Tartarus is the name given in 2 Peter 2:4 to the place of confinement where God cast certain rebellious angels, committing them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.
The word appears only once in the New Testament and is drawn from Greek language and culture, where it referred to the lowest, deepest realm of the underworld.
Peter uses it to describe a real, intermediate state of punishment for angels who sinned.
It stands as a sobering reminder of God’s justice and of the certainty of final judgment for all who rebel against Him.
In 2 Peter 2 the apostle warns against false teachers by pointing to three historical examples of God’s judgment: the angels who sinned, the ancient world in the flood, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Concerning the angels, Peter writes that God did not spare them but cast them into Tartarus and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment. The parallel passage in Jude 6 speaks of angels who did not stay within their own position of authority but left their proper dwelling, whom God has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day. Tartarus is therefore not the final lake of fire, but a present place of secure confinement for certain fallen angels until the day of judgment. The exact identity of these angels (whether connected with Genesis 6 or another rebellion) is debated, yet the main point is clear: God judges rebellion decisively and holds the rebellious for final sentencing.
- Tartarus is mentioned only once in Scripture (2 Peter 2:4) and describes a place of confinement for angels who sinned.
- It is characterized by chains (or pits) of gloomy darkness and is temporary — until the judgment.
- The parallel in Jude 6 confirms that these angels are kept in eternal chains under darkness until the great day.
- Tartarus is distinct from the final lake of fire; it is an intermediate holding place.
- The example serves as a warning that God does not overlook rebellion, even among powerful spiritual beings.
- Human false teachers who despise authority and indulge in corruption will face a similar certainty of judgment.
- God’s justice is thorough: He spares neither rebellious angels nor an unrepentant world.
- Biblical Occurrence – Found only in 2 Peter 2:4.
- Occupants – Angels who sinned / who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling.
- Nature – A place of confinement with chains (or pits) of gloomy darkness.
- Duration – Temporary, until the judgment of the great day.
- Purpose – Secure holding for final sentencing; a demonstration of God’s justice.
- Background of the Word – Borrowed from Greek usage for the deepest, most severe region of the underworld.
- Warning Function – Used by Peter to assure readers that the judgment of false teachers is certain.
- 2 Peter 2:4 – “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell [Tartarus] and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment…”
- Jude 6 – “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.”
- 2 Peter 2:9 – “Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”
- Revelation 20:10, 14-15 – The final destination of the devil and all whose names are not in the book of life is the lake of fire — the second death (distinct from the intermediate confinement of Tartarus).
- Matthew 25:41 – “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
- 1 Peter 3:19-20 – Christ went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey (a related but debated passage concerning imprisoned spirits).
- Genesis 6:1-4 – The account of the “sons of God” and the daughters of men, often discussed in connection with the angels of 2 Peter and Jude.
- Isaiah 24:21-22 – “On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.”
Tartarus is a rarely mentioned but sobering reality in Scripture. God did not spare angels when they sinned. He cast them into a place of gloomy confinement, bound and kept for the day of judgment. If the Lord dealt so decisively with rebellious spiritual beings, the judgment of human false teachers and all who reject Him is certain. At the same time, the passage assures believers that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. Tartarus stands as a warning against presumption and a reminder that the justice of God is thorough and inescapable. The final destination of all evil is the lake of fire, but even now God holds the rebellious under guard. Fear God, cling to Christ, and take no comfort in the apparent delay of judgment — the Judge of all the earth will do right.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.