Jude 1:6

"Angels who didn’t keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day."

Key Reflection

Jude 1:6 speaks of angels who rebelled against God by abandoning their original position of authority and responsibility, a concept rooted in the fallen angel narrative often associated with figures like Lucifer. In this passage, these angels are bound in eternal chains, kept hidden from view, awaiting judgment on the day of reckoning. This vivid imagery underscores the gravity of rebellion against divine authority, highlighting how even celestial beings face consequences for their actions, and serves as a warning to Jude's readers about the serious nature of sin and rebellion within the Christian community.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate. A second case denoting that the wicked would be punished. See Barnes "2 Pe 2:4". The word rendered estate (archn) is, in the margin, principality. The word properly means, beginning, commencement; and then that which surpasses others, which is first, etc., in point of rank and honour; or pre-eminence, priority, precedence, princedom. Here it refers to the rank and dignity which the angels had in heaven. That rank or pre-eminence they did not keep, but fell from it. On the word used here, comp. Eph 1:2; 3:10; Col 2:10, as applied to angels; 1 Co 15:24 Eph 6:12; Col 2:15, as applied to demons. But left their own habitation.

Related Verses

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