And he opened the bottomless pit: and the smoke of the pit arose, as the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke of the pit.
και ηνοιξεν το φρεαρ της αβυσσου OMIT και ηνοιξεν το φρεαρ της αβυσσου και ανεβη καπνος εκ του φρεατος ως καπνος καμινου καιομενης και εσκοτισθη ο ηλιος και ο αηρ εκ του καπνου του φρεατος
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The smoke coming out of it indicates that those being tormented will not see the sun or the air.
The smoke is the darkness that precedes the evil deeds done at their prompting. After these deeds they receive authority to torment men.
The darkening of the sun and the air signifies the spiritual blindness of men who delight in their light. Or it signifies love inflamed by sufferings, for to those in sorrow even light seems darkness.
"And she opened the pit of the abyss," that is, she revealed her heart without any fear or shame over sin.
"And smoke came up out of the pit," that is, from the people who cover and darken the Church. Thus it is said: "And the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit."
John said that the sun was darkened, but not that it disappeared. For the sins of evil or proud men, committed everywhere in the world, have darkened the sun, that is, the Church.
At times they darken even the holy and righteous. For the number of evil men is so great that the good often scarcely appear among them.
From the smoke of scientific and technological progress, which darkens the sun and air to the point of ecological catastrophe, there comes forth a new ideology of technology, like the old Tower of Babel forgotten and then remembered again. It spreads across the whole maddened planet by means of the militant noise and clamor of the mass media. It exercises harmful dominion over the minds and hearts of men for a definite time, five months. This time is needed to prepare a generation incapable of being corrected or repenting from the coming admonitions. At the same time, its destructive nature is evident to all: to believers who speak the language of the knowledge of God, and to pagans who chiefly use the language of Hellenic wisdom.
The locusts were commanded not to harm the earth or the grass, but only those people who do not possess signs of the spirit's dominion over the flesh. These people cannot withstand its false seductiveness, universal diffusion, and powerful influence. This contagious disease can pass by only those who avoid every influence of the spirit of this age upon their soul. According to Andrew of Caesarea, the locusts depict the evil demons prepared for battle against us. Their golden crowns indicate their victories over us. Their hair like women's hair speaks of demonic sensuality. Their lions' teeth speak of ferocity and a disposition toward murder. Their iron breastplates show hardheartedness. Their scorpion tails reveal the poisonousness of sin. The king of the locusts is the devil. The five months are the five senses through which the demons act upon man.
"He opened the pit of the abyss." The abyss is the subterranean realm of evil spirits. Hades is compared to a cistern, that is, an artificial well for rainwater.
In the East such a cistern is closed with a stone and in many places locked with a key. From the well of the abyss comes an extraordinary multitude of locusts, like smoke.
In southern countries, even in Europe, locusts sometimes appear in such numbers that, like clouds, they cover the light of the sun for several hours. The locust here is an image of an enemy army.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 28 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS