Ἀβαδδών G0003
Abaddon; Hebrew name for the place/angel of destruction, transliterated into Greek
Revelation 9:11 identifies Abaddon as the angel of the Abyss, whose Greek name is Apollyon (the Destroyer). The term comes directly from Hebrew 'abaddon' (destruction), which appears in Wisdom literature as a personification of Sheol or the grave (Job 26:6; 28:22; Proverbs 15:11). John transliterates the Hebrew and provides the Greek equivalent, creating a bilingual wordplay on destruction. This angel-king over the demonic locusts embodies the destructive power unleashed from the bottomless pit.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The Hebrew background establishes Abaddon as the realm or personification of the dead in Wisdom literature—a parallel to Sheol, representing utter destruction and the grave. Revelation transforms this place-concept into an angelic figure, the ruler over the Abyss. The dual naming (Hebrew Abaddon, Greek Apollyon) emphasizes the universal scope of this destructive power—recognized in both Jewish and Greek worldviews. The uniform transliteration across Spanish (Abaddón), French, and German shows this functions as a proper name rather than a common noun in Revelation. 1×
AR["أَبَدُّونَ"]·ben["অবদ্দোন,"]·DE["Abaddon"]·EN["Abaddon"]·FR["Abaddon"]·heb["אֲבַדּוֹן"]·HI["अबद्दोन"]·ID["Abadon,"]·IT["abaddōn"]·jav["Abadon"]·KO["아바돈이요"]·PT["Abadom"]·RU["Аваддон,"]·ES["Abaddón"]·SW["Abadoni,"]·TR["Abaddon"]·urd["ابدون"]
Related Senses
H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)H6862c 1. adversary, enemy, foe (69×)H8045 1. destroy, exterminate (69×)G0615 1. kill, put to death (60×)H6571b 1. horseman, cavalryman (52×)H8077a 1. desolation, waste (abstract state) (52×)G4678 1. of wisdom (51×)G4717 1. crucify, fasten to a cross (46×)H2763a 1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) (44×)G0622 1. perish, be destroyed (intransitive) (41×)H0006 2. to destroy, annihilate (Piel) (38×)H8074 1. be desolate, lie waste (36×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
Ἀβαδδών (Heb. אֲבַדּוֹן, destruction; LXX, ἀπώλεια, only in Wisdom Lit., of the place of the ruined dead: Job.26:6, 28:22, 31:12, Psa.88:12, Pro.15:11*), indecl.; in NT, Abaddon, the angel of the Abyss: Rev.9:11.† (From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)