SPECIAL TOPIC: Abaddon. . .Apollyon

SPECIAL TOPIC: Abaddon. . .Apollyon

The Hebrew (Aramaic) term Abaddon (BDB
1, KB 2; NIDOTTE, vol. 1., p. 224) meant “destruction” and the
Greek term Apollyon meant “destroyer.” The Hebrew term was identified
with Sheol, the realm of the dead (cf. Job 26:6; 29:22; 31:12; Ps. 88:11
Pro. 15:11; 27:20).

Robert B. Girdlestone has an interesting comment on this term in his book
Synonyms of the Old Testament:
“This word is rendered “perish” in about a hundred passages. When used of
persons it generally signifies death, when used of lands it implies desolation”
(p. 273).

In Job 28:22 it is personified along with Death. This personification is also
characteristic of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the intertestamental Jewish
apocalyptic literature. This is somewhat unusual because the angel of death in
the OT is a servant of YHWH (cf. Exod. 12:23; Job 15:21) or even a
personification of YHWH (cf. Exod. 12:13,29). But in Rev. 9:1,11 the angel seems
to be the ruler of an imprisoned, demonic horde. This may be another way to show
God’s control of all things.

In Rev. 9:11 they may refer to the emperors Nero and Domitian, who claimed to
be the incarnation of Apollo. This Greek name, Apollyon, is a corrupted
form and an allusion to Apollo. There are two pieces of evidences to support
the connection to Apollo:

1. locusts were a symbol of Apollo

2. the term Apollo and Apollyon both come from the same Greek root