Lexical Summary eidólolatrés: Idolater Original Word: εἰδωλολάτρης Strong's Exhaustive Concordance idolater. From eidolon and the base of latreuo; an image- (servant or) worshipper (literally or figuratively) -- idolater. see GREEK eidolon see GREEK latreuo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom eidólon and latris (a hired servant) Definition an image worshiper NASB Translation idolater (2), idolaters (5). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1496: εἰδωλολάτρηςεἰδωλολάτρης ἐιδωλολατρου, ὁ (εἴδωλον, and λάτρις i. e. a hireling, servant, slave), a worshipper of false gods, an idolater, (Tertullianidololatres): 1 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:15; anyone, even a Christian, participant in any way in the worship of heathen, 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 6:9; especially one who attends their sacrificial feasts and eats of the remains of the offered victims, 1 Corinthians 10:7; a covetous man, as a worshipper of Mammon, Ephesians 5:5; cf. Meyer at the passage (Ecclesiastical writings (cf. Winer's Grammar, 100 (94f)).) Topical Lexicon Essential Meaning Strong’s Greek 1496 designates the person who gives devotion, service, or allegiance to any substitute for the living God. In Scripture the word exposes both overt pagan worship and more subtle forms of misplaced trust, so that “idolater” functions as a spiritual diagnosis rather than a mere sociological label. Old Testament Foundation The New Testament writers assume the Hebrew Scriptures’ relentless condemnation of idolatry. From the golden calf incident in Exodus to the prophetic indictments of Baal worship, Israel’s history demonstrates that idolatry breaks covenant, provokes divine jealousy, and invites judgment. The first two commandments (“You shall have no other gods before Me” and “You shall not make for yourself a carved image”) form the moral backdrop against which the New Testament usage of 1496 must be read. Greco-Roman Background First-century believers inhabited a world saturated with temples, household gods, emperor worship, and trade-guild feasts held in honor of patron deities. Participation in civic life often required eating meat sacrificed to idols or attending cultic celebrations. Thus, to renounce idolatry meant social and economic loss, making the term “idolater” a sharp boundary marker between church and surrounding culture. Occurrences in the New Testament The noun appears seven times: 1 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Corinthians 10:7, Ephesians 5:5, Revelation 21:8, and Revelation 22:15. Paul uses the word to instruct and warn the churches; John employs it in Revelation to depict the final destiny of the unrepentant. Paul’s Instruction to the Corinthians Corinth, with its temples to Aphrodite, Poseidon, and others, supplied daily temptations. Idolatry and Covetousness in Ephesians Ephesians 5:5 extends the concept from statues to desires: “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person—that is, an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”. Greed transposes worship from a shrine to the heart, revealing that anything treasured above God becomes an idol. Eschatological Warnings in Revelation John places idolaters outside the eternal city (Revelation 22:15) and assigns them to the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8): “But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”. The word therefore frames idolatry as a decisive factor in final judgment. Theological Significance 1. Exclusive Allegiance: Scripture insists that worship belongs to God alone; idolatry is spiritual adultery. Pastoral and Discipleship Applications • Church Discipline: Paul’s directives in 1 Corinthians guide congregations in addressing professing believers entangled in idolatry. Summary Strong’s 1496 exposes the perennial human tendency to replace God with lesser loves. Whether carved images in ancient temples or contemporary obsessions cloaked in respectability, idolatry provokes divine wrath and excludes from the kingdom. By holding fast to Christ in faith, believers demonstrate the exclusive devotion that God requires and graciously enables. Forms and Transliterations ειδωλολατραι ειδωλολάτραι εἰδωλολάτραι ειδωλολατραις ειδωλολάτραις εἰδωλολάτραις ειδωλολατρης ειδωλολάτρης εἰδωλολάτρης eidololatrai eidololátrai eidōlolatrai eidōlolátrai eidololatrais eidololátrais eidōlolatrais eidōlolátrais eidololatres eidololátres eidōlolatrēs eidōlolátrēsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Corinthians 5:10 N-DMPGRK: ἅρπαξιν ἢ εἰδωλολάτραις ἐπεὶ ὠφείλετε NAS: or with idolaters, for then KJV: or with idolaters; for INT: swindlers or idolaters since you ought 1 Corinthians 5:11 N-NMS 1 Corinthians 6:9 N-NMP 1 Corinthians 10:7 N-NMP Ephesians 5:5 N-NMS Revelation 21:8 N-DMP Revelation 22:15 N-NMP Strong's Greek 1496 |
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