And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

REVELATION 9:1KJV
Know the Bible

Revelation 9:1 (KJV)

What does Revelation 9:1 mean?

Revelation 9:1 describes the fifth angel sounding a trumpet, after which John sees a "star" that has fallen from heaven to earth, and this "star" is given the key to open the bottomless pit. The verse signals the start of a new and dramatic event in John's vision, where someone or something is given authority to unlock a place of deep confinement.

John, the author of Revelation, is describing a vision he receives while exiled on the island of Patmos. In this part of the vision, he witnesses a sequence of trumpet blasts, each bringing a new judgment or event. The "star" is often understood as a symbolic figure, possibly an angelic being or a spiritual power, rather than a literal star, since it is given a key and referred to as "him." The "bottomless pit" suggests a place of great depth and darkness, often associated with imprisonment or evil forces.

The Greek behind Revelation 9:1

  • ἀστήρ (astēr, "star"): In Greek, this word can mean a literal star, but here it is used for a being who receives a key and is called "him," pointing to a symbolic or personal meaning.
  • κλεὶς (kleis, "key"): This word means a key, symbolizing authority or control. The giving of the key shows that the "star" is permitted or empowered to open the pit, not acting on its own authority.
  • φρέαρ (phrear, "pit"): This refers to a well or shaft. Combined with ἀβύσσου (abyssou, "bottomless"), it paints a picture of a deep, seemingly endless place, reinforcing the idea of a prison or a place of chaos.

Why Revelation 9:1 matters

  • Revelation 9:1 helps clarify that the events described are symbolic and visionary, not literal astronomical events, since the "star" acts as a person.
  • The verse marks a turning point in the sequence of trumpet judgments, introducing a new phase where hidden or restrained forces are about to be released.
  • Understanding the authority given to the "star" (rather than self-claimed power) highlights the controlled and purposeful unfolding of these visions in the book of Revelation.

Where else these words appear

“fifth” Greek G3991 · used in 4 verses

  • Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
  • Revelation 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
  • Revelation 21:20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

“pit” Greek G5421 · used in 5 verses

  • Luke 14:5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
  • John 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
  • John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

“key” Greek G2807 · used in 6 verses

  • Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
  • Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
  • Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

“bottomless” Greek G12 · used in 9 verses

  • Luke 8:31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
  • Revelation 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
  • Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.