Lexical Summary aisthétérion: Sense, faculty of perception Original Word: αἰσθητήριον Strong's Exhaustive Concordance a senseFrom a derivative of aisthanomai; properly, an organ of perception, i.e. (figuratively) judgment -- senses. see GREEK aisthanomai HELPS Word-studies 145 aisthētḗrion (a neuter noun derived from aio, "perceive, discern through the senses") – properly, "the organ of sense" (BAGD), emphasizing the result of sensory experience (sensation) – i.e. moral feeling to know what is right or wrong in God's eyes (used only in Heb 5:14 and in the plural). "145 (aisthētērion, neuter noun) focuses on the principle of sense and especially its result. 144 /aísthēsis (the feminine cognate) is the brand of sense-discernment which shrewdly sizes things up. 145 (aisthētḗrion) is "the concrete organ of sense, becoming virtually a habitual ability which must be developed and enables believers to distinguish between the spirits. It is a spiritual gift which must be developed in practice" (DNTT, 2, 391). [Like 144 /aísthēsis, 145 /aisthētḗrion comes from 143 /aisthánomai ("to perceive with the aid of the physical senses").] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom aisthanomai and -térion (suff. denoting place) Definition organ of perception NASB Translation senses (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 145: αἰσθητήριοναἰσθητήριον, , τό, an organ of perception; external sense, (Hippocrates); Plato, Ax. 366 a.; Aristotle, polit, 4, 3, 9, others; faculty of the mind for perceiving, understanding, judging, Hebrews 5:14 (Jeremiah 4:19 αἰσθητήριον τῆς καρδίας, 4 Macc. 2:22 (common text) τά ἔνδον αἰσθητήρια). Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence and Immediate Context Hebrews 5:14 presents αἰσθητήρια as the “senses” belonging to believers who are “mature.” The writer contrasts infants who subsist on “milk” (Hebrews 5:13) with those able to digest “solid food,” clarifying that maturity is measured not by chronological age or religious heritage but by an exercised capacity “to distinguish good from evil.” The verb “have trained” (gegymnasmena) frames these senses within rigorous, ongoing discipline, underscoring that discernment is acquired through repeated obedience to God’s word (Hebrews 12:11). Spiritual Discernment as Mark of Maturity 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 affirms that the spiritual person “judges all things,” while Romans 12:2 links transformation of mind with testing and approving “what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Philippians 1:9-10 prays for “knowledge and every kind of discernment” so that believers “may approve the things that are excellent.” Together these passages reveal that the senses spoken of in Hebrews refer to a Spirit-enabled faculty that evaluates reality through the lens of revealed truth. Relationship to Training and Discipline Gymnastic language pervades Hebrews (Hebrews 12:1, Hebrews 12:11) and situates αἰσθητήρια within the imagery of the palestra, where repetition and exertion hone skill. For Christians, practice involves continual exposure to Scripture (Psalm 1:2), submission to godly correction (Proverbs 9:8-9), participation in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16), and persevering obedience (James 1:22-25). As exercise strengthens a limb, so habitual compliance with divine commandments sensitizes moral perception. Old Testament Echoes and Continuity The command in Deuteronomy 30:15-16 to “choose life” and the prayer of Solomon for “a discerning heart” (1 Kings 3:9) anticipate the mature capacity highlighted in Hebrews. Isaiah 7:15 attributes moral discernment to the coming Immanuel, bridging Old Covenant expectation with New Covenant fulfillment in the One who Himself embodies perfect judgment (John 5:30). New Testament Parallels Discernment surfaces as an essential grace throughout the apostolic writings: These texts affirm that αἰσθητήρια encompass doctrinal, ethical, and relational discrimination. Historical and Cultural Background Hellenistic moralists spoke of αἰσθήσεις as inner faculties distinguishing virtue from vice. By adopting the plural form, the author of Hebrews taps familiar vocabulary yet baptizes it with covenantal content: the training ground is not Stoic meditation but covenant obedience, and the goal is conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29). Theological Significance 1. Regeneration grants capacity for discernment (Ephesians 2:5). Thus αἰσθητήρια illustrate the already-and-not-yet tension of Christian growth. Practical Ministry Application • Preaching: Expositional teaching supplies the “solid food” necessary for sense-training (2 Timothy 4:2). Implications for Teaching and Preaching Hebrews 5:14 warns against perpetual infancy; congregations starved of robust doctrine will lack discernment. Teachers must therefore move beyond elementary truths (Hebrews 6:1-2) without neglecting them, providing a balanced diet that cultivates perception and equips saints for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Personal and Corporate Spiritual Formation Individually, believers cultivate αἰσθητήρια through: Corporately, the local church functions as the training arena, where mutual exhortation (Hebrews 10:24-25) and shared experiences of grace forge collective discernment, enabling the body to resist false teaching and display holiness in a confused world. In sum, Strong’s Greek 145 highlights a God-given, Spirit-energized capacity that must be disciplined through constant engagement with truth, resulting in believers—and churches—able to recognize the contours of righteousness and walk accordingly. Forms and Transliterations αισθητηρια αισθητήρια αἰσθητήρια αισθητική aistheteria aisthetḗria aisthētēria aisthētḗriaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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