Revelation 9:20 describes people who witnessed terrible judgments and still refused to turn away from their false gods and sinful habits. The verse explains that the survivors kept worshiping idols made of metal and wood, along with demons, and did not change their ways. John, the author of Revelation, is recording a vision he received, so the words are addressed to the early churches who would read this letter and to the wider world it describes.
The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn’t repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn’t worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can’t see, hear, or walk.
Revelation 9:20 (WEB)
What Revelation 9:20 Means
The verse begins with “the rest of mankind,” meaning those who survived the plagues described just before it. Surviving disaster did not produce repentance in them. The word “repent” here means a genuine turning around, a change of mind and direction, and the verse says they refused to do it.
Next, the verse names what they continued to do: worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. John adds a sharp observation that these idols “can’t see, hear, or walk.” The point is that the things people trusted were lifeless and powerless, yet people still bowed to them. The verse is a warning about how worthless false worship is, and how it blinds people to the living God.
This verse does not promise that every survivor of hardship will automatically be converted, nor does it say God’s judgment always leads to repentance. It describes a sobering pattern of stubbornness. It should be read as a description of human hardness, not as a formula that tells us how any particular person will respond.
The Context of Revelation 9:20
Revelation is an apocalyptic prophecy, a book full of symbolic visions meant to encourage believers who faced hostility from the Roman world. Traditionally, the author is identified as John, and the book was written to seven churches in Asia Minor. Its imagery draws on the Old Testament prophets, who also condemned idolatry and warned of judgment.
The verses just before this one describe plagues from horses with lion-like heads, out of whose mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur, killing a third of humanity. Verse 20 then shows the response of those who survived. Verse 21 continues the list, adding murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, and theft as things they also refused to repent of. Read in this setting, verse 20 is part of a larger picture of a world that hears God’s warnings and still clings to its idols and wickedness.
Key Phrases in Revelation 9:20
Psalm 115:4-5
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they don’t speak. They have eyes, but they don’t see.
(WEB)
This psalm mirrors the description of idols in Revelation 9:20, emphasizing that idols have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see. It helps readers recognize the same empty pattern of false worship across the Scriptures.
Acts 17:30
The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent…
(WEB)
Paul speaks of God overlooking the times of ignorance and calling all people everywhere to repent. This verse shows God’s gracious invitation to turn from idols, the very call the people of Revelation 9:20 refused to heed.
A Short Prayer From Revelation 9:20
Lord, you see my heart and know every place where I have trusted something other than you. Forgive me for the idols I cling to, whether they are made of wood or simply of habits, plans, and fears. Soften whatever has grown hard in me, and give me a willingness to turn back to you each day. Help me rest in the God who sees, hears, and acts on behalf of those who trust him. Amen.
