2851. kolasis

Lexical Summary

kolasis: Punishment, correction

Original Word: κόλασις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: kolasis
Pronunciation: KO-lah-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (kol'-as-is)
KJV: punishment, torment
NASB: punishment
Word Origin: [from G2849 (κολάζω - punish)]

1. penal infliction

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

punishment, torment.

From kolazo; penal infliction -- punishment, torment.

see GREEK kolazo

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 2851 kólasis (from kolaphos, "a buffeting, a blow") – properly, punishment that "fits" (matches) the one punished (R. Trench); torment from living in the dread of upcoming judgment from shirking one's duty (cf. WS at 1 Jn 4:18).

Perfected love casts out tormenting fear (2851 /kólasis)

1 Jn 4:17,18: "¹⁷By this, love is perfected [brought to its higher stages] with us, so that we may continuously have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment [2851 /kólasis, "torment"], and the one who fears is not perfected in love."

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from kolazó
Definition
correction
NASB Translation
punishment (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2851: κόλασις

κόλασις, κολάσεως, ἡ (κολάζω), correction, punishment, penalty: Matthew 25:46; κόλασιν ἔχει,brings with it or has connected with it the thought of punishment, 1 John 4:18. (Ezekiel 14:3f, etc.; 2 Macc. 4:38; 4 Macc. 8:8; Wis. 11:14 Wis. 16:24, etc.; Plato, Aristotle, Diodorus 1, 77 (9); 4, 44 (3); Aelian v. h. 7, 15; others.) [SYNONYMS: κόλασις, τιμωρία: the noted definition of Aristotle, which distinguishes κόλασις from τιμωρία as that which (is disciplinary and) has reference to him who suffers, while the latter (is penal and) has reference to the satisfaction of him who inflicts, may be found in his rhet. 1, 10, 17; cf. Cope, Introduction to Aristotle, Rhet., p. 232. To much the same effect, Plato, Protag. 324 a. and following, also deff. 416. But, as in other cases, usage (especially the later) does not always recognize the distinction; see e. g. Philo de legat. ad Gaium § 1 at the end; fragment ex Eusebius prepos. evang. 8, 13 (Mang. 2:641); de vita Moys. 1:16 at the end; Plato de sera num. vind. §§ 9, 11, etc. Plutarch (ibid. § 25 under the end) uses κολάζομαι of those undergoing the penalties of the other world (cf. Justin Martyr, Apology 1, 8; Clement of Rome, 2 Cor. 6, 7 [ET]; Justin Martyr, Apology 1, 43; 2, 8; Test xii. Patr., test. Reub. 5; test. Levi 4, etc.; Martyr. Polycarp, 2, 3 [ET]; 11, 2 [ET]; Ignatius ad Rom. 5, 3 [ET]; Martyr Ignatius vat. 5 etc.). See Trench, Synonyms, § vii.; McClellan, New Testament, vol. i., margin references on Matt. as above; Bartlett, Life and Death Eternal. Note G.; C. F. Hudson, Debt and Grace, p. 188ff; Schmidt, chapter 167, 2f.]

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Context

The noun κόλασις surfaces only twice in the Greek New Testament, yet it stands at two key theological junctions—Jesus’ eschatological teaching on final judgment (Matthew 25:46) and John’s pastoral treatment of the believer’s assurance (1 John 4:18). Though sparse in occurrence, the word gathers around it the broader canonical witness to God’s righteous retribution and the believer’s deliverance from wrath through union with Christ.

Divine Retribution in Matthew 25:46

In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus concludes, “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). Here κόλασις is explicitly described as “eternal,” set in stark antithesis to “eternal life.” The phrase embeds several themes:
• Retributive justice: Punishment is rendered “according to deeds” (cf. Romans 2:6).
• Irreversibility: The destiny is everlasting, paralleling the eternality of life for the redeemed, underscoring the symmetry of final outcomes.
• Christological authority: The Son of Man presides as Judge (Matthew 25:31-34), affirming that final judgment is delegated to Christ (John 5:22). This grounds the certainty of κόλασις in the lordship and veracity of Jesus.

Perfect Love and the Expulsion of Fear in 1 John 4:18

John writes, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment” (1 John 4:18). For the believer, κόλασις represents the judicial fear that haunts the guilty conscience. The apostle’s argument unfolds:
• Atonement secured: Love is “perfected” because “He sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
• Assurance granted: Fear of κόλασις evaporates where fellowship with God is intact.
• Sanctification promoted: The removal of punitive dread frees believers to practice fearless obedience and sacrificial love.

Old Testament Background

While κόλασις itself is rare in the Septuagint, the concept of divine punishment saturates the Old Testament. Passages such as Deuteronomy 32:35, Psalm 94:2, and Isaiah 66:24 anticipate a decisive reckoning. These texts provide the moral substrate for Jesus’ and John’s usage: God punishes covenant breakers yet extends covenant mercy to the faithful.

Intertestamental Development

Second Temple literature sharpened eschatological contours: works like 1 Enoch 22 and 4 Ezra 7 envisaged final destinies of torment and bliss. Such writings informed first-century Jewish expectation, supplying cultural soil for Jesus’ depiction of “eternal punishment” and for Johannine assurances against it.

Patristic Usage

Early church fathers echoed the New Testament pattern. Justin Martyr contrasted “eternal punishment” with “eternal salvation,” while Tertullian emphasized the moral urgency that the prospect of κόλασις instills. The fathers consistently linked divine punishment to God’s holiness and mankind’s moral agency.

Theological Significance

1. Justice and Holiness: κόλασις testifies that sin is not merely error but culpable rebellion demanding satisfaction.
2. Vindication of the Righteous: The same act that condemns the wicked vindicates the faithful, vindicating God’s covenant promises.
3. Motivation for Evangelism: Awareness of eternal punishment fuels missionary urgency (2 Corinthians 5:11).
4. Assurance of Salvation: For believers, the specter of κόλασις is dispelled by the perfect love manifested at the cross, fostering boldness “in the day of judgment” (1 John 4:17).

Pastoral and Missional Applications

• Preaching: Faithful proclamation must present both the reality of eternal punishment and the free offer of eternal life.
• Discipleship: Believers are nurtured to maturity not by fear of punitive wrath but by gratitude for redeemed standing, leading to holy living (Titus 2:11-14).
• Counseling: For those battling anxiety over salvation, 1 John 4:18 supplies a Christ-centered remedy—ground assurance in the objective love of God rather than subjective performance.
• Ethics: Recognition of ultimate accountability restrains evil and encourages justice in societal structures (Romans 13:4).

Summary

κόλασις unveils both the severity of divine judgment and the sufficiency of divine love. In Matthew, it warns the unrepentant; in 1 John, it consoles the redeemed. Together, these texts summon sinners to repentance, embolden saints with assurance, and exalt the glory of God’s holiness and grace.

Forms and Transliterations

κολασιν κόλασιν kolasin kólasin

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 25:46 N-AFS
GRK: οὗτοι εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον οἱ
NAS: into eternal punishment, but the righteous
KJV: everlasting punishment: but
INT: these into punishment eternal

1 John 4:18 N-AFS
GRK: ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ
NAS: involves punishment, and the one who fears
KJV: fear hath torment. He that feareth
INT: the fear torment has he who

Strong's Greek 2851
2 Occurrences

κόλασιν — 2 Occ.