Varhainen kirkkoAngel of the AbyssDestroyer (Apollyon)King over the creatures of the abyssPersonification of destructionUnknown (supernatural/symbolic figure)
Abaddon (Hebrew: אֲבַדּוֹן, 'destruction') is a biblical concept that appears in two fundamentally different functions throughout Scripture. In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, the name denotes the deepest and most destructive realm of the underworld – the place of perdition that nonetheless lies naked and open to God's all-seeing gaze (Job 26:6; Prov 15:11; Ps 88:12). Sheol and Abaddon consistently appear in poetic parallelism to express death's insatiable greed (Prov 27:20), while Job 28:22 portrays Abaddon and death as witnesses who have only heard the rumor of God's inaccessible wisdom. In Revelation 9:11, the concept undergoes a radical transformation: Abaddon now appears as a named, personified angel over the abyss (Greek: ἄβυσσος), the ruler over locust-like creatures released under the judgment of the fifth trumpet. John also cites the Greek equivalent Apollyon ('the destroyer'), a designation that may contain a polemical edge against the Greco-Roman god Apollo – central to Emperor Domitian's self-presentation. The movement from an abstract place-concept in wisdom literature to an apocalyptic ruler in Revelation reflects the marked development in Jewish cosmology during the intertestamental period, visible in texts such as the Hodayot from Qumran and other apocalyptic writings. Theologically, Abaddon reveals that destructive and death-bringing forces do not operate autonomously, but remain subject to God's sovereign will and serve as instruments in his judgment over a rebellious world.
Avaintapahtumat
Abaddon as the deepest place in the realm of the dead in the Book of Job
In the Book of Job, Abaddon is mentioned repeatedly as a term for the place of destruction in the afterlife. Job 26:6 declares that Sheol (the realm of the dead) lies naked before God and Abaddon without cover, an expression of God's all-encompassing insight. In Job 28:22, Abaddon and death are personified as witnesses who have heard the rumor of God's wisdom but never fully grasped it. Job 31:12 uses Abaddon as a metaphor for total destruction—a consuming fire that burns all the way down to Abaddon.
In Psalm 88:12, the psalmist poses the rhetorical question whether God's faithfulness is proclaimed in Abaddon—the place of destruction among the dead. The question underscores the silence of the dead and the psalmist's deep despair, suggesting that Abaddon is a place beyond the reach of praise.
Proverbs uses Abaddon alongside Sheol to highlight God's omniscience and the insatiable nature of death. Proverbs 15:11 states that Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord—how much more then the hearts of people. Proverbs 27:20 compares the insatiable maw of Abaddon and Sheol to the greediness of human eyes.
The Angel of the Abyss and the judgment of the fifth trumpet
In John's Revelation, Abaddon is explicitly identified as the angel over the abyss (ἄβυσσος) and the king over locust-like creatures that rise up under the judgment of the fifth trumpet. The abyss is opened with a key, smoke rises like from a great furnace, and the creatures are given power to torment people who do not have God's seal for five months. In verse 11 their king is named: in Hebrew Abaddon, in Greek Apollyon – the destroyer. This is the only place in the Bible where Abaddon appears as a personified, named apocalyptic figure with an active ruling function.
1Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the abyss.
2It opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke rose out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft.
4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5They were not permitted to kill them, but only to torment them for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a person.