12. abussos

Lexical Summary

abussos: Abyss, bottomless pit, deep

Original Word: ἄβυσσος
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: abussos
Pronunciation: ä'-bü-sos
Phonetic Spelling: (ab'-us-sos)
KJV: deep, (bottomless) pit
NASB: abyss, bottomless
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and a variation of G1037 (βυθός - deep)]

1. depthless
2. (specially) infernal "abyss"

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

deep, bottomless

From a (as a negative particle) and a variation of buthos; depthless, i.e. (specially) (infernal) "abyss" -- deep, (bottomless) pit.

see GREEK a

see GREEK buthos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and bussos = buthos
Definition
boundless, bottomless
NASB Translation
abyss (7), bottomless (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 12: ἄβυσσος

ἄβυσσος, in classic Greek an adjective, (ος, (from ὁ βύσσος equivalent to βυθός), bottomless (so perhaps in Wis. 10:19), unbounded (πλοῦτος ἄβυσσος, Aeschylus, the Sept. (931) 950). in the Scriptures ἡ ἄβυσσος (the Sept. for תְּהום) namely, χώρα, the pit, the immeasurable depth, the abyss. Hence, of 'the deep' sea: Genesis 1:2; Genesis 7:11; Deuteronomy 8:7; Sir. 1:3 Sir. 16:18, etc.; of Orcus (a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth: Psalm 70:20 () ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς, Euripides, Phoen. 1632 (1605) ταρτάρου ἄβυσσα χάσματα, Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 20, 5 [ET] ἀβύσσων ἀνεξιχνίαστα κλίματα, ibid. 59, 3 [ET] ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐν ταῖς ἀβύσσοις, of God; (Act. Thom.32ὁ τήν ἄβυσσον τοῦ ταρτάρου οἴκων, of the dragon)), both as the common receptacle of the dead, Romans 10:7, and especially as the abode of demons, Luke 8:31; Revelation 9:1; Revelation 9:11; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1, 3. Among secular authors used as a substantive only by Diogenes Laërtius 4 (5) 27 κατῆλθες εἰς μέλαιναν Πλουτέως ἄβυσσον. Cf. Knapp, Scripta var. Arg., p. 554f; (J. G. Müller, Philo's Lehre von der Weltschöpfung, p. 173f; B. D. American edition under the word ).

Topical Lexicon

Theological Background

The term designates a profound, unfathomable depth over which no creature exercises authority. In the Old Testament the “deep” (Hebrew tehom) represents the primeval waters subdued by the Creator (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:6-9). By the time of the New Testament the idea has developed into a supernatural prison for evil spirits and a symbolic counterpart to Heaven, highlighting the vast moral gulf that separates rebellion from divine holiness.

Usage in the Ministry of Jesus

Luke 8:31 shows the abyss as the dreaded destination of demons: “And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the abyss”. The encounter underscores Christ’s sovereign power; even legions of unclean spirits recognize that His word determines their fate. For disciples the narrative assures that the darkest spiritual domain remains subject to the Lord’s command.

Pauline Perspective

Romans 10:6-7 employs the abyss rhetorically: “Who will descend into the Abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30 to stress the nearness of the gospel. By equating the abyss with the realm of death, he proclaims that Christ’s resurrection has already conquered that depth, making human attempts to secure salvation unnecessary and impossible.

Apocalyptic Revelation

Revelation concentrates seven occurrences in a tightly woven portrait of final judgment:

• Revelation 9:1-2 pictures a star-angel unlocking the shaft, releasing demonic locusts that darken the sky—judgment arriving from the very heart of chaos.
• Revelation 9:11 personifies the domain: “They were ruled by a king, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.” The title reveals organized, destructive evil under divine limits.
• Revelation 11:7 and 17:8 present the beast emerging from the abyss to war against God’s witnesses, illustrating the political and religious powers energized by satanic depths.
• Revelation 20:1-3 climaxes the theme: an angel chains the dragon and “threw him into the abyss,” sealing it for a thousand years before the final judgment. The abyss thus functions first as a staging ground for evil (chapters 9-17) and then as its prison (chapter 20), demonstrating both the ferocity and the ultimate futility of satanic rebellion.

Eschatological Significance

1. Temporary Confinement: The abyss is not the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). It is a holding place until the consummation, confirming God’s orderly timetable.
2. Cosmic Conflict: The repeated “ascending” of hostile forces dramatizes the clash between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of Christ.
3. Certainty of Victory: Satan’s incarceration guarantees that evil is neither eternal nor equal to God. The abyss will be sealed; the kingdom will be consummated.

Connections with Other Biblical Texts

2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 describe angels “kept in gloomy chains,” parallel to the abyss though using a different Greek term. The linkage reinforces the notion of a divinely imposed restraint on demonic activity pending final judgment.

Practical and Pastoral Applications

• Spiritual Warfare: Believers confront real evil, yet Scripture assures us that Christ holds the key (Revelation 1:18) and can command both the abyss and its inhabitants.
• Evangelism: Romans 10 teaches that the gospel eliminates any need for heroic descent into spiritual depths; salvation is “near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”
• Hope in Judgment: The sealing of the abyss offers comfort to suffering saints—evil has an appointed limit and will be shut away.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 12 portrays the abyss as the deepest realm of chaos, incarceration, and hostile power. Throughout Scripture it is always under God’s sovereignty, whether demons fear banishment there, Christ rises triumphantly from its grasp, or an angel locks the dragon inside. Its very existence testifies to both the gravity of sin and the certainty of divine triumph.

Forms and Transliterations

άβυσσοι αβύσσοις αβυσσον άβυσσον ἄβυσσον άβυσσος αβυσσου αβύσσου ἀβύσσου αβύσσους αβύσσω αβύσσων abusson abussou abysson ábysson abyssou abýssou

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 8:31 N-AFS
GRK: εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον ἀπελθεῖν
NAS: them to go away into the abyss.
KJV: to go out into the deep.
INT: into the abyss to go away

Romans 10:7 N-AFS
GRK: εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον τοῦτ' ἔστιν
NAS: WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring
KJV: into the deep? (that is,
INT: into the abyss That is

Revelation 9:1 N-GFS
GRK: φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου
NAS: and the key of the bottomless pit
KJV: the key of the bottomless pit.
INT: pit of the abyss

Revelation 9:2 N-GFS
GRK: φρέαρ τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἀνέβη
NAS: He opened the bottomless pit,
KJV: And he opened the bottomless pit; and
INT: pit of the abyss and there went up

Revelation 9:11 N-GFS
GRK: ἄγγελον τῆς ἀβύσσου ὄνομα αὐτῷ
NAS: them, the angel of the abyss; his name
KJV: [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose
INT: angel of the abyss name for him

Revelation 11:7 N-GFS
GRK: ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου ποιήσει μετ'
NAS: that comes up out of the abyss will make
KJV: out of the bottomless pit shall make
INT: out of the abyss will make with

Revelation 17:8 N-GFS
GRK: ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ εἰς
NAS: to come up out of the abyss and go
KJV: out of the bottomless pit, and
INT: out of the abyss and into

Revelation 20:1 N-GFS
GRK: κλεῖν τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν
NAS: the key of the abyss and a great
KJV: the key of the bottomless pit and
INT: key of the abyss and a chain

Revelation 20:3 N-AFS
GRK: εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον καὶ ἔκλεισεν
NAS: and he threw him into the abyss, and shut
KJV: him into the bottomless pit, and shut
INT: into the abyss and shut

Strong's Greek 12
9 Occurrences

ἄβυσσον — 3 Occ.
ἀβύσσου — 6 Occ.