Jude 1:6

(Pe2 2:4.)

kept not their first estate--Vulgate translates, "their own principality," which the fact of angels being elsewhere called "principalities," favors: "their own" implies that, instead of being content with the dignity once for all assigned to them under the Son of God, they aspired higher. ALFORD thinks the narrative in Gen 6:2 is alluded to, not the fall of the devil and his angels, as he thinks "giving themselves over to fornication" (Jde 1:7) proves; compare Greek, "in like manner to these," namely, to the angels (Jde 1:6). It seems to me more natural to take "sons of God" (Gen 6:2) of the Sethites, than of angels, who, as "spirits," do not seem capable of carnal connection. The parallel, Pe2 2:4, plainly refers to the fall of the apostate angels. And "in like manner to these," Jde 1:7, refers to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, "the cities about them" sinning "in like manner" as "they" did [ESTIUS and CALVIN]. Even if Greek "these," Jde 1:7, refer to the angels, the sense of "in like manner as these" will be, not that the angels carnally fornicated with the daughters of men, but that their ambition, whereby their affections went away from God and they fell, is in God's view a sin of like kind spiritually as Sodom's going away from God's order of nature after strange flesh; the sin of the apostate angels after their kind is analogous to that of the human Sodomites after their kind. Compare the somewhat similar spiritual connection of whoremongers and covetousness. The apocryphal book of Enoch interprets Gen 6:2 as ALFORD. But though Jude accords with it in some particulars, it does not follow that he accords with it in all. The Hebrews name the fallen angels Aza and Azael.

left--on their own accord.

their own--Greek, "their proper."

habitation--heaven, all bright and glorious, as opposed to the "darkness" to which they now are doomed. Their ambitious designs seem to have had a peculiar connection with this earth, of which Satan before his fall may have been God's vicegerent, whence arises his subsequent connection with it as first the Tempter, then "the prince of this world."

reserved--As the Greek is the same, and there is an evident reference to their having "kept not their first estate," translate, "He hath kept." Probably what is meant is, He hath kept them in His purpose; that is their sure doom; moreover, as yet, Satan and his demons roam at large on the earth. An earnest of their doom is their having been cast out of heaven, being already restricted to "the darkness of this present world," the "air" that surrounds the earth, their peculiar element now. They lurk in places of gloom and death, looking forward with agonizing fear to their final torment in the bottomless pit. He means not literal chains and darkness, but figurative in this present world where, with restricted powers and liberties, shut out from heaven, they, like condemned prisoners, await their doom.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Jud_1:6

And the angels which kept not their first estate.

The fall of angels a warning to men

I. The loss of an exalted state.

1. By whom lost.

2. What they lost. An estate of spotless purity, exalted dignity, supreme felicity.

3. How they lost it. By rebellion against God. Probably pride was their special sin (1Ti_3:6). Beware of this sin; it is the first of which we have any knowledge, and I may say the dread parent of every other. Unbelief is a great sin, but the hidden germ of that sin is pride. Old Quarles says, It hates superiors, it scorns inferiors, its owns--no equals;… till thou hate it God hates thee.

II. The withholding of saving grace. Angels sinned and were destroyed, then let men beware.

III. The sealing of an awful doom. Notice the contrast--angels yet in chains, under darkness. Beings once of supernal light now dwelling in infernal gloom.

1. Observe that punishment is according to abused privileges. This is not a mere arbitrary law. Privileges create a capacity for suffering. To confine a poor beggar in prison for a year would not be a tenth so irksome as a years imprisonment to a prince.

2. The punishment of the wicked is not intended to be disciplinary. At least six thousand years have already hovered over these fallen angels since first they fell. But no reformation has been wrought in their characters. Hell is not the place to burn the rebellious spirit out of fallen angels, nor yet of lost men.

3. The punishment of such as rebel against God is not at its worst until the judgment-day.

4. The punishment of apostate angels will be side by side with that of unsaved sinners. They shall be companions in misery. (W. Williams.)

Defection from God

1. The best of created perfections are of themselves detectible.

2. Nothing is so truly base and vile as sin.

3. In defection from God there is an imitation of Satan.

4. It is difficult to be high and not to be high-minded; to be adorned with any excellencies, and not unduly to reflect upon them.

5. The better the persons are who become wicked, the more obstinate they are in wickedness. When angels fall into sin, they continue in it with pertinacity. (W. Jenkyn, M. A.)

The apostasy of the angels irrecoverable

The sin of angels is notorious, and their punishment is as famous; they are fallen from light to darkness, from heaven to hell, from felicity to misery; Valerian fell from a golden chair to a cage of iron; Dionysius fell from a king to a schoolmaster; Alexander

III. fell from being pope to be a gardener in Venice; Nebuchadnezzar fell from a man to a beast; but the celestial spirits fell from angels to devils. For their sin of apostasy was great, it cried to God for vengeance. The Lord Jesus noteth this apostasy in them to show that their sin was not by creation but by wilful corruption. And this is the cause, saith Augustine, why God hath redeemed men and not angels, for that they sinned from within and of themselves maliciously and rebelliously; man sinned from without and by provocation. Their fall was great, so was their punishment. The higher their state and condition the more grievous their fall. If it was much for Cain to be a vagabond, and Adam to be driven out of Paradise, and Ishmael out of his father Abrahams house, how much more for the angels to be driven out of heaven and not to return, like Noahs dove, to the ark, but to live in darkness for ever? But in that God hath reserved them in chains, it is a thing of singular comfort. Here, therefore, we learn that they cannot pass their bounds, they are under God, they depend on His beck. Well, God hath reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness, they are punished already, but their full punishment is not before the day of judgment. As yet they are but as prisoners in fetters and irons; the great assizes, the day of execution, is yet to come. Lastly, note, that the day wherein the angels shall be judged is called a great day. It is so called in three respects: great in respect of the Judge (Dan_7:9-10); great in respect of the assistants--the angels; great in respect of the prisoners that shall be arraigned. Good Lord! what a great day will this be, when all the saints out of heaven, all the damned out of hell, all the dead bodies out of the earth must appear! Not an angel spared, not a devil respited, not a saint or sinner rescued, but all must be summoned to give their attendance and to make their appearances. But to proceed a little further, this day is called a day by an excellency. For never day was like unto it. For if the day of Christs humiliation was so glorious, what shall be the day of His glorification? (S. Otes.)

Fallen angels

1. They whose course and trade of life is in sin most resemble Satan.

2. Torments cannot reform devils. Hellish horrors cannot change hellish hearts.

3. Restraint much differs from reformation. Devils may have a chain upon them and yet no change within them.

4. Satan can do nothing but by Gods permission.

5. Satan cannot hurt us, unless he gets us within the compass of his chain.

6. God can make an offender his own afflicter, a terror to himself, and constantly to carry his own chains of terror and torment about him. Powder which blows up the house cannot itself escape from burning.

7. There is no liberty to be found in forsaking Gods service. A saint loses nothing but his bonds and fetters by becoming holy; nor is holiness a chain to any, but those who know no other freedom than a house of bondage.

8. The pleasures of sin bear no proportion to the horrors thereof. (W. Jenkyn, M. A.)

Restricting influences

I. It is in the nature of sin to relinquish that which is virtuous, beautiful, and happy. Dissatisfaction, ambition, or a love of change might have been the cause.

(1) It was an interference with the Divine order of things. Eternal wisdom was contemned. Sin is an offence against the majesty and sovereignty of God.

(2) It depreciated present blessing and neglected duty.

(3) It deprived them of their beautiful home.

II. God has appointed restricting influences, and a final doom for the sinful. There are chains--bounds which the transgressors cannot overstep. Sin is apprehended by law, justice, and the moral sense. But all sin is on its way to a finality. (T. Davies, D. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 1:6. And the angels which kept not their first estate — Or, as the clause may be rendered, their first dignity, or principality, (see on 2Pe 2:4,) namely, the dignity or principality assigned them; but left their own habitation — Properly their own by the free gift of God. The apostle’s manner of speaking insinuates that they attempted to raise themselves to a higher station than that which God had allotted to them; consequently, that the sin for which they were and are to be punished, was pride and rebellion. He hath reserved — Delivered to be kept; in everlasting chains under darkness — O how unlike their own habitation! Everlasting chains is a metaphorical expression, which denotes a perpetual confinement, from which it is no more in their power to escape, than a man, who is strongly bound with iron chains, can break them. Unto the judgment of the great day — Elsewhere called the day of the Lord, and emphatically that day. In our Lord’s description of the general judgment, he tells us that the wicked are to depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels; which implies that these wicked spirits are to be punished with the wicked of mankind. Observe, reader, when these fallen angels came out of the hands of God, they were holy, (else God made that which was evil,) and being holy they were beloved of God, (else he hated the image of his own spotless purity.) But now he loves them no more, they are doomed to endless destruction; (for if he loved them still, he would love what is sinful;) and both his former love, and his present righteous and eternal displeasure, toward the same work of his own hands, are because be changeth not; because he invariably loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1:6 The angels might refer to the fall of Satan and his angelic followers, but no Old Testament passage clearly describes this event (see study notes on Isa 14:12-17; Ezek 28:12-19). Jude was probably referring to Gen 6:1-4; Jewish tradition understood the “sons of God” in Gen 6 to be wicked angels and viewed their intercourse with women as the cause of their judgment (see 1 Enoch 6–10; see also study notes on 1 Pet 3:19-20; 2 Pet 2:4). Jude later (Jude 1:14-15) quotes directly from 1 Enoch.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Jud 1:6. Ἀγγέλους, the angels) 2Pe 2:4, note.—μὴ τηρήσαντας, that kept not) They ought therefore to have kept it.—ἀρχὴν) their dignity; the state once for all assigned to them, under the Son of God: Colossians 1—ἀπολιπόντας, who left) of their own accord.—ἴδιον, their own) befitting them.—οἰκητηρίον, habitation) bright and shining, opposed to ζόφον, darkness.—ἀϊδίοις, everlasting) A dreadful epithet, as here used. So Jud 1:7, αἰωνίου, everlasting.—τετήρηκεν, He hath reserved) determined to reserve.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jud_1:6. A second example taken from the angelic world. As God spared not the people rescued from bondage, so neither did He spare the angels who left their habitation. This also was an admonitory representation for Christians, who, in the face of the high dignity which they possessed by redemption, yielded themselves to a life of vice.

ἀγγέλους τε τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας κ.τ.λ.] is, according to the construction, as the τε indicates, closely connected with the preceding.

ἀγγέλους without the article considered generally; the participle connected with the article indicates the definite class of angels who are here meant.

For the understanding of this verse the following points are to be observed:(1) By the twofold participial clause τοὺς μὴ … ἀρχήν and ἀπολιπόντας … οἰκητήριον, something sinful is attributed to the angels (2Pe_2:4 : ἁμαρτησάντων), on account of which the punishment expressed by εἰς κρίσεν … τετήρηκε was inflicted upon them; (2) The two clauses μὴ … ἀλλὰ … so correspond, that the second positive clause explains the first negative clause; and (3) what Jude says of the angels corresponds with the doctrine of the angels contained in the Book of Enoch.

τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν κ.τ.λ.] ἀρχή must here denote something which the angels by forsaking τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον did not preserve, but gave up or slighted. But by ἀπολ. τὸ ἴδ. οἰκητ., according to the Book of Enoch 12:4,[18] is meant their forsaking of heaven, and their descent to earth in order to go after the daughters of men (so also Hofmann); but not, as Hornejus and others think, the loss of the heavenly dwelling, which they drew upon themselves by conspiring against God; which would militate against the first observation.

By ἈΡΧΉ expositors understand either the original condition (origo: Calvin, Grotius, Hornejus,[19] and others), or the dominion which originally belonged to them (Bengel, de Wette, Wiesinger, Schott, Hofmann; Brückner thinks that the meaning dominion passes over into that of origin). According to the first explanation, the term is too indefinite, both in itself and in reference to the second parallel clause. It is in favour of the second explanation, that in the N. T. angels are often designated by the name ἀρχή, ἀρχαί; as also the prevailing idea among the Jews was, that to the angels a lordship belongs over the earthly creation. By this explanation, also, the two clauses correspond; instead of administering their office as rulers, they forsook their heavenly habitation, and thus became culpable. The explanation, according to which ἀρχὴ ἑαυτῶν denotes not the dominion of the angels, but the dominion of God, to which they were subjected, is both against linguistic usage and against the context.

εἰς κρίσιν … τετήρηκεν] Statement of the punishment. This also corresponds with the expression in the Book of Enoch, where in chap. 10:12 it is said: Bind them fast under the mountains of the earth … even to the day of judgment … until the last judgment will be held for all eternity.[20]

τετήρηκεν is in sharp contrast to μὴ τηρήσαντας: the perfect expresses an action begun in the past and continued in the present. The mode of retention is more precisely stated by δεσμοῖς ἀϊδίοις ὑπὸ ζόφον] By ἀϊδίοις the chains by which they are bound are designated as eternal, and incapable of being rent.

ὑπὸ ζόφον] ζόφος only here and Jud_1:13, and in the parallel passages 2Pe_2:4; 2Pe_2:17; comp. also Wis_17:2;[21] usually ΣΚΌΤΟς, the darkness of hell; ὙΠΌ is explained by conceiving the angels in the lowest depths of hell, covered with darkness.[22] In τετήρηκεν is not contained the final doom which will only take place at the general judgment; therefore: εἰς κρίσιν μεγάλης ἡμέρας] μεγ. ἡμέρα, without any further designation, used of the last judgment only here; the same adjective, as an attribute of that day, in Act_2:20; Rev_6:17; Rev_16:14.

[18] Announce to the watchers of heaven, who forsook the high heaven and their holy eternal abodes, and have corrupted themselves with women; xv. Jud_1:3 : Wherefore have ye forsaken the high and holy and eternal heaven, and have slept with women? … lxiv.: These are the angels who have gone down from heaven to earth; and other passages. Gen_6:2 lies at the foundation of this tradition, the explanation of which is to this day contested. Whilst Hofmann explains the expression בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים as a designation of the angels, Ferd. Philippi decidedly rejects this explanation.

[19] Hornejus, after Joh_8:44, designates as the original condition here meant, veritas i. e. innocentia et sanctitas. Stier thinks that the original condition was at the same time the ground of their nature and condition in God, or, as it is now perhaps called, the principle of their true life. They preserved not themselves in God, whilst they surrendered and lost the proper pure ground of their glorious being.

[20] Comp. also x. Jud_1:4 : Bind Azâzêl, and put him in darkness, xiv. 5, xxi. 10, etc. In the Midrasch Ruth in the Book of Zohar it is said: Postquam filii Dei filios genuerunt, sumsit eos Deus et ad montem tenebrarum perduxit, ligavitque in catenis ferreis, quae usque ad medium abyssi magnae pertingunt.

[21] Comp. also Hesiod. Theog. v. 729, where it is said:

[22] There is an apparent difference between what is here said and the representations of the N. T. elsewhere, according to which Satan and his ἄγγελοι have even now their residence in the air (Eph_2:2, or in the upper regions, ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, Eph_6:12), and although already judged by Christ (Joh_16:11), yet as κοσμοκράτορες exercise power over unbelievers, and also lay snares for believers, in order to bring them again into subjection. Expositors, in general, have attempted to reconcile this by referring this continued activity of the devil to the special permission of God; Calvin otherwise: porro nobis fingendus non est locus, quo inclusi sint diaboli; simpliciter enim docere voluit Ap., quam misera sit eorum conditio … nam quocunque pergant, secum trahunt sua vincula et suis tenebris obvoluti manent. Dietlein remarks on 2Pe_2:4 : Not only Tartarus, but also the chains of darkness, are to be understood in a local and corporeal sense, but not of such a locality, or of such an imprisonment in that locality, as would require an exclusion from our locality, or an incapability of movement through our locality. But all these artificial explanations are to be rejected, inasmuch as Jude does not speak of Satan and his angels, but of a definite class of angels, to whom, in agreement with the Book of Enoch, he refers Gen_6:2. This is correctly observed by Hofmann, Wiesinger, and Schott, with whom Brückner appears to agree; on the other hand, F. Philippi (p. 140) observes: Jude speaks here of the original fall of the angels from pride, not of their union with earthly women.

Ἔνθα θεοὶ Τιτῆνες ὑπὸ ζόφῳ ἠρόεντα

Κεκρύφαται, βουλῆσι Διὸς νεφεληγερέταο

Χώρῳ ἐν εὐρώεντι.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jud 1:6 . ἀγγέλους τε τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας τὴν ἐαυτῶν ἀρχὴν … εἰς κρίσιν … τετήρηκεν .] Cf. Clem. Al. Adumbr. “Angelos qui non servaverunt proprium principatum, scilicet quem acceperunt secundum profectum.” This of course supplies an even more striking instance of the possibility of falling away from grace, cf. Bede, “Qui angelis peccantibus non pepercit, nee hominibus parcet super-bientibus, sed et hos quoque cum suum principatum non servaverint, quo per gratiam adoptionis filii Dei effecti sunt, sed reliquerint suum domicilium, id est, Ecclesiae unitatem … damnabit”. On the Fall of the Angels see Introduction and the parallel passages in 2Pe 2:4 , and in Enoch, chapters 6 10.

ἀρχήν .] Used of office and dignity, as in Gen 40:21 of the chief butler: here perhaps of the office of Watcher, though Spitta takes it more generally of the sovereignty belonging to their abode in heaven = τὸν ἄνω κλῆρον in Clem. Al. 650 P. The term ἀρχή is used of the evil angels themselves in Eph 6:12 . Cf. Enoch xii. 4, of the Watchers (angels) who have abandoned the high heaven and the holy eternal place and defiled themselves with women, ib. xv. 3. Philo says of the fallen angels (M. i. p. 268), καλὸν μὴ λιποτακτῆσαι μὲν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τάξεως , ἐν ᾗ τοὺς τεταγμένους πάντας ἀριστεύειν ἀνάγκη , αὐτομολῆσαι δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἄνανδρον ἡδονήν . So Just. M [788] Apol. ii. 5, οἱ δʼ ἄγγελοι παραβάντες τήνδε τὴν τάξιν γυναικῶν μίξεσιν ἡττήθησαν with Otto’s n.

[788]. Codex Ruber (sæc. ix.), at the British Museum; it derives its name from the colour of the ink.

ἀπολιπόντας τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον . Cf. 2Co 5:2 , τὸ οἰκ . τὸ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ , and the quotation from Enoch in the last n. [For οἰκητήριον , cf. Enoch xv. 7 (the message of Enoch to the Watchers) “the spiritual have their dwelling in heaven” … ἡ κατοίκησις αὐτῶν ἔσται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς . Chase.]

εἰς κρίσιν μεγάλης ἡμέρας δεσμοῖς ἀϊδίοις ὑπὸ ζόφου τετήρηκεν . Cf. 2Pe 2:4 σειροῖς ζόφου ταρταρώσας , 2Pe 2:9 , ἀδίκους εἰς ἡμέραν κρίσεως κολαζομένους τηρεῖν , 2Pe 3:7 , τηρούμενοι εἰς ἡμέραν κρίσεως … τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων , Joe 2:31 , ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος … πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ Rev 6:17 , ἦλθεν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ , Rev 16:14 , συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον τῆς μεγάλης ἡμέρας τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος . Enoch 10:5, ἐπικάλυψον αὐτῷ (Azazel) σκότος , καὶ οἰκησάτω ἐκεῖ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα , Enoch 10:12, δῆσον αὐτοὺς … μέχρι ἡμέρας κρίσεως αὐτῶν , Enoch 12:11 (Gr. in Charles’ App. [789] ) μέχρι τῆς μεγάλης ἡμέρας τῆς κρίσεως , ib. liv. 6, note on xlv. 1. So ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου 1Co 1:8 , 2Pe 3:10 al. , ἐκείνη ἡ ἡμέρα 2Th 1:10 . On δεσμοῖς see En. liv. 3 5, “I saw how they made iron chains of immeasurable weight, and I asked for whom they were prepared, and he said unto me ‘These are prepared far the hosts of Azazel’.” cf. δέσμιοι σκότους ( Wis 17:2 ) of the plague of darkness.

[789] Codex Ephraemi (sæc. v.), the Paris palimpsest, edited by Tischendorf in 1843.

ἀϊδίοις . The chains are called “everlasting,” but they are only used for a temporary purpose, to keep them for the final judgment. It seems to be here synonymous with αἰώνιος in Jud 1:7 . So too in the only other passages in which it occurs in the Bible, Wis 7:26 , ἀπαύγασμά ἐστι φωτὸς ἀϊδίου , and Rom 1:20 , ἡ ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The fall of the Angels was most sincerely punished, how much more then will the Lord punish wicked and faithless men?

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 6. The angels which kept not their first estate] την εαυτωναρχην Their own principality. The words may be understood of their having invaded the office or dignity of some others, or of their having by some means forfeited their own. This is spoken of those generally termed the fallen angels; but from what they fell, or from what cause or for what crime, we know not. It is generally thought to have been pride; but this is mere conjecture. One thing is certain; the angels who fell must have been in a state of probation, capable of either standing or falling, as Adam was in paradise. They did not continue faithful, though they knew the law on which they stood; they are therefore produced as the second example.

But left their own habitation] This seems to intimate that they had invaded the office and prerogatives of others, and attempted to seize on their place of residence and felicity.

He hath reserved in everlasting chains] That is, in a state of confinement from which they cannot escape.

Under darkness] Alluding probably to those dungeons or dark cells in prisons where the most flagitious culprits were confined.

The judgment of the great day,] The final judgment, when both angels and men shall receive their eternal doom. See note on 2Pe 2:4. In Sohar Exod., fol. 8, c. 32: "Rabbi Isaac asked: Suppose God should punish any of his heavenly family, how would he act? R. Abba answered: He would send them into the flaming river, take away their dominion, and put others in their place." Some suppose that the saints are to occupy the places from which these angels, by transgression, fell.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. And the angels. This is an argument from the greater to the less; for the state of angels is higher than ours; and yet God punished their defection in a dreadful manner. He will not then forgive our perfidy, if we depart from the grace unto which he has called us. This punishment, inflicted on the inhabitants of heaven, and on such superior ministers of God, ought surely to be constantly before our eyes, so that we may at no time be led to despise God’s grace, and thus rush headlong into destruction.

The word ἀρχὴ in this place, may be aptly taken for beginning as well as for principality or dominion. For Jude intimates that they suffered punishment, because they had despised the goodness of God and deserted their first vocation. And there follows immediately an explanation, for he says that they had left their own habitation; for, like military deserters, they left the station in which they had been placed.

We must also notice the atrocity of the punishment which the Apostle mentions. They are not only free spirits but celestial powers; they are now held bound by perpetual chains. They not only enjoyed the glorious light of God, but his brightness shone forth in them, so that from them, as by rays, it spread over all parts of the universe; now they are sunk in darkness. But we are not to imagine a certain place in which the devils are shut up, for the Apostle simply intended to teach us how miserable their condition is, since the time they apostatized and lost their dignity. For wherever they go, they drag with them their own chains, and remain involved in darkness. Their extreme punishment is in the meantime, deferred until the great day comes.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

6. And the angels which kept not their first estate] The two last words answer to a Greek term which may either mean “beginning,” i.e. their original constitution, the meaning adopted in the English version, or “sovereignty.” The latter sense may mean either that they rejected the sovereignty of God, or that they abandoned the position of power and dignity which He had assigned them. Looking to the fact that the term is used in the New Testament, as by Jewish writers, as describing a class of angels (the “principalities” of Eph_1:21; Eph_3:10; Eph_6:12; Col_1:16; Col_2:15), the latter explanation is probably the true one. On the nature of the sin referred to, see notes on 2Pe_2:4.

but left their own habitation] As this is named as the sin, not as the punishment, it seems to imply a descent from the region of heaven to that of earth, like that implied in the language of Gen_6:2.

he hath reserved in everlasting chains …] The words, like those of 2Pe_2:4, seem to indicate a distinction between the angels who were thus punished, and the “demons” or “unclean spirits” with Satan at their head, who exercise a permitted power as the tempters, accusers, and destroyers of mankind, the “world-rulers of this darkness” of Eph_6:12, who even “in heavenly places” carry on their warfare against the souls of men. It is possible that St Jude recognised such a distinction. His language, like that of St Peter, follows the traditions of the Book of Enoch, which speaks of fallen angels as kept in their prison-house till the day of judgment (xxii. 4), and those which are represented by the Midrasch Ruth in the Book of Zohar, “After that the sons of God had begotten sons, God took them and brought them to the mount of darkness and bound them in chains of darkness which reach to the middle of the great abyss.” A fuller form of the Rabbinic legend relates that the angels Asa and Asael charged God with folly in having created man who so soon provoked Him, and that He answered that if they had been on earth they would have sinned as man had done. “And thereupon He allowed them to descend to earth, and they sinned with the daughters of men. And when they would have returned to Heaven they could not, for they were banished from their former habitation and brought into the dark mountains of the earth” (Nischmath Chaim in Nork’s Rabbinische Quellen und Parallelen). The resemblance between this tradition and that of the Zoroastrian legend of the fall of Ahriman and his angels, and again of the punishment of the Titans by Zeus in the mythology of Hesiod (Theogon. 729), shews the wide-spread currency of the belief referred to. How far this allusive reference to a tradition which the writers accepted stamps it with a Divine authority as an article of faith is a question the answer to which depends on external considerations as to the nature of the inspiration by which the writers who so referred were guided. The office of the interpreter is limited to stating what, as far as can be gathered, was actually in the thoughts of the writer.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the angels which kept not their first estate,.... 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 Pe2 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 (g),

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 Pe2 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 , "the day of the great judgment" (h). 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?

(g) Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 73. 1. Pirke Eliezer, c. 14, 22, 27. Zohar in Gen. fol. 28. 1. & Sepher Bahir in ib. fol. 27. 3. (h) Targum in Psal. l. 3.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And the angels which kept not their first estate - A second case denoting that the wicked would be punished. Compare the notes, 2Pe 2:4. The word rendered “estate” (ἀρχὴν archēn) 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 honor; 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, compare Eph 1:2; Eph 3:10; Col 2:10, as applied to angels; 1Co 15:24; Eph 6:12; Col 2:15, as applied to demons.

But left their own habitation - To wit, according to the common interpretation, in heaven. The word rendered “habitation” (οἰκητήριον oikētērion) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means here that heaven was their native abode or dwelling-place. They left it by sin; but the expression here would seem possibly to mean that they became “dissatisfied” with their abode, and voluntarily preferred to change it for another. If they did become thus dissatisfied, the cause is wholly unknown, and conjecture is useless. Some of the later Jews supposed that they relinquished heaven out of love for the daughters of men - “Robinson.”

He hath reserved in everlasting chains - See the notes, 2Pe 2:4. Peter says, “chains of darkness;” that is, the darkness encompasses them “as” chains. Jude says that those chains are “everlasting,” (δεσμοῖς ἀΐ́δίοις desmois aidios. Compare Rom 1:20, “his eternal power and Godhead.” The word does not elsewhere occur. It is an appropriate word to denote that which is eternal; and no one can doubt that if a Greek wished to express that idea, this would be a proper word to use. The sense is, that that deep darkness always endures; there is no intermission; no light; it will exist forever. This passage in itself does not prove that the punishment of the rebel angels will be eternal, but merely that they are kept in a dark prison in which there is no light, and which is to exist for ever, with reference to the final trial. The punishment of the rebel angels after the judgment is represented as an everlasting fire, which has been prepared for them and their followers, Mat 25:41.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Principality. That is, the state in which they were first created, their original dignity. (Challoner) --- Having given themselves over to [7] fornication, or to excessive uncleanness. --- Going after other flesh, and seeking unnatural lusts, with those of the same sex. (Witham) --- Impurity punished by fire and sulphur. Fire is a punishment proportioned to the criminal passion of the voluptuous. That of Sodom was most dreadful, but then it was of short duration. There is another fire that will never be extinguished.

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Given themselves over to fornication, exfornicatæ, Greek: ekporneusasai, excessive fornications, the signification being stronger, and increased by Greek: ek.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Kept not their first estate; in which they were created, their original excellency, truth, holiness, purity, Joh 8:44, as well as dignity.

But left their own habitation; viz. a heavenly one, from whence, though they were righteously thrust out by God, 2Pe 2:4, yet they may be truly said to have left it themselves, in that they voluntarily rebelled against the law of their creation, and committed that sin which they knew would certainly be punished with such a dejection.

He hath reserved in everlasting chains; into which, Peter says, they were delivered.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. SECOND EXAMPLE.—The fallen angels.

Which kept not their first estate—The fall of Satan is implied in the words ascribed to our Saviour, Joh_8:44, that Satan “abode not in the truth,” and it is symbolically predicted by him in Luk_10:18, (where see note.) It seems shadowed also in Rev_9:1; Rev_12:3-17. And these carry us back by analogy to Isa_14:12 :

“How art thou fallen from heaven,

O Lucifer, son of the morning!

How art thou cut down to the ground

Which didst weaken the nations!”

Here the downfall of the king of Babylon is described as the falling of Lucifer, (light-bearer,) or the morning star, in colourings so similar, that if we suppose the writer acquainted with the history of the fall of Satan it would seem to be borrowed from that event. And so Byron addressed Napoleon in similar allusive terms:—

“Since he miscalled the Morning Star,

Nor god nor man hath fallen so far.”

But nowhere in Scripture is this fall so distinctly described as here. The wars of the Titans against the gods, and their being cast down by Jupiter to Tartarus, furnished by Greek mythology, seems to be the Gentile side of the history. Their first estate was their primitive angelic dignity in the regions of celestial light.

Left their own habitation—Abandoned their princely residences, their divinely assigned sphere, in undutiful rebellion.

Hath reserved—Instead of annihilating them.

In everlasting chains—Not literally metallic chains, but limitations fixed upon them by divine power, excluding from the regions of glory, and fastening them in the regions of lower shade. See notes on Eph_4:10.

Darkness—Murkiness, deepening in descending density. They are under this darkness because it overlies them, and though it excludes them not from the atmosphere of this earth, so but that they may roam among men, they are bound down to this lower stratum. As they left their own residence in light, God has assigned them another residence in darkness.

The judgment of the great day— The Greek is without the definite article: unto judgment of great day; perhaps because the day became more definite after man became subjected to that same day of judgment; just as the final gehenna was “prepared for the devil and his angels,” Mat_25:41; where see note. And so the demons of Mat_8:24, feared that Jesus had come to torment them before the time.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The second instance of Divine judgment is taken from the angelic world. The copula connects it closely with the former, and gives it some emphasis: "angels, too," i.e., angels not less than the people selected by God to be a people for himself, have been examples of the terrible law of Divine retribution. The particular class of angels are defined as those who kept not their first estate; or better, their own principality. The idea conveyed by the term here is that of lordship rather than beginning. It is the term which is held by most commentators to be used as a title of angels in such passages as Col_1:16 Eph_1:21 Eph_3:10 Eph_6:12, etc., where mention is made of "principalities." In the present passage Tyndale, Cranmer, the Genevan and our Authorized Version agree in rendering it "first estate." But the Rhemish gives "principality," and Wickliffe has "princehood." Those seem right, therefore, who take the reference to be to the Jewish idea of a peculiar dignity or lordship held by the angels in creation. The sin alleged as the reason for the penalty which the writer recalls to the minds of his readers is that they failed to keep this lordship, and left their proper habitation; by which latter clause a descent to a different sphere of being is intended. The penalty itself is this that God hath kept them in everlasting chains (or, bonds, with the Revised Version) under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. It is well to retain the rendering "kept" in this clause, instead of the "reserved" of the Authorized Version. For the verb used in describing the sin and that used in describing the penalty are the same. As they "kept not their lordship," God has "kept them in everlasting bonds." The word by which the idea of the everlasting is expressed is a peculiarly strong one, occurring only once again in the New Testament, viz. in Rom_1:20, where it is applied to God"s eternal power." It designates these bonds as bonds from which there never can be escape. The place of this present penal detention is declared to be "under darkness." The term selected for the darkness, again, is an unusual one, occurring only here, in verse 13, 2Pe_2:4, 2Pe_2:17, and possibly Heb_12:18. It means the densest, blackest darkness, and is used both in Homer and in the apocryphal literature (RAPC Wis 17:2) of the darkness of the nether world. This darkness, as Dean Alford observes, is "considered as brooding over them, and they under it." But this present penal detention is itself the prelude to a still more awful doom judgment of the great day". (cf. Rev_6:17) There is a similar, but less definite, statement on the subject of angelic sin and penalty in 2Pe_2:4. But these representations differ greatly from others, (e.g., Eph_2:2 Eph_6:12) where the air or the heavenly places appear as the scenes occupied by evil spirits, and these spirits possess freedom. In the New Testament, indeed, there are no passages, except those in Peter and Jude, which speak of fallen angels as at present in bonds. Even in Mat_25:41, the statement is of a fate prepared, and nothing more. The difference in the two representations is due probably to a difference in the subjects. Other passages refer to the devil and his angels. But in the present passage there is nothing to indicate that the fall of Satan is in view. The sin suggested by the context is not the sin of pride, but a sin against nature. The reference, therefore, is taken to be to the Jewish idea that amatory passion is not limited to the creatures of earth, and that some angels, yielding to the spell of the beauty of the daughters of men, forsook their own kingdom, and entered unto unnatural relations with them. The Jewish belief is seen in the story of Asmodeus in the Book of Tobit; it is found by Josephus (who has been followed by not a few modern interpreters) in Gen_6:1-4; and it is given with special distinctness in the Book of Enoch.

Second example of Divine vengeance.

This is the case of the fallen angels.

I THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL ANGELS. It is expressly asserted in Scripture. There is no greater moral difficulty in understanding the existence of such beings than in understanding the existence of evil men. They are spoken of as "angels that sinned", (2Pe_2:4) as devils "who enter into men", (Luk_8:30) as beings to be judged by the saints. (1Co_6:3)

II THEIR REVOLT AND DEFECTION FROM GOD. "And angels which kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation." They are represented in the parallel passage in Peter as simply "the angels that sinned; and the devil is spoken of as not "abiding in the truth," and pride is assigned apparently as the cause of his fall. (1Ti_3:6) "It is hard to be high and not high-minded." But the allusion here is rather to the angels rejecting their high dignity of position in subjection to God, and departing from their habitations in heaven, as the consequence of the alienation caused by pride.

1. Their revolt was a dishonour to God.

(1) They slighted the place of his glory.

(2) They were the highest order of his creatures, and might have found their happiness in obedient service.

2. An evil nature cannot endure either the joys or the holiness of heaven.

3. It is a sin for the highest being to exempt himself from service.

4. The angels have a habitation in heaven.

III THE PUNISHMENT OF THE EVIL ANGELS. "He hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

1. There is a present punishment. They are "kept in everlasting bonds under darkness.

(1) There are the bonds of. God"s power. "The strong man is bound by a stronger than he." "The old dragon was bound for a thousand years.

(2) There are the bonds of sin, as if to account for the dread consistency of him "who sinneth from the beginning". (1Jn_3:8)

(3) There are the bonds of a guilty conscience, which cause the devils to tremble as they believe. (Jam_2:19)

(4) Yet restraint or torment cannot reform the evil angels.

(5) The devils cannot hurt us unless we get within the compass of their chains. Calvin says, "Wherever they go they drag with them their own chains, and remain involved in darkness.

(6) The darkness under which they are held points to their miserable condition, as signified by their separation from the presence of God, brought about as it was by their own act, and utterly irrevocable.

2. There is a future punishment. "Unto the judgment of the great day.

(1) The Lord will judge the angels in that day with the saints as his assessors. (1Co_6:3)

(2) The devil wilt be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

(3) There will be no further seduction of the wicked, and no further hurt to the elect. T.C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the angels, who kept not their first dignity - Once assigned them under the Son of God. But voluntarily left their own habitation - Then properly their own, by the free gift of God. He reserved - Delivered to be kept. In everlasting chains under darkness - O how unlike their own habitation! When these fallen angels came out of the hands of God, they were holy; else God made that which was evil: and being holy, they were beloved of God; else he hated the image of his own spotless purity. But now he loves them no more; they are doomed to endless destruction. (for if he loved them still, he would love what is sinful:) and both his former love, and his present righteous and eternal displeasure towards the same work of his own hands, are because he changeth not; because he invariably loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity. 2 Pet. ii, 4.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

great day

The judgment of the fallen angels. The "great day" is the day of the Lord Isa 2:9-22. As the final judgment upon Satan occurs after the thousand years, and preceding the final judgment Rev 20:10 it is congruous to conclude, as to the time, that other fallen angels are judged with him; 2Pe 2:4; Rev 20:10. Christians are associated with Christ in this judgment. For association with angels at judgment 1Co 6:3.

For other information (See Scofield "Rev 20:12").

angels (See Scofield "Heb 1:4").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The next example set before them, is that of the apostate angels, who for their rebellion against God were thrown down from heaven, and are reserved as so many prisoners in chains of darkness, to the judgment of the great day, when their condition will be more miserable than now it is. Now, if God did not spare apostatizing angels, surely he will not spare apostatizing seducers.

Note here, 1. The sin of the angels; they left their first state, namely, their state of holiness.

2. Their punishment; they left their own habitation, they departed from that place of happiness and glory which before they enjoyed; when they changed their nature, they changed their place: the presence of an holy God, is no place for unholy persons.

Note, 3. That the angels are kept in chains, and those chains are everlasting; the chain of God’s eternal decree holds them; the chain of their own guilt holds them; the chain of utter despair eternally holds them.

Note, 4. That the day of judgment will be a great day, and at that day the punishment of fallen angels will be far greater than now it is; when heaven’s joys are full, then hell’s torments will be full, and not before.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. Doubtless all created intelligences came into existence under probation. I opine the probation in many celestial worlds has already expired. It expires with us at death, “How thou art fallen, O Lucifer, the son of the morning.”

Isa 14:22. This is a prophetic allusion to the fall of Satan, who was a bright archangel. Lucifer, i.e., light-bearer, so called from the splendor of his glory. Unfortunately many angels followed his example, participating in his woes. Whence came all the devils who throng hell and curse earth, as God never created a devil nor a sinner? These are some of the inevitable liabilities of human freedom, virtue and responsibility. These devils have an awful dread of hell, preferring to roam over the earth seeking a tenement in human souls. I know some of the more guilty, pursuant to this Scripture, are locked in the deep, dark dungeons of hell “till the judgment of the great day.”

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. And the angels which kept not their first estate. See note on 2 Pet. 2:4. These angels, then, had fallen. Created holy, they had sinned and become wicked angels, or evil spirits. Left their own habitation. Their own proper home. Some see a reference to Gen. 6:2. He hath reserved. God hath imprisoned them and kept them for judgment.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

6. On the source see Introd. p. xlvii.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6.] Second example: the rebel angels. See 2Pe 2:4. And (τε shews that the connexion with the foregoing is very close) angels, those which kept not (ἀγγέλους is probably indefinite, and then the art. τούς designates those angels who are meant. μή stands with the part., not οὐ, because μὴ τηρήσαντας conveys not only the fact (cf. οἱ οὐκ ἠλεημένοι, 1Pe 2:10), but the reason for what follows: cf. Mat 18:25, μὴ ἔχοντος αὐτοῦ ἀποδοῦναι ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ πραθῆναι. See Act 21:34: Luk 12:47, ἐκεῖνος ὁ δοῦλος ὁ … μὴ ἑτοιάσας μηδὲ ποιήσας … δαρήσεται πολλάς: and many more examples in Winer, edn. 6, § 55, where the whole matter is ably discussed) their own dignity (some interpret ἀρχή, as E. V., “first estate,” “original condition.” So Erasm., Calv., and Beza, “originem:” Stier, “ihren ersten Grund:” some again, “the government which was over them,” viz. that of God: so Ollarius in a dissertation on this passage, cited in Wolf, h. l. But seeing that angels are often in the N. T. called ἀρχαί, as they also were among the Jews, and that such meaning answers best to the parallel clause which follows, there can be little doubt that the Vulg. “principatum” is right. The fact alluded to is probably that which is obscurely indicated in Gen 6:2. See prolegomena), but left their own (proper) habitation (viz. heaven), He hath kept (τετήρηκεν, in sharp contrast to τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας. The word is a pregnant one, ἔδησεν or περιέθηκεν, τοῦ τηρῆσαι) against the judgment of the great day (at the end of the world) in eternal bonds under darkness (cf. Hes., Theogon. 729, ἔνθα θεοὶ Τιτῆνες ὑπὸ ζόφον ἠεοόεντα | κεκρύφαται βουλῇσι Διὸς νεφεληγερέταο | χώρῳ ἐν εὐρώεντι. The ὑπό in both cases is to be accounted for by the darkness being considered as brooding over them, and they under it. There is apparently a difference which we cannot explain, between the description of the rebel angels here and in 2 Pet., and that in the rest of the N. T., where the devil and his angels are said to be powers of the air, and to go about tempting men. But perhaps we are wrong in absolutely identifying the evil spirits mentioned here with those spoken of in 2 Pet.).

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. ἀγγέλους. The Second Instance; the Fallen Angels.

“And the angels who kept not their own principality, but forsook their proper habitation, He hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude probably found σειραῖς in his copy of 2 Peter (see note on the corresponding passage), but it is just possible that he remembered to have read of “bonds” in Enoch. Ἀίδιος (it is an Aristotelian word, while αἰώιος is Platonist) occurs also in Rom 1:20. The absence of the article with ἀγγέλους is of no consequence, the particular angels being defined by the following article and participles, cf. 1Pe 1:10.

The principality of the angels is the special government or province intrusted to them by God. The passage which lay at the foundation of Jewish belief on this point is Deu 32:8, ὅτεδιεμέριζεν ὁ ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὠς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐγενήθη μερὶς Κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ—where κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ represent Hebrew words which in A.V. and R.V. are rendered “according to the number of the children of Israel.” The passage was taken to mean that God assigned the government of the several nations to guardian angels. Probably this view was older than the Septuagint, for there are many indications in the Old Testament that the gods of the nations were regarded as wicked angels. There was also another tradition that the seven planets were ruled by the seven chiefs of the angels of service. The planets, wandering stars (see below, ver. 13), were wicked stars, because they had broken loose from their appointed station. Hence their angels were punished. Enoch 18. 13 sqq., “And what I saw there was horrible—seven stars like great burning mountains, and like spirits, which besought me. The Angel said, This is the place where heaven and earth terminate; it serves as a prison for the stars of heaven and the host of heaven. And the stars which roll over the fire are they which have transgressed the commandment of God before their rising, because they did not come forth at the appointed time. And He was wroth with them, and bound them till the time when their guilt should be consummated in the year of the mystery.” Cf. Enoch 21:2 sqq. Jude says that they are bound “till the judgment of the great day.” This phrase also is suggested by Enoch, where we find ἕως τῆς κρίεως τῆς μωγάλης, μέχρις ὴμέρας κρίεως τῆς μεγάλης (ed. Charles, pp. 85, 86. see also Gfrörer, Jahrhundert des Heils, i. 394; Harnack’s note on Hermas, Sim. 8. 3:3). According to these traditions the sin of the fallen angels was pride or disobedience. This is the view adopted by Origen, in Ezech. Hom. ix. 2 (Lomm. i. 12 1), “Inflatio, superbia, arrogantia, peccatum diaboli est; et ob haec delicta ad terras migrauit de coelo.”

By the side of these ran another stream of tradition based on Gen. 6., according to which the sin of the fallen angels was lust. Justin, Apol. ii. 5, combines both, οἰ δʼ ἄγγελοι, παραβάντες τήνδε τὴν τάξυν, γυναικῶν μίξεσιν ἠττήθησαν.

St. Peter does not specify the sin of the fallen angels, but he is evidently referring to their ἀσέλγειαι. St. Jude is not content with a passing allusion; he develops and confuses it. When he says that the angels forsook their proper habitation (came down from heaven to earth), he is thinking of Gen_6.; when he says that they kept not their own principality, of Deu 32:8. Yet after all he has not made his point clear. For how could either the false teachers or their victims be said μὴ τηρῆσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν?

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

First estate [αρχην] . 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 8:38); rule (1Co 14:24). Compare Luk 12:11, magistrates; Rev., rulers; and Luk 20:20, power. Rev., rule. A peculiar use of the word occurs at Act 10:1, "the sheet knit at the four corners [αρχαις] ;" 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 8:38; Eph 1:21; so that this term would be appropriate to designate their dignity, which they forsook.

Habitation [οικητηριον] . Only here and 2Co 5:2.

Everlasting [αιδιοις] . Only here and Rom 1:20. For a longer form ajeidiov, from ajei, always.

Under darkness [υπο ζοφον] . under carries the sense of the darkness brooking over the fallen spirits. On darkness, see on 2Pe 2:4. Compare Heriod :

"There the Titanian gods, to murky gloom Condemned by will of cloud - collecting Jove, Lie hid in region foul." Theogony, 5, 729.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.