"Apollyon, Destroyer, i.q. Ἀβαδδών, Rev. 9:11*"
Definition and meaning
Apollyon, Destroyer, i.q. Ἀβαδδών, Rev. 9:11*
In the original Greek the word is written: Ἀπολλύων
Historical context
Domitian required people across the empire to address him as Dominus et Deus — Lord and God. Christians who refused to burn incense before the emperor's image faced economic exclusion and imprisonment. The book was written in apocalyptic imagery that believers would recognize but Roman authorities would not — a letter of resistance written to people being crushed by the most powerful empire on earth.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of apollyon (G623) across the King James Bible.
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
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Common questions
Strong's G623 (apollyon) is a Greek word that means: Apollyon, Destroyer, i.q. Ἀβαδδών, Rev. 9:11* It appears 1 times in the King James Bible.
The word apollyon (G623) appears 1 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G623 is apollyon, a Greek word defined as: Apollyon, Destroyer, i.q. Ἀβαδδών, Rev. 9:11*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
apollyon is a Greek word found in the New Testament.