Topic
Abyss
21 passages cited, from 1 classic reference work.
These works date from 1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Genesis 1:2ISBE
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
- Exodus 20:4ISBE
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
- Deuteronomy 5:8ISBE
Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
- Deuteronomy 8:7ISBE
For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
- Job 41:32ISBE
He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
- Psalms 24:2ISBE
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
- Psalms 71:20ISBE
Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
- Psalms 136:6ISBE
To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- Jonah 2:5ISBE
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
- Luke 5:10ISBE
And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
- Luke 8:31ISBE
And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
- Romans 10:7ISBE
Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Show 9 more
- Revelation 9:1 ISBE
- Revelation 9:2 ISBE
- Revelation 9:11 ISBE
- Revelation 11:7 ISBE
- Revelation 17:8 ISBE
- Revelation 19:20 ISBE
- Revelation 20:1 ISBE
- Revelation 20:3 ISBE
- Revelation 20:10 ISBE
In the reference works
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 23 references
a-bis', (he abussos): In classical Greek the word is always an adjective, and is used
(1) literally, "very deep," "bottomless";
(2) figuratively, "unfathomable," "boundless." "Abyss" does not occur in the King James Version but the Revised Version (British and American) so transliterates abussos in each case. The the King James Version renders the Greek by "the deep" in two passages (Lu 8:31; Ro 10:7). In Revelation the King James Version renders by "the bottomless pit" (Re 9:1,2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1,3). In the Septuagint abussos is the rendering of the Hebrew word tehom. According to primitive Semitic cosmogony the earth was supposed to rest on a vast body of water which was the source of all springs of water and rivers (Ge 1:2; De 8:7; Ps 24:2; 136:6). This subterranean ocean is sometimes described as "the water under the earth" (Ex 20:4; De 5:8). According to Job 41:32 tehom is the home of the leviathan in which he plows his hoary path of foam. The Septuagint never uses abussos as a rendering of sheol (= Sheol = Hades) and probably tehom never meant the "abode of the dead" which was the ordinary meaning of Sheol. In Ps 71:20 tehom is used figuratively, and denotes "many and sore troubles" through which the psalmist has passed (compare Jon 2:5). But in the New Testament the word abussos means the "abode of demons." In Lu 8:31 the King James Version renders "into the deep" (Weymouth and The Twentieth Century New Testament = "into the bottomless pit"). The demons do not wish to be sent to their place of punishment before their destined time. Mark simply says "out of the country" (Lu 5:10). In Ro 10:7 the word is equivalent to Hades, the abode of the dead. In Revelation (where the King James Version renders invariably "the bottomless pit") abussos denotes the abode of evil spirits, but not the place of final punishment; it is therefore to be distinguished from the "lake of fire and brimstone" where the beast and the false prophet are, and into which the Devil is to be finally cast (Re 19:20; 20:10).
See also ASTRONOMY, sec. III, 7.
Thomas Lewis
Texts: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.