3. Abaddón

Lexical Summary

Abaddón: Abaddon

Original Word: Ἀβαδδών
Part of Speech: Proper Noun, Indeclinable
Transliteration: Abaddón
Pronunciation: ah-bah-DON
Phonetic Spelling: (ab-ad-dohn')
KJV: Abaddon
NASB: Abaddon
Word Origin: [of Hebrew origin (H11 (אֲבַדּוֹן - Abaddon))]

1. a destroying angel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Abaddon.

Of Hebrew origin ('abaddown); a destroying angel -- Abaddon.

see HEBREW 'abaddown

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of Hebrew origin abaddon
Definition
Abaddon, the angel of the abyss
NASB Translation
Abaddon (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3: Ἀβαδδών

Ἀβαδδών, indeclinable, אֲבַדּון,

1. ruin, destruction (from אָבַד to perish), Job 31:12.

2. the place of destruction equivalent to Orcus, joined with שְׁאול, Job 26:6; Proverbs 15:11.

3. as a proper name it is given to the angel-prince of the infernal regions, the minister of death and author of havoc on earth, and is rendered in Greek by Ἀπολλύων Destroyer, Revelation 11:11.

Topical Lexicon

Etymology and Old Testament Background

Abaddon, from a Hebrew root meaning “to perish,” is used six times in the Hebrew Scriptures to depict the realm or power of destruction that stands alongside Sheol (Job 26:6; Job 28:22; Job 31:12; Psalm 88:11; Proverbs 15:11; Proverbs 27:20). “Sheol is naked before Him, and Abaddon has no covering” (Job 26:6). The term progressively shifts from a place of ruin to a personified force that swallows the unrepentant, yet it always remains under the sovereign gaze of the Lord.

New Testament Appearance

The word surfaces only once in the Greek New Testament: “They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon” (Revelation 9:11). Here Abaddon is no longer merely a region but the commanding angel over the demonic locust horde unleashed under the fifth trumpet.

Identity and Attributes

• Title: “King” of the Abyss, emphasizing authority but not equality with God.
• Function: Instrument of divine judgment, empowered to torment but forbidden to kill the unsealed (Revelation 9:4-5).
• Name: The dual Hebrew-Greek naming (“Abaddon… Apollyon”) highlights universal recognition of his destructive role.
• Limitation: Bound to a five-month period and ultimately subject to the sixth trumpet, illustrating that even the destroyer operates on a leash held by God.

Role in the Apocalypse

Abaddon’s emergence marks an intensification of tribulation. The locust-like army mirrors the eighth plague of Egypt and Joel’s prophecy, yet John’s description surpasses natural phenomena: “The sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle” (Revelation 9:9). The scene warns that hard-hearted rebellion invites escalating judgment, while sealing in Christ provides protection.

Theological Implications

1. Divine Sovereignty: Abaddon, though fearsome, cannot act beyond the timeline and targets decreed by the throne (Revelation 9:1-5).
2. Reality of Spiritual Warfare: Scripture affirms a personal realm of evil; destruction is not abstract.
3. Moral Accountability: Persistent unbelief leads to deeper bondage; still, “the rest of mankind… did not repent” (Revelation 9:20-21).
4. Eschatological Hope: The same Revelation that unveils Abaddon also promises his defeat when “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14).

Historical Interpretation

• Second Temple Judaism sometimes equated Abaddon with the angel of death.
• Early church writers variously identified him with a high-ranking fallen angel or with Satan himself; others saw a collective symbol of destructive forces.
• Medieval commentators often linked Abaddon to successive waves of invasion or heresy, applying the trumpet judgments typologically to church history.
• Reformers stressed his subordinate status, underscoring that even demonic powers fulfill divine purposes of judgment and purification.

Practical Ministry Application

• Evangelism: The passage urges warning the lost of impending judgment while grace remains available.
• Discipleship: Believers sealed by God (Revelation 9:4) can stand firm, knowing no destructive power can sever them from Christ.
• Spiritual Vigilance: The church is reminded that unseen powers exist yet must yield to prayer, obedience, and proclamation of the gospel.

Christological Contrast and Hope

Abaddon embodies destruction; Jesus embodies life. At the cross Christ “destroyed him who holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14). Abaddon can plague the earth for five months; Christ reigns forever. The final chapters of Revelation show no place for Abaddon in the new heaven and new earth, where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

Forms and Transliterations

Αβαδδων Ἀβαδδών Ἀβαδδὼν Abaddon Abaddōn Abaddṓn

Englishman's Concordance

Revelation 9:11 N
GRK: αὐτῷ Ἐβραϊστὶ Ἀβαδδών καὶ ἐν
NAS: in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek
KJV: in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon, but
INT: for him in Hebrew [is] Abaddon and in

Strong's Greek 3
1 Occurrence

Ἀβαδδών — 1 Occ.