Revelation 20:13

The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The narrator describes a post-resurrection judgment scene where the dead stand before the throne. This moment follows the opening of the judgment books and precedes the final casting of Death and Hades into the lake of fire.

The words — ἔδωκεν (edōken) translates literally to "gave up" or "delivered," describing how the sea and the realms of Death and Hades release their contents. νεκροὺς (nekrous) means "dead" or "corpses," indicating the retrieved individuals are brought forward for evaluation.

The thread — This universal retrieval aligns with John 5:28, where all in graves are called forth, and mirrors the earlier pairing of Death and Hades in Revelation 6:8. It stands in direct contrast to Hosea 13:14, which promises God's ransom from Sheol and Death rather than their continued retention of the dead.

Why it lands — It demands recognition that no person or place remains outside divine accounting. The text requires the reader to face the certainty that every deed is recorded and every individual will be evaluated before death itself is terminated.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Cross-references

John 5:28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice
Revelation 6:8 Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.
Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
Isaiah 26:19 Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead.
1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And books were opened, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.
Revelation 1:18 the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.