5020. tartaroó
Lexical Summary
tartaroó: to cast into Tartarus, to confine in hell

Original Word: ταρταρόω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tartaroó
Pronunciation: tar-tar-OH-o
Phonetic Spelling: (tar-tar-o'-o)
KJV: cast down to hell
NASB: cast into hell
Word Origin: [from Tartarus (the deepest dungeon of Hades, known as the Abyss)]

1. to incarcerate in the Abyss "Tatarus" to await final judgement and eternal torment

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cast into hell.

From Tartaros (the deepest abyss of Hades); to incarcerate in eternal torment -- cast down to hell.

HELPS Word-studies

5020 tartaróō – properly, send to Tartarus ("Tartaros"). The NT uses 5020 (tartaróō) for the netherworld – the place of punishment fit only for demons. Later, Tartaros came to represent eternal punishment for wicked people.

"5020 (tartaróō) is a Greek name for the under-world, especially the abode of the damned – hence to cast into hell" (A-S); to send into the subterranean abyss reserved for demons and the dead.

[In Greek mythology, Tartarus was a "place of punishment under the earth, to which, for example, the Titans were sent" (Souter).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from Tartaros (a Gr. name for the abode of the damned)
Definition
to cast into hell
NASB Translation
cast...into hell (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5020: ταρταρόω

ταρταρόω, ταρτάρῳ: 1 aorist participle ταρταρώσας; (τάρταρος, the name of a subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds; it answers to the Gehenna of the Jews, see γηννα); to thrust down to Tartarus (sometimes in the Scholiasts) (cf. Winers Grammar, 25 (24) n.); to hold captive in Tartarus: τινα σειραῖς (which see) σοφοῦ, 2 Peter 2:4 (A. V. cast down to hell (making the dative depend on παρέδωκεν)).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Background

Strong’s Greek 5020 designates God’s decisive action of consigning rebellious angels to a place of punitive confinement often referred to in the Greco-Roman world as “Tartarus.” Scripture employs the verb only once, portraying the Lord as sovereign Judge who restricts these supernatural beings in a realm of darkness until the final assize. While Hellenistic literature imagined Tartarus as the deepest, most dreadful region of the underworld, the biblical writer adapts the term to communicate a distinctly biblical reality: God alone determines the fate of His creatures, and no power—celestial or terrestrial—can escape His justice.

Biblical Occurrence

2 Peter 2:4: “For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of darkness to be held for judgment”.

Peter introduces this single occurrence within a triad of divine judgments (angels, antediluvian world, Sodom and Gomorrah) to demonstrate with cumulative force that the Lord both judges wickedness and rescues the godly. The verb underscores the certainty and severity of judgment upon false teachers who similarly rebel against rightful authority (2 Peter 2:1, 2 Peter 2:9).

Historical Context and Extra-Biblical Usage

In classical mythology, Tartarus was a subterranean abyss beneath Hades where the Titans suffered eternal punishment. Second Temple Jewish literature (for example, 1 Enoch 10:4-14; 2 Baruch 56:13) appropriated this imagery to depict a dark holding place for disobedient angels. Peter’s audience—vivified by the cultural memory of such writings—would grasp at once the gravity of divine censure. The apostle, however, reframes the idea: Tartarus is not a mythological prison but a very real dimension in which God confines fallen angels until the final judgment described in Revelation 20:10.

Relationship to Angelic Rebellion

The sin “when they sinned” likely recalls the primeval rebellion alluded to in Jude 6: “And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day”. Whether Peter is referencing the Genesis 6 incursion or an earlier celestial revolt, the point remains: angels possessed of immense glory fell under God’s wrath when they transgressed fixed boundaries. Their confinement demonstrates that no creature’s status exempts it from divine law.

Theological Significance

Judicial Certainty: The aorist tense portrays an accomplished act; the sentence is already enacted though the full penalty awaits (compare Revelation 20:10).

Moral Warning: If angels—beings superior to humans in power—could not evade punishment, how much more should humans heed the gospel call (Hebrews 2:2-3)?

Providential Timing: God can reserve judgment while history unfolds (2 Peter 3:9), proving that delayed justice is not denied justice.

Cosmic Order: The verb affirms a structured universe under God’s governance; spiritual rebellion results in real, not merely symbolic, consequences.

Implications for Believers

Assurance of Deliverance: Peter’s argument culminates in comfort—“the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:9). The same God who restrains rebellious angels promises preservation for believers amid persecution.

Sobriety in Teaching: False doctrine carries dire outcomes. Spiritual leaders must respect the authority and purity of Scripture lest they imitate the arrogance of the fallen angels (James 3:1).

Hope of Final Vindication: Present evil, whether human or demonic, is temporary. God has already shown His willingness and capacity to incarcerate evil powers; He will consummate that victory at Christ’s return (Colossians 2:15).

Related Passages

Jude 6; Revelation 20:10; Genesis 6:1-4; Job 4:18; 1 Peter 3:19-20; Revelation 12:7-9; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 5020 encapsulates God’s decisive judgment against rebellious angels by consigning them to a dark domain until the final judgment. Its lone biblical appearance powerfully supports Peter’s larger message: God punishes the wicked and preserves the righteous. For the church, the term stands as both warning and assurance—warning that spiritual arrogance invites severe retribution, and assurance that ultimate justice rests in the hands of a sovereign, righteous, and unfailing Judge.

Forms and Transliterations
ταρταρωσας ταρταρώσας tartarosas tartarōsas tartarṓsas
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Peter 2:4 V-APA-NMS
GRK: σειραῖς ζόφου ταρταρώσας παρέδωκεν εἰς
NAS: when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed
KJV: but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered
INT: to chains of darkness having cast [them] to the deepest abyss delivered [them] for

Strong's Greek 5020
1 Occurrence


ταρταρώσας — 1 Occ.

5019
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