Understanding the Meaning of Apollyon in Greek

Apolluon is the Greek name “Apollyon,” given in Revelation’s vision as the Greek counterpart to a Hebrew name for the same figure. It appears once, where it functions as a personal name attached to the angel who rules the abyss.

Root and Related Words

Apolluon is presented in relation to the verb apollymi (ἀπολλύω), “to destroy” (Strong’s G622).

Occurrences

“They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is “Abaddon”, but in Greek, he has the name “Apollyon”.” (Revelation 9:11)

In this scene, “Apollyon” is introduced as a name that belongs to “the angel of the abyss,” who is said to be “over them as king.” The verse sets the figure’s identity in a formal, almost titulary way: he is an angel, he is associated with the abyss, and he exercises kingship over a group already in view in the narrative (“they have over them”). Within that description, the name “Apollyon” is not offered as a casual label but as an identifying designation tied to office and realm—an underworld setting (“the abyss”) and a governing role (“as king”).

The wording also places “Apollyon” in a bilingual frame: “His name in Hebrew is ‘Abaddon’, but in Greek, he has the name ‘Apollyon’.” The verse does not treat these as two different beings but as two linguistic names for the same person. By explicitly pairing Hebrew and Greek names, the text makes the naming itself part of the revelation: the reader is not only told that there is a king over the abyss, but is also given the name of that king in both a Hebrew form and a Greek form. “Apollyon,” therefore, contributes to the passage as a Greek-language naming that anchors the identity of the abyss’s angelic ruler for the Greek-reading audience of the book.

Sense and Usage

Because “Apollyon” is used here as a proper name, it functions first as a marker of identity: it specifies who the angel is, not merely what he is. In Revelation 9:11, that identity is bound to a particular sphere (“the abyss”) and to authority (“over them as king”). The verse’s structure puts emphasis on named rule: the king is not anonymous; his governance is personalized in an angel who can be named.

The immediate context also shows how the name is meant to be handled by readers. The text does not assume that one linguistic form is sufficient; instead, it provides a Hebrew name and then supplies a Greek name alongside it. This kind of parallel naming signals that “Apollyon” is the Greek designation that corresponds to the Hebrew designation “Abaddon” for the same figure. The narrative effect is to place the name within the communicative act of revelation: the vision is interpreted not only in images but also in language, with names translated across tongues so the identity of the figure is grasped with clarity.

The association of Apolluon with apollymi (ἀπολλύω), “to destroy,” situates the name within a verbal family that frames it as a meaningful designation rather than a meaningless sound. Within Revelation 9:11 itself, the name is attached to a ruler of the abyss, and the linkage to “to destroy” provides a linguistic connection that fits the verse’s portrayal of a kingly figure presiding over an abyssal domain. The passage therefore presents “Apollyon” as a name that is at home in the book’s intense imagery of otherworldly powers and their leaders, where names function as identifiers and also resonate with the character and role of what is named.

Imagery

Revelation 9:11 attaches “Apollyon” to a stark picture: an angel connected with “the abyss,” positioned “over them as king.” The name is spoken into that setting as part of the vision’s explanation, so that the abyss is not only a place but a realm with a ruler whose identity is given in both Hebrew and Greek.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).