Revelation 9:2

New Testament Apocalyptic ASV (1901)

What does Revelation 9:2 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Revelation 9:2 — American Standard Version

Context — Revelation 9

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
2And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

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 he opened the bottomless pit, etc.] With the key that was given him; he made use of his universal power over all bishops and churches, enacted laws, issued out decrees, made articles of faith, and imposed them on men's consciences, and obliged all to submit to his hellish principles and practices; and this, as it may be applied to Mahomet, the eastern antichrist, may regard the publishing of his Alcoran, and obliging all his followers to receive it as the infallible word of God: and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; the Complutensian edition reads, “of a burning furnace”; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions; which may design false doctrine, and…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And he opened the bottomless pit - It is represented before as wholly confined, so that not even the smoke or vapor could escape. And there arose a smoke out of the pit - Compare Revelation 14:11. The meaning here is that the pit, as a place of punishment, or as the abode of the wicked, was filled with burning sulphur, and consequently that it emitted smoke and vapor as soon as opened. The common image of the place of punishment, in the Scriptures, is that of a “lake that burns with fire and brimstone.” Compare Revelation 14:10; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10; Revelation 21:8. See also Psalms 11:6; Isaiah 30:33; Ezekiel 38:22. It is not improbable that this image was taken from the…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“And there arose a smoke out of the pit - The locusts, who afterwards rise out of it, seem to be, as we shall afterwards see, the Persians; agreeable to which, this smoke is their detestable idolatrous doctrine, and false zeal for it, which now broke out in an uncommon paroxysm. As the smoke of a great furnace - where the clouds of it rise thicker and thicker, spread far and wide, and press one upon another, so that the darkness increases continually. And the sun and the air were darkened - A figurative expression, denoting heavy affliction. This smoke occasioned more and more such darkness over the Jews in Persia. Revelation 9:3”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“9:2 The smoke from the pit turned the sky dark, as in the plague on Egypt (Exod 10:21-29; see Matt 27:45).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“there: Rev 9:17, Rev 14:11; Gen 15:17, Gen 19:28; Isa 14:31; Joe 2:30; Act 2:19 and the sun: Rev 8:12; Exo 10:21-23; Joe 2:2, Joe 2:10 Revelation 9:3”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification