John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate , etc.] Or principality; that holy, honourable, and happy condition, in which they were created; for they were created in perfect holiness and righteousness, stood in the relation of sons to God, and were, for the lustre of their nature, comparable to the morning stars; they were among the thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers; were a superior rank of creatures to men, and who beheld the face, and enjoyed the presence of God; but this estate they kept not, for being mutable creatures, one of them first sinning, the rest were drawn into it by him, and so were not what they were before, nor in the same estate, or place: but left their own habitation ; by attempting to rise higher; or by quitting their station and posts of honour, being unwilling to be subject to God, and especially to the Son of God, who was to assume human nature, and in it be above them, which they could not bear; and by gathering together in a body, in another place, with Satan at the head of them; though this may be considered as a part of their punishment, and they may be said to do what they were forced to; for they were drove out of their native habitation, heaven; they were turned out of it, and cast down to hell; (see 2 Peter 2:4). And this their habitation, which they left, or fell from, or they were cast out of, is by the Jews frequently called the place of their holiness, or their holy place f6 . He hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness ; by these everlasting chains may be meant the power and providence of God over them, which always abide upon them; or their sins, and the guilt of them upon their consciences, under which they are continually held; or the decrees and purposes of God concerning their final punishment and destruction, which are immutable and irreversible, and from which there is no freeing themselves:, the phrase, under darkness, may refer to the chains, as in ( 2 Peter 2:4); where they are called chains of darkness; either because the power, providence, and purposes of God are invisible; so the Syriac version reads, in unknown chains; or because horror and black despair are the effects of sin, and its guilt, with which their consciences are continually filled: or it may denote the place and state where they are, either in the darkness of the air, or in the dark parts of the earth, or in hell, where is utter darkness, even blackness of darkness; or that they are under the power of sin, which is darkness, and without the light of God's countenance, or any spiritual knowledge, or comfort: and they are reserved in these chains, and under this darkness; or in prison, as the Arabic version renders it; which denotes the custody of them, and their continuance in it, in which they are kept by Jesus Christ, who can bind and loose Satan at his pleasure; and it shows that they are not as yet in full torment, but are like malefactors that are kept in prison, until the assize comes: so these are laid in chains, and kept in custody unto the judgment of the great day ; that is, the future and last judgment of men and devils, which is certain, and will be universal, and executed with the strictest justice: this is called a day, which is fixed by God, though unknown to men and angels; and because of the evidence and quick dispatch of things, the matters judged will be as clear as the day, and finished at once; and a great one, for the Judge will appear in great glory; great things will be done, the dead will be raised, and all nations will be gathered together, and the process will be with great solemnity; the thrones will be set, the books opened, the several sentences pronounced, and, all punctually executed; the judgment of the great day is the same the Jews call abr anyd wy , the day of the great judgment f7 . This account shows the imprisoned state of the devils, that they are not their own lords, and cannot do as they would; they are under restraints, and in chains, and not to be feared; which must be a great mortification to their proud and malicious spirits: and since this is the case of fallen angels, what severity may be expected from God against the opposers of the truths of the Gospel?
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-7 - Outward privileges, profession, and apparent conversion, could no secure those from the vengeance of God, who turned aside in unbelie and disobedience. The destruction of the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness, shows that none ought to presume on their privileges. The had miracles as their daily bread; yet even they perished in unbelief A great number of the angels were not pleased with the stations God allotted to them; pride was the main and direct cause or occasion of their fall. The fallen angels are kept to the judgment of the grea day; and shall fallen men escape it? Surely not. Consider this in du time. The destruction of Sodom is a loud warning to all, to take hee of, and flee from fleshly lusts that war against the soul, 1Pe 2:11 God is the same holy, just, pure Being now, as then. Stand in awe therefore, and sin not, Ps 4:4. Let us not rest in anything that doe not make the soul subject to the obedience of Christ; for nothing but the renewal of our souls to the Divine image by the Holy Spirit, can keep us from being destroyed among the enemies of God. Consider thi instance of the angels, and see that no dignity or worth of the creature is of avail. How then should man tremble, who drinket iniquity like water! Job 15:16.
Greek Textus Receptus
αγγελους 32 N-APM τε 5037 PRT τους 3588 T-APM μη 3361 PRT-N τηρησαντας 5083 5660 V-AAP-APM την 3588 T-ASF εαυτων 1438 F-3GPM αρχην 746 N-ASF αλλα 235 CONJ απολιποντας 620 5631 V-2AAP-APM το 3588 T-ASN ιδιον 2398 A-ASN οικητηριον 3613 N-ASN εις 1519 PREP κρισιν 2920 N-ASF μεγαλης 3173 A-GSF ημερας 2250 N-GSF δεσμοις 1199 N-DPM αιδιοις 126 A-DPM υπο 5259 PREP ζοφον 2217 N-ASM τετηρηκεν 5083 5758 V-RAI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
6. First estate (archn). The word originally signifies beginning, and so frequently in New Testament, mostly in the Gospels, Acts, Hebrews, Catholic Epistles, and Revelation. From this comes a secondary meaning of sovereignty, dominion, magistracy, as being the beginning or first place of power. So mostly by Paul, as principalities (Rom. viii. 38); rule (1 Corinthians xv. 24). Compare Luke xii. 11, magistrates; Rev., rulers; and Luke xx. 20, power. Rev., rule. A peculiar use of the word occurs at Acts x. 1, "the sheet knit at the four corners (arcaiv); "the corners being the beginnings of the sheet. In this passage the A.V. has adopted the first meaning, beginning, in its rendering first estate. Rev. adopts the second, rendering principality. The Jews regarded the angels as having dominion over earthly creatures; and the angels are often spoken of in the New Testament as ajrcai, principalities; as Rom. viii. 38; Eph. i. 21; so that this term would be appropriate to designate their dignity, which they forsook.Habitation (oikhthrion). Only here and 2 Cor. v. 2.
Everlasting (aidioiv). Only here and Rom. i. 20. For a longer form ajeidiov, from ajei, always.
Under darkness (upo zofon). under carries the sense of the darkness brooking over the fallen spirits. On darkness, see on 2 Pet. ii. 4. Compare Heriod:
"There the Titanian gods, to murky gloom Condemned by will of cloud-collecting Jove, Lie hid in region foul." Theogony, v., 729.
