Revelation 9:20 Meaning and Explanation
“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Revelation 9:20 asks what suffering reveals about the human heart. Survival itself can become an occasion for humility, gratitude, and change. Here, however, those left alive continue giving their devotion to things they have made, though those things possess no life, perception, or power to guide.
The survivors of the terrible plagues refuse to turn from handmade idols and the spiritual powers joined to idolatry. Revelation exposes the tragedy of hearts remaining unmoved even amid severe warning.
The Context of Revelation 9:20
John's vision has reached the sixth trumpet, following the torment associated with the fifth trumpet. The vision describes a vast, fearful assault in which a third part of mankind is killed by fire, smoke, and brimstone. Verse 20 turns from the agents and scale of the plague to the moral response of those who remain. Verse 21 continues the same charge by naming murders, sorceries, fornication, and thefts. Together, these closing verses interpret the scene: the calamity has exposed persistent rebellion rather than producing repentance among many survivors.
What Does Revelation 9:20 Mean?
The phrase "the rest of the men" directs attention to those spared from the deaths described in verses 17-18. They were "not killed by these plagues," yet their continued life did not lead them to repent. Repentance here involves turning away from "the works of their hands," especially the objects they made for worship. John names idols of precious metals, common metals, stone, and wood. Their materials differ in cost and durability, while their shared inability remains plain: they cannot see, hear, or walk. People may shape them, carry them, and honor them, yet no created object can rightly receive the worship due to the living God.
John also says that this idolatry involved worshipping "devils." The verse therefore treats idol worship as more than an error about physical objects. Scripture recognizes a spiritual bondage joined to devotion that abandons God for false powers. The idols themselves are lifeless, while the worship given through them draws people into fellowship with powers opposed to God. The chapter has displayed dreadful destructive forces, and verse 20 identifies a deeper disorder beneath outward ruin: people continue trusting and serving what cannot give life. Verse 21 shows that this misplaced worship bears moral fruit in violence, deception, sexual unfaithfulness, and theft.
The language closely echoes Scripture's earlier witness against idols, especially its insistence that objects made by human hands lack sight, hearing, and movement. Such descriptions do more than ridicule carved images. They call God's people to recognize the difference between the Creator who sees, hears, speaks, and acts, and things fashioned from created material. In the wider book of Revelation, worship belongs before God's throne and is also given to the Lamb. Revelation 9:20 therefore prepares us to see worship as a matter of allegiance. The warning invites a truthful turning toward God, whose living presence and righteous rule endure through judgment and mercy.
Bible Verses Related to Revelation 9:20
“They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.”
- Deuteronomy 32:17
“They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:”
- Psalm 115:5
“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”
- Acts 17:29
“But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:20
Where Revelation 9:20 Echoes in Scripture
Psalm 115:5 provides a particularly close canonical echo, describing idols in terms of their inability to speak and see. Revelation 9:20 extends the same biblical testimony by adding hearing and walking, then places it within a final vision of judgment. The echo makes clear that John's concern belongs to a longstanding scriptural call to reserve worship for the living God rather than for crafted things.
How to Apply Revelation 9:20 Today
Our idols may be visible objects, or they may take the form of possessions, influence, achievement, pleasure, fear, or any created thing treated as our final security. This verse invites honest examination of where our confidence and devotion are being placed. We can bring those attachments before God in prayer, confessing the ways they have directed our choices. The passage also joins worship with conduct. A renewed allegiance to God reaches into how we speak, acquire, use power, keep promises, and treat our neighbors. Repentance becomes concrete as our practices are brought into the light of God's rule.
Reflection & Prayer
What created thing has been carrying more of our trust than it can bear? Where might our habits reveal an allegiance that needs to be reordered? Suggested prayer: Living God, show us every false refuge we have honored. Turn our hearts toward you, teach us faithful worship, and shape our daily actions by your truth and mercy. Amen.