Jude 1:6 kjv

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Jude 1:6 nkjv

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

Jude 1:6 niv

And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling?these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

Jude 1:6 esv

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day ?

Jude 1:6 nlt

And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.

Jude 1 verses

Jude 1 6 Meaning

Jude 1:6 describes the severe judgment pronounced upon a specific group of angels who deliberately disobeyed God. They abandoned their God-given original rank and their proper heavenly abode, trespassing divinely established boundaries. As a consequence, God has confined them in unending chains within intense darkness, holding them captive until their final appearance at the ultimate great day of judgment. This serves as a potent illustration of God's unsparing justice against those who rebel.

Jude 1 6 Context

Jude is an urgent letter written to believers to contend earnestly for the faith against infiltrating false teachers. These ungodly individuals twisted grace into lawlessness and denied Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord. Jude employs vivid historical and quasi-historical examples of divine judgment to serve as stern warnings. Verse 6 specifically draws from the punishment of angels to highlight God's severe and inescapable judgment for those who abandon their divinely appointed roles and boundaries, mirroring the spiritual trespasses of the false teachers. It directly precedes the examples of Sodom and Gomorrah, further emphasizing God's uncompromising stance against sexual immorality and defying established order. The "great day" refers to the eschatological climax where all creatures will face God's ultimate verdict.

Jude 1 6 Word analysis

• And the angels (ἀγγέλους, angelous): Heavenly spiritual beings, created by God. Jude focuses on a specific group among them who sinned, not all angels. This demonstrates God's judgment even on highly exalted beings.
• who did not stay within (μὴ τηρήσαντας, mē tērēsantas): Literally, "not having kept." It implies a failure to preserve or maintain their proper state or position. This was an active abandonment, not a mere slip.
• their own position of authority (τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν, tēn heautōn archēn): The Greek word archē means 'beginning,' 'origin,' 'rule,' or 'domain.' It signifies their God-assigned rank, dignity, sphere of influence, or original state within the divine order. They violated the foundational boundaries set for them.
• but left (ἀλλὰ ἀπολιπόντας, alla apolipontas): A decisive and deliberate act of departure, desertion, or abandonment. They consciously forsook their designated sphere.
• their proper dwelling (τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον, to idion oikētērion): Their own special habitation or abode. This emphasizes a violation of their specific, God-given spatial or ontological realm. They stepped outside their divinely appointed existence or environment.
• he has kept (τετήρηκεν, tetērēken): Perfect tense, indicating an action completed in the past with ongoing results. God Himself is the agent of their secure imprisonment. It is an act of sovereign power.
• in eternal chains (δεσμοῖς ἀϊδίοις, desmois aïdiois): Desmois refers to bonds or fetters, indicating confinement. Aïdiois means everlasting, perpetual, without end. These are not physical chains but represent an inescapable, permanent spiritual imprisonment.
• under gloomy darkness (ὑπὸ ζόφον, hypo zophon): Zophon describes a thick, dense, oppressive darkness, a region of obscurity and deep gloom, distinct from ordinary night (darkness and murkiness). It symbolizes separation from God's light, hope, and presence, typical of a place of punishment.
• until (εἰς, eis): A preposition indicating the purpose or endpoint. Their current state is a temporary confinement leading up to a final judgment.
• the judgment (κρίσιν, krisin): The decisive divine verdict or condemnation.
• of the great day (μεγάλης ἡμέρας, megalēs hēmeras): Refers to the final Day of Judgment, the climactic eschatological event when all unrighteousness will receive its final, unchangeable sentence from God.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling": This phrase precisely defines the transgression. It was a dual violation: rejection of their designated rank/order (archē) and abandonment of their assigned habitation (oikētērion). This speaks to a rebellion against God's divine hierarchy and cosmic order, stepping out of their God-ordained role and realm.
• "he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness": This describes the immediate and ongoing state of their punishment. The "eternal chains" (implying permanent, inescapable confinement) and "gloomy darkness" (symbolizing absolute despair and exclusion from divine light) underscore the severity and hopelessness of their predicament. It is a divine, secure holding cell.
• "until the judgment of the great day": This indicates a temporal aspect to their current imprisonment. It is a waiting period, but not for reprieve. Their ultimate sentence is fixed, but its full execution and public manifestation await the climactic "great day" of final divine justice.

Jude 1 6 Bonus section

The nature of the sinning angels in Jude 1:6 and its strong parallel in 2 Peter 2:4 is unique, portraying a specific kind of cosmic rebellion. The phrase "eternal chains under gloomy darkness" echoes the Greek underworld concept of "Tartarus" found in 2 Peter 2:4, a place of extreme confinement and suffering, deeper than Hades. While Scripture does not provide full details, the implication is that their sin involved an extraordinary departure from their celestial domain to corrupt or interfere in ways forbidden by God's established order. This sets them apart from the general fall of Satan and his demons, who currently possess more freedom to roam the earth and tempt humanity, although their ultimate judgment is also sealed. Jude strategically uses this profound, established narrative to stress the gravity of rebellion against divine authority and the certainty of God's perfect justice, thus intensifying his warning against the deceptive influence of the false teachers.

Jude 1 6 Commentary

Jude 1:6 serves as a foundational example within Jude's urgent plea to stand firm against spiritual error. By recalling God's swift and unsparing judgment upon these rebellious angels, the verse powerfully warns believers against similar apostasy. The specific sin—abandoning their archē (authority/original state) and oikētērion (proper dwelling)—highlights a transgression against divine order and established boundaries. These angels did not just fall but actively deserted their sacred trust and realm. This specific rebellion, often linked in biblical tradition (and extrabiblical thought familiar to Jude's audience) to actions possibly described in Gen 6:1-4, resulted in their being incarcerated in an inescapable, perpetual darkness. This dark, chained imprisonment is not their final destination but an holding pen until the final "great day" of judgment. This passage underscores God's unwavering justice, demonstrating that even powerful celestial beings are not immune to divine retribution for their sin. It is a vivid theological deterrent, showing that no one, regardless of status, is above God's law or outside His jurisdiction. If God did not spare these mighty angels, He will surely not spare mere humans who similarly defy His authority and abandon His truth.