with the author of the Apocalypse and used by him once (Revelation 9:11) as a translation of the Hebrew word "Abaddon" (see ABADDON) to designate an angel or prince of the lower world.

II. Old Testament Background.

1. Fundamental Meaning:

The term Abaddon ("destruction") appears solely in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament and in the following narrow range of instances: Job 26:6; Job 28:22; Job 31:12 Psalm 88:11 Proverbs 15:11. In all these passages save one (Job 31:12) the word is combined either with Sheol, "death," or "the grave," in such a way as to indicate a purely eschatological term based upon the advanced idea of moral distinctions in the realm of the dead. In the one exceptional passage (Esther 8:6 is incorrectly referred to-the word here is different, namely, 'abhedhan) where the combination does not occur, the emphasis upon the moral element in the "destruction" mentioned is so definite as practically to preclude the possibility of interpreting the term in any general sense (as Charles, HDB, article "Abaddon"; per con., Briggs, ICC, "Psalms" in the place cited.; BDB, sub loc.). The meaning of the word, therefore, is: the place or condition of utter ruin reserved for the wicked in the realm of the dead.

2. Personification:

One other feature of Old Testament usage is worthy of consideration as throwing light upon Revelation 9:11. Abaddon and the accompanying terms "Death" and Sheol are personified (as in Job 28:22) and represented as living beings who speak and act (compare Revelation 6:8).

III. New Testament Usage.

1. The Starting-Point:

The starting-point of the Apocalyptist's use of "Apollyon" is to be found in the fundamental meaning of "Abaddon" as moral destruction in the underworld, together with the occasional personification of kindred terms in the Old Testament. The imagery was in general terms familiar while the New Testament writer felt perfectly free to vary the usage to suit his own particular purposes.

2. Apollyon not Satan but Part of an Ideal Description:

(1) Since Apollyon is a personification he is not to be identified with Satan (compare Revelation 9:1 where Satan seems to be clearly indicated) or with any other being to whom historical existence and definite characteristics are ascribed. He is the central figure in an ideal picture of evil forces represented as originating in the world of lost spirits and allowed to operate destructively in human life. They are pictured as locusts, but on an enlarged scale and with the addition of many features inconsistent with the strict application of the figure (see Revelation 9:7-10). The intention is, by the multiplication of images which the author does not attempt to harmonize, to convey the impression of great power and far-reaching destructiveness.

(2) This interpretation finds additional support in the writer's significant departure from the familiar usage. In the Old Testament the place of destruction is personified-in Revelation 9:11, personal forces issue from the Abyss, of which the presiding genius is Destruction in person. The seer's picture is equally independent of the tradition represented by the Talmud (Shabff. 55) where Abaddon is personified as jointly with Death president over six destroying angels. These modifications are evidently due to the exigencies of the pictorial form. It is clearly impossible to portray forces proceeding from the place of ruin in the charge of the place itself.

3. Apollyon Necessary to the Picture:

The importance of the conception of Apollyon to the completeness of the picture should not be overlooked. It is intended to represent these forces as having a certain principle of internal unity and as possessors of the power of effective leadership.

4. General Significance of the Description:

As to the specific significance of the vision of the locusts as a whole it is not easy to reach a conclusion. Professor Swete suggests (Commentary on Apocalypse in the place cited.) that "the locusts of the abyss may be the memories of the past brought home at times of divine visitation; they hurt by recalling forgotten sins." It seems to us more probable that it represents an actual historical movement, past or to come, demoniacal in origin and character, human in the mode of its operation and the sphere of its influence, used by God for a scourge upon mankind and kept in restraint by His grace and power. See ABADDON.

Louis Matthew Sweet

623. Apolluon -- "a destroyer," Apollyon, the angel of the abyss
... 622, 623. Apolluon. 624 . "a destroyer," Apollyon, the angel of the abyss.
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: Apolluon Phonetic Spelling: (ap ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/623.htm - 6k

The Angel of the Bottomless Pit
... a king over them, which is the Angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew
tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon" (Rev.9 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/25 the angel of the.htm

November the Eleventh Foiling the Enemy's Plots
... It is as when Christian met Apollyon in the Valley of Humiliation: there comes a
sudden accession of strength to the bleeding warrior, and Apollyon retires ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/november the eleventh foiling the.htm

Light at Evening Time
... I shall be brief on this point, and shall borrow an illustration from good John
Bunyan. You remember John Bunyan's description of Apollyon meeting Christian. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/light at evening time.htm

The Battle of Life
... If you have ever stood foot to foot with him, as some of us have, you will remember
well that blandly day, for even he who beats Apollyon concludes the battle ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/the battle of life.htm

Loving Advice for Anxious Seekers
... John Bunyan tells us of Apollyon, that he said, "No king will willingly lose his
subjects." Of course, he will not; and Apollyon, as he sees his subjects one ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 13 1867/loving advice for anxious seekers.htm

Gratitude for Deliverance from the Grave
... Dog did I call him? He is a wolf; or should I call him hound of hell? His voice
is as that of Apollyon: it is full of blasphemy against God. ...
/.../spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/gratitude for deliverance from the.htm

The Valley of the Shadow of Death.
... My soul is sad and much dismayed; See, LORD, what legions of my foes,. With
fierce Apollyon at their head,. My heav'nly pilgrimage oppose! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 20 the valley of.htm

"Valiant for the Truth. "
... Invincible upon the field,. He cannot fall, unless he yield. Apollyon's arm may
shower. Darts thick as hail, and hide. Heaven's face, as in the hour,. ...
/.../montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/hymn clviii valiant for the.htm

February the Twenty-Eighth the Test of Fulness
... forgetfulness. Many a man fights a good fight with Apollyon in the narrow way,
who lapses into sleepy indifference on the Enchanted Ground. ...
/.../february the twenty-eighth the test.htm

This Sermon was Originally Printed
... my people." You often talk about the insinuations of the devil; I frequently hear
you bemoaning yourselves because you have been attacked by Apollyon, and have ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/this sermon was originally printed.htm

Apollyon (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. APOLLYON. a-pol'-i-on (Apolluon; 'abhaddon,
"destroyer"): Present participle of the verb apolluo, "to destroy." I. Definition. ...
/a/apollyon.htm - 12k

Abaddon (7 Occurrences)
... Destruction, the Hebrew name (equivalent to the Greek Apollyon, ie, destroyer) of
"the angel of the bottomless pit" (Revelation 9:11). ... See APOLLYON. ...
/a/abaddon.htm - 12k

Apol'lyon (1 Occurrence)
Apol'lyon. Apollyon, Apol'lyon. Apologized . Multi-Version Concordance
Apol'lyon (1 Occurrence). ... (See RSV). Apollyon, Apol'lyon. Apologized . Reference ...
/a/apol'lyon.htm - 6k

Apol'los (10 Occurrences)
Apol'los. Apollos, Apol'los. Apollyon . Multi-Version Concordance Apol'los
(10 Occurrences). ... Apollos, Apol'los. Apollyon . Reference Bible.
/a/apol'los.htm - 9k

Locusts (33 Occurrences)
... 9:11 The locusts had a king over them--the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name
in Hebrew is 'Abaddon,' while in the Greek he is called 'Apollyon.' (WEY). ...
/l/locusts.htm - 16k

Bottomless (9 Occurrences)
... they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name
in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon...
/b/bottomless.htm - 10k

Abyss (11 Occurrences)
... of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is "Abaddon," but in Greek, he has the
name "Apollyon." (WEB ASV DBY YLT NAS NIV). Revelation 11 ...
/a/abyss.htm - 13k

Asmodaeus
... The spirit is at times reckoned as the equal in power of "Abaddon" (Job 31:12) and
of "Apollyon" (Revelation 9:11), and in Tobit is represented as loving Sara ...
/a/asmodaeus.htm - 7k

Abad'don (1 Occurrence)
... Revelation 9:11 and they have over them a king -- the messenger of the abyss --
a name 'is' to him in Hebrew, Abaddon, and in the Greek he hath a name, Apollyon...
/a/abad'don.htm - 6k

Greek (19 Occurrences)
... abyss. His name in Hebrew is "Abaddon," but in Greek, he has the name
"Apollyon." (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/g/greek.htm - 13k

Apollyon (1 Occurrence)

Revelation 9:11 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is "Abaddon," but in Greek, he has the name "Apollyon."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Apollyon

Apollyon: Angel of the Bottomless Pit

Abaddon (7 Occurrences)

Apol'lyon (1 Occurrence)

Apol'los (10 Occurrences)

Locusts (33 Occurrences)

Bottomless (9 Occurrences)

Abyss (11 Occurrences)

Asmodaeus

Abad'don (1 Occurrence)

Greek (19 Occurrences)

Pit (110 Occurrences)

Tongue (160 Occurrences)

Deep (237 Occurrences)

Angel (209 Occurrences)

Hebrew (37 Occurrences)

Language (112 Occurrences)

Messenger (235 Occurrences)

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