Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Revelation 9:20 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 20. 20And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse reports that survivors still do not turn from demon-linked idolatry and lifeless images.
The sixth trumpet kills a third, and the survivors do not turn
This verse is one part of that explanation in Revelation 9:13-21. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Revelation 9:13-21
Read Revelation 9:20 with 9:13-21. This verse reports that survivors still do not turn from demon-linked idolatry and lifeless images. The complete unit's controlling movement is: Four Euphrates angels and an immense mounted force kill a third, yet survivors do not turn from idolatry, murder, sorcery, sexual wrongdoing, or theft.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The preceding movement establishes: Revelation 9:1-12 established this prior movement: The fifth trumpet opens the abyss and releases composite locusts that may torment but not kill unsealed people for five months under the Destroyer. This unit then contributes: Four Euphrates angels and an immense mounted force kill a third, yet survivors do not turn from idolatry, murder, sorcery, sexual wrongdoing, or theft. The following movement develops: Revelation 10:1-11 continues the book through this next movement: A mighty angel spans sea and land, the seven thunders remain sealed, delay ends at the seventh trumpet, and John eats the sweet-bitter scroll before receiving a renewed international prophetic commission. At Revelation 9:20, this verse reports that survivors still do not turn from demon-linked idolatry and lifeless images.
Follow the Context
- The altar voice releases a second trumpet-woe whose army description and unrepentant-survivor conclusion run through verse 21.
- Four Euphrates angels and an immense mounted force kill a third, yet survivors do not turn from idolatry, murder, sorcery, sexual wrongdoing, or theft.
- The Euphrates evokes Rome's eastern frontier and older invasion traditions without identifying modern armies. The exact time signals divine limitation, not a date to calculate; the troop number may be symbolic immensity.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Revelation 9:20 does not turn the fact that it reports that survivors still do not turn from demon-linked idolatry and lifeless images into a standalone universal rule.
What Remains True
Revelation 9:20 shows that reports that survivors still do not turn from demon-linked idolatry and lifeless images; its faithful force remains governed by creator worship, the slain Lamb, truthful witness, patient endurance, justice, and new creation.
Teach It Back
Explain Revelation 9:20's specific contribution to Revelation 9:13-21: reports that survivors still do not turn from demon-linked idolatry and lifeless images. Include the surrounding movement, one material uncertainty, and what the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Revelation 9:13-21 — The Sixth Trumpet Exposes Death without RepentanceSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The package keeps the leading alternatives visible and weights them by textual, historical, literary, and reception evidence rather than pretending every proposal is equally strong. The Euphrates evokes Rome's eastern frontier and older invasion traditions without identifying modern armies. The exact time signals divine limitation, not a date to calculate; the troop number may be symbolic immensity.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete coverage.
Exact location: Revelation 9:13-21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations checked independently of the KJV.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Revelation.txt, 9:13-21
Open the Revelation Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Revelation with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual variants, imagery, cross-references, and stated alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible Revelation PDF, printed pp. 2408–2447, 9:13-21 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Revelation PDF ↗