Lexical Summary thanatos: Death Original Word: θάνατος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance deadly, death. From thnesko; (properly, an adjective used as a noun) death (literally or figuratively) -- X deadly, (be...) Death. see GREEK thnesko HELPS Word-studies 2288 thánatos (derived from 2348 /thnḗskō, "to die") – physical or spiritual death; (figuratively) separation from the life (salvation) of God forever by dying without first experiencing death to self to receive His gift of salvation. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom thnéskó Definition death NASB Translation danger of death (1), death (112), fatal (2), pestilence (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2288: θάνατοςθάνατος, θανάτου, ὁ (θανεῖν); the Sept. for מָוֶת and מוּת, also for דֶּבֶר pestilence (Winers Grammar, 29 note); (one of the nouns often anarthrous, cf. Winers Grammar, § 19, 1 under the word; (Buttmann, § 124, 8 c.); Grimm, commentary on Sap., p. 59); death; 1. properly, the death of the body, i. e. that separation (whether natural or violent) of the soul from the body by which the life on earth is ended: John 11:4 (13); Acts 2:24 (Tr marginal reading ᾅδου) (on this see ὠδίν); Philippians 2:27, 30; Hebrews 7:23; Hebrews 9:15; Revelation 9:6; Revelation 18:8; opposed to ζωή, Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 3:22; 2 Corinthians 1:9; Philippians 1:20; with the implied idea of future misery in the state beyond, 1 Corinthians 15:21; 2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 2:14f; equivalent to the power of death, 2 Corinthians 4:12. Since the nether world, the abode of the dead, was conceived of as being very dark, χώρα καί σκιά θανάτου (צַלְמָוֶת) is equivalent to the region of thickest darkness, i. e. figuratively, a region enveloped in the darkness of ignorance and sin: Matthew 4:16; Luke 1:79 (from Isaiah 9:2); θάνατος is used of the punishment of Christ, Romans 5:10; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:26; Philippians 3:10; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 2:(9),14; σῴζειν τινα ἐκ θανάτου, to free from the fear of death, to enable one to undergo death fearlessly, Hebrews 5:7 (but others besides); ῤύεσθαι ἐκ θανάτου, to deliver from the danger of death, 2 Corinthians 1:10; plural θανατοῖ, deaths (i. e. mortal perils) of various kinds, 2 Corinthians 11:23; περίλυπος ἕως θανάτου, even unto death, i. e. so that I am almost dying of sorrow, Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34 (λελύπημαι ἕως θανάτου, Jonah 4:9; λύπη ἕως θανάτου, Sir. 37:2, cf, Judges 16:16); μέχρι θανάτου, so as not to refuse to undergo even death, Philippians 2:8; also ἄχρι θανάτου, Revelation 2:10; Revelation 12:11; ἐσφαγμένος εἰς θάνατον, that has received a deadly wound, Revelation 13:3; πληγή θανάτου, a deadly wound (death-stroke, cf. Winer's Grammar, § 34, 3 b.), Revelation 13:3, 12; ἰδεῖν θάνατον, to experience death, Luke 2:26; Hebrews 11:5; also γεύεσθαι θανάτου (see γεύω, 2), Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27; διώκειν τινα ἄχρι θανάτου, even to destruction, Acts 22:4; κατακρίνειν τινα θανάτῳ, to condemn one to death (admortemdamnare, Tacitus), Matthew 20:18 (here Tdf. εἰς θάνατον); Mark 10:33, (see κατακρίνω, a.); πορεύεσθαι εἰς θάνατον, to undergo death, Luke 22:33; παραδιδόναι τινα εἰς θάνατον, that he may be put to death, Matthew 10:21; Mark 13:12; passive, to be given over to the peril of death, 2 Corinthians 4:11; παρέδωκαν ... εἰς κρίμα θανάτου, Luke 24:20; ἀποκτεῖναι τινα ἐν θανάτῳ (a Hebraism (cf. Buttmann, 184 (159f))), Revelation 2:23; Revelation 6:8 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 29 note); αἰτία θανάτου (see αἰτία, 2), Acts 13:28; Acts 28:18; ἄξιον τί θανάτου, some crime worthy of the penalty of death, Acts 23:29; Acts 25:11, 25; (Acts 26:31); Luke 23:15, 22 (here αἴτιον (which see 2 b.) θάνατος); ἔνοχος θανάτου, worthy of punishment by death, Matthew 26:66; Mark 14:64; θανάτῳ τελευτάτω, let him surely be put to death, Matthew 15:4; Mark 7:10, after Exodus 21:17 the Sept. (Hebrew יוּמָת מות); cf. Winers Grammar, § 44 at the end N. 3; (Buttmann, as above); θανάτου ... σταυροῦ, Philippians 2:8; ποιῶ θανάτῳ, by what kind of death, John 12:33; John 18:32; John 21:19. The inevitable necessity of dying, shared alike by all men, takes on in the popular imagination the form of a person, a tyrant, subjugating men to his power and confining them in his dark dominions: Romans 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:(26),54,56; Revelation 21:4; Hades is associated with him as his partner: 1 Corinthians 15:55 R G; Revelation 1:18 (on which see κλείς); 2. metaphorically, the loss of that life which alone is worthy of the name, i. e. "the misery of soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body": 2 Corinthians 3:7; James 1:15 (Clement of Rome, 2 Cor. 1, 6 [ET] says of life before conversion to Christ, ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ὅλος ἄλλο οὐδέν ἦν εἰ μή θάνατος (cf. Philo, praem. et poenis § 12, and references in 4 below)); opposed to ἡ ζωή, Romans 7:10, 13; 2 Corinthians 2:16; opposed to σωτηρία, 2 Corinthians 7:10; equivalent to the cause of death, Romans 7:13; σῴζειν ψυχήν ἐκ θανάτου, James 5:20; μεταβεβηκέναι ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τήν ζωήν, John 5:24; 1 John 3:14; μένειν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ, 1 John 3:14; θεωρεῖν θάνατον, John 8:51; γεύεσθαι θανάτου, John 8:52 (see 1 above); ἁμαρτία and ἁμαρτάνειν πρός θάνατον (see ἁμαρτία, 2 b.), 1 John 5:16f (in the rabbinical writers לָמוּת חֵטְא — after Numbers 18:22, the Sept. ἁμαρτία θανατηφόρος — is acrimen capitale). 3. the miserable state of the wicked dead in hell is called — now simply θάνατος, Romans 1:32 (Wis. 1:12f Wis. 2:24; Tatian or. ad Graec. c. 13; the author of the epistle ad Diognet. c. 10, 7 [ET] distinguishes between ὁ δοκῶν ἐνθάδε θάνατος, the death of the body, and ὁ ὄντως θάνατος, ὅς φυλάσσεται τοῖς κατακριθησομενοις εἰς τό πῦρ τό αἰώνιον); now ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος and ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος (as opposed to the former death, i. e. to that by which life on earth is ended), Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6, 14b; Revelation 21:8 (as in the Targums on Deuteronomy 33:6; Psalm 48:11 4. In the widest sense, death comprises all the miseries arising from sin, as well physical death as the loss of a life consecrated to God and blessed in him on earth (Philo, alleg. legg. i. § 33 ὁ ψυχῆς θάνατος ἀρετῆς μέν φθορά ἐστι, κακίας δέ ἀνάληψις (de profug. § 21 θάνατος ψυχῆς ὁ μετά κακίας ἐστι βίος, especially §§ 10, 11; qued det. pot. insid. §§ 14, 15; de poster. Cain. § 21, and de praem. et poen. as in 2 above)), to be followed by wretchedness in the lower world (opposed to ζωή αἰώνιος): θάνατος seems to be so used in Romans 5:12; Romans 6:16, 21 (Romans 6:23; yet others refer these last three examples to 3 above); Romans 7:24; Romans 8:2, 6; death, in this sense, is personified in Romans 5:14, 17, 21; Romans 7:5. Others, in all these passages as well as those cited under 2, understand physical death; but see Philippi on Romans 5:12; Messner, Lehre der Apostel, p. 210ff The noun thanatos appears 120 times in the Greek New Testament and encompasses physical demise (Matthew 26:66), spiritual separation from God (Romans 6:23), and the final, eternal state of judgment (Revelation 20:14). It may describe: Death as the Consequence of Sin From the garden forward, death is portrayed as the inevitable wage earned by human rebellion. “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Paul links death’s dominion to the condemning function of the Law (Romans 7:10; 1 Corinthians 15:56), emphasizing human inability to escape apart from divine intervention. Death in the Old Testament Background Hebrew Scripture presents death both as a physical event (Genesis 5) and as Sheol’s shadowy existence (Psalm 6:5). Prophets foresee its reversal in resurrection (Isaiah 25:8; Ezekiel 37). The Septuagint’s use of thanatos for Hebrew māwet sets the stage for New Testament development, where death becomes both a present power and an eschatological foe. Death Personified and the Power of Death New Testament writers often speak of death as an active ruler. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Hebrews portrays the devil as wielding “the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14), holding humanity in lifelong slavery (2:15). Revelation depicts Death riding with Hades (Revelation 6:8), emphasizing its temporary but terrifying authority. Death and the Work of Christ 1. Prophecy of His death (Matthew 20:18; Mark 10:33) Union with Christ in His Death Believers participate in Christ’s death through baptism (Romans 6:3-4), dying to sin’s reign and rising to new life. Paul’s aspiration is “to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). This union produces present victory over sin (Colossians 1:22) and guarantees future bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Believer’s Present Relation to Death Physical death remains, yet its sting is removed (1 Corinthians 15:55). For the saint it is “gain” (Philippians 1:20-23) and an entry into Christ’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8). Spiritual death is already reversed: “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death” (1 John 3:14). Death in Pastoral Ministry • Discipleship: Taking up the cross (Luke 9:27) involves daily dying to self. Death in Eschatology Death’s final defeat anchors Christian hope. At Christ’s return the dead in Him rise (1 Thessalonians 4:16), death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14), and creation is freed from corruption (Romans 8:21). The New Jerusalem is marked by the total absence of death, mourning, and pain (Revelation 21:4). Mission and Martyrdom Faithfulness “to the point of death” is commended (Revelation 2:10); martyrs conquer “by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:11). The church’s witness often advances through suffering, echoing Paul: “We who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:11-12). Death in Early Church and Historical Theology Early creeds foreground the death and resurrection of Christ as the core of the gospel. Patristic writers (e.g., Athanasius, On the Incarnation) celebrate death’s defeat. Reformation theology sharpened the forensic aspect: Christ bore the death-penalty, satisfying divine justice. Throughout church history, confidence in bodily resurrection has shaped Christian burial practices and missionary courage. Practical Ministry Applications 1. Evangelism clarifies that sin earns death, but God offers eternal life in Christ (Romans 6:23). Englishman's Concordance Matthew 4:16 N-GMSGRK: καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν NAS: AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT KJV: shadow of death light INT: and shadow of death a light has dawned Matthew 10:21 N-AMS Matthew 15:4 N-DMS Matthew 16:28 N-GMS Matthew 20:18 N-DMS Matthew 26:38 N-GMS Matthew 26:66 N-GMS Mark 7:10 N-DMS Mark 9:1 N-GMS Mark 10:33 N-DMS Mark 13:12 N-AMS Mark 14:34 N-GMS Mark 14:64 N-GMS Luke 1:79 N-GMS Luke 2:26 N-AMS Luke 9:27 N-GMS Luke 22:33 N-AMS Luke 23:15 N-GMS Luke 23:22 N-GMS Luke 24:20 N-GMS John 5:24 N-GMS John 8:51 N-AMS John 8:52 N-GMS John 11:4 N-AMS John 11:13 N-GMS Strong's Greek 2288 |
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