BibleWord.ai› Bible› Revelation› Chapter 20› Verse 13

Revelation 20:13

New Testament Apocalyptic ASV (1901)

What does Revelation 20:13 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:13 — American Standard Version

Context — Revelation 20

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, [even] the lake of fire.
15And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
← Revelation 20:12Revelation 20:14 →
← Full Chapter 20 Revelation Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, etc.] Which is not to be interpreted metaphorically of the world, and the men of it, who are like the troubled sea; but literally of the sea, and of all such who have been drowned in the waters of it, as were Pharaoh and his host; or have died upon the mighty waters, and have been cast into them, and devoured by the fishes; and particular regard may be had to the men of the old world, drowned by the flood; these shall be raised from thence; the sea shall deliver them up: now this, and what is expressed in the next clause, will not be done after the judgment is set, the books are opened, and the sentence passed, but before all this, and in order…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“death and hell--Greek, "Hades." The essential identity of the dying and risen body is hereby shown; for the sea and grave give up their dead. The body that sinned or served God shall, in righteous retribution, be the body also that shall suffer or be rewarded. The "sea" may have a symbolical [CLUVER from AUGUSTINE], besides the literal meaning, as, in Rev 8:8; Rev 12:12; Rev 13:1; Rev 18:17, Rev 18:19; so "death" and "hell" are personifications (compare Rev 21:1). But the literal sense need hardly be departed from: all the different regions wherein the bodies and souls of men had been, gave them up.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it - All that had been buried in the depths of ocean. This number in the aggregate will be great. If we include all who were swept off by the flood, and all who have perished by shipwreck, and all who have been killed in naval battles and buried in the sea, and all who have been swept away by inundations of the ocean, and all who have peacefully died at sea, as sailors, or in the pursuits of commerce or benevolence, the number in the aggregate will be immense - a number so vast that it was proper to notice them particularly in the account of the general resurrection and the last judgment. And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them -…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Death and hades gave up the dead that were in them - Death gave up all the bodies of men; and hades, the receptacle of separate souls, gave them up, to be re - united to their bodies. Revelation 20:14”
Read attributed excerpt →
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“20:13 the grave: See study note on 6:7-8.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the sea: Joh 5:28, Joh 5:29 and death: Rev 20:14, Rev 6:8; Hos 13:14; Co1 15:50-58 hell: or, the grave, Co1 15:55 \*marg. and they: Rev 20:12 Revelation 20:14”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Revelation 20 in contextBrowse Greek word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification