3997. penthos

Lexical Summary

penthos: Mourning, grief, sorrow

Original Word: πένθος
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: penthos
Pronunciation: PEN-thos
Phonetic Spelling: (pen'-thos)
KJV: mourning, sorrow
NASB: mourning
Word Origin: [strengthened from the alternate of G3958 (πάσχω - suffer)]

1. grief

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

mourning, sorrow.

Strengthened from the alternate of pascho; grief -- mourning, sorrow.

see GREEK pascho

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 3997 pénthos – mourning, sadness. See 3996 (pentheō).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
mourning
NASB Translation
mourning (5).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3997: πένθος

πένθος, πένθους, τό (πένθω ((?); akin, rather, to πάθος, πένομαι (cf. πένης); see Curtius, p. 53; Vanicek, p. 1165)), from Homer down, the Sept. for אֵבֶל, mourning: James 4:9; Revelation 18:7; Revelation 21:4.

Topical Lexicon

Scope of Usage

Penthos (Strong’s 3997) appears five times in the Greek New Testament, describing deep, heartfelt mourning. In each context the grief is not a fleeting emotion but an intense reaction to sin, judgment, or loss—often in view of divine action.

James 4:9 and the Call to Repentant Mourning

James exhorts complacent believers: “Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom” (James 4:9). The word signals a repentance that moves beyond intellectual assent to a sorrow so profound it alters demeanor and lifestyle. Such godly sorrow (compare 2 Corinthians 7:10) leads to humility before God and thus opens the way to grace (James 4:6).

Revelation 18 and the Lament over Babylon

The seer uses penthos three times in depicting the downfall of the end-time commercial empire:
• “Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself” (Revelation 18:7).
• “She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18:8).

In these verses mourning is the just recompense for arrogant self-indulgence. Later, kings, merchants, and mariners “weep and mourn” over Babylon’s ruin (context vv. 9-19). Penthos thereby becomes a theological counterweight: worldly opulence that once produced self-congratulation is replaced by anguish under divine judgment.

Revelation 21 and the End of Mourning

The same term receives its final mention in the promise of the new creation: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). Here penthos is abolished, demonstrating God’s ultimate purpose to reverse the curse introduced in Genesis 3. The eschatological vision turns the mourning of fallen humanity into everlasting comfort for the redeemed.

Theology of Mourning

1. Moral Dimension: Penthos is most often linked to sin (James 4) or divine retribution (Revelation 18). True mourning recognizes God’s holiness and human culpability.
2. Prophetic Warning: Like the oracles of Isaiah or Jeremiah, Revelation 18 uses mourning as a prophetic sign that no power, however entrenched, can evade judgment.
3. Covenant Comfort: Revelation 21 fulfills Old Testament promises such as Isaiah 25:8: “The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face.” Penthos is not eternal for God’s people; it serves a temporary, purifying role.

Contrasting Godly and Worldly Mourning

• Godly mourning (James 4:9) is voluntary, Spirit-wrought, and results in repentance and restoration.
• Worldly mourning (Revelation 18) is forced, self-centered, and leads only to despair because it arises after the opportunity for repentance has closed.

Pastoral Implications

• Preaching should not bypass the call to mourn over sin; penthos prepares hearts for the joy of forgiveness.
• Believers who experience bereavement can be assured that mourning has an expiration date in God’s redemptive plan (Revelation 21:4).
• The church must beware the spirit of Babylon; luxury without regard for holiness ends in grief.

Old Testament Continuity

Penthos echoes the Hebrew concept of “mourning” (ʼevel) found in passages such as Joel 2:12-13, where God invites His people to return with weeping. The New Testament usage confirms continuity between the covenants: sorrow over sin precedes renewal, while judgment brings inevitable lament to the unrepentant.

Christological Fulfillment

Jesus, the Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53:3), embodies righteous mourning. His atoning work provides the basis for Revelation 21:4. Because He bore our griefs, He will finally remove every cause of grief from His people.

Summary

Penthos frames the believer’s journey from contrition (James 4) through the world’s final reckoning (Revelation 18) to everlasting consolation (Revelation 21). It testifies that divine justice and mercy are perfectly balanced: mourning is demanded where sin reigns, yet it is forever banished where the Lamb reigns.

Forms and Transliterations

πένθει πενθος πένθος πένθους πενία πενίαν πενίας penthos pénthos

Englishman's Concordance

James 4:9 N-ANS
GRK: ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω καὶ
NAS: be turned into mourning and your joy
KJV: be turned to mourning, and [your] joy
INT: of you to mourning let be turned and

Revelation 18:7 N-ANS
GRK: βασανισμὸν καὶ πένθος ὅτι ἐν
NAS: her torment and mourning; for she says
KJV: torment and sorrow give her:
INT: torment and mourning Because in

Revelation 18:7 N-ANS
GRK: εἰμί καὶ πένθος οὐ μὴ
NAS: and will never see mourning.'
KJV: shall see no sorrow.
INT: I am and mourning never not

Revelation 18:8 N-NNS
GRK: θάνατος καὶ πένθος καὶ λιμός
NAS: pestilence and mourning and famine,
KJV: death, and mourning, and famine;
INT: death and mourning and famine

Revelation 21:4 N-NNS
GRK: ἔτι οὔτε πένθος οὔτε κραυγὴ
NAS: longer be [any] mourning, or
KJV: death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
INT: any longer nor mourning nor crying

Strong's Greek 3997
5 Occurrences

πένθος — 5 Occ.