Lexical Summary purósis: Burning, fiery trial, testing by fire Original Word: πύρωσις Strong's Exhaustive Concordance burning, trial. From puroo; ignition, i.e. (specially), smelting (figuratively, conflagration, calamity as a test) -- burning, trial. see GREEK puroo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom puroó Definition a burning, hence a refining NASB Translation burning (2), fiery ordeal (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4451: πύρωσιςπύρωσις, πυρώσεως, ἡ (πυρόω), a burning: Revelation 18:9, 18; the burning by which metals are roasted or reduced; by a figure drawn from the refiner's fire (on which cf. Proverbs 27:21), calamities or trials that test character: 1 Peter 4:12 (Tertullian adv. Gnost. 12 ne expavescatis ustionem, quae agitur in vobis in tentationem), cf. 1 Peter 1:7 ((ἡ πύρωσις τῆς δοκιμασίας, 'Teaching etc. 16, 5 [ET])). (In the same and other senses by Aristotle, Theophrastus, Plutarch, others.) Topical Lexicon Root Meaning and Imagery The word denotes an intense burning or fiery heat. In Scripture the image consistently serves a metaphorical function, portraying either the refining of God’s people through suffering or the consuming judgment of God against unrepentant wickedness. The same heat that purifies precious metal destroys dross; thus the term carries both hope and warning. Canonical Occurrences • 1 Peter 4:12 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.” The “fiery trial” is the crucible through which believers share in Christ’s sufferings, producing joy and glory. The Petrine use stresses purification of saints; the Johannine passages depict retributive judgment on end-time Babylon. Old Testament Echoes Malachi 3:2-3 speaks of the Lord “like a refiner’s fire,” promising to purify the sons of Levi. Psalm 66:10, Proverbs 17:3, and Zechariah 13:9 employ the furnace image to describe covenantal testing. Isaiah 47:14 and Jeremiah 51 anticipate Babylon’s final destruction by fire, forming the backdrop for Revelation 18. Theological Themes 1. Divine Refinement: God ordains trials to purge impurity and mature faith (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5). Christological and Ecclesiological Dimensions Christ endured the ultimate fiery ordeal at the cross, absorbing wrath so that His people might be refined rather than destroyed. The church, united to Him, experiences calibrated trials that conform her to His image, preparing the Bride for the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9). Eschatological Implications Revelation’s twin references anticipate a literal, global collapse of the final world system. The imagery underscores the immediacy and completeness of divine wrath: “Her plagues will come in a single day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire” (Revelation 18:8). The saints are called to separate from Babylon (Revelation 18:4) and to persevere, knowing that present sufferings contrast starkly with the impending conflagration upon evil. Pastoral and Discipleship Applications • Encourage believers to interpret hardships as purposeful refinement, not random misfortune. Historical Interpretation Early church fathers (e.g., Tertullian, Cyprian) viewed persecution as the furnace that strengthens the witness of the church. Reformers applied the term both to trials under oppressive regimes and to God’s purifying work through doctrinal reformation. Evangelical expositors continue to hold that personal afflictions and global upheavals alike serve God’s sanctifying and judicial purposes. Correlation with Related Greek Terms The concept integrates with δοκίμιον (“testing,” 1 Peter 1:7) and πύρ (“fire,” 1 Corinthians 3:13), forming a biblical theology of purgative suffering and eschatological fire. Unlike ordinary persecution (διωγμός), the word highlights the inner, purifying intent of God’s sovereign hand. Homiletical and Devotional Uses Sermons may contrast the refining fire of 1 Peter with the destructive fire of Revelation, urging listeners to embrace the former now to escape the latter later. Devotionally, meditating on fiery trials can foster gratitude for Christ’s presence “in the furnace” (Daniel 3:25) and anticipation of the New Jerusalem where “mourning and crying and pain will be no more” (Revelation 21:4). Key Cross References Isaiah 48:10; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2-3; 1 Corinthians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Revelation 18:4-9. Forms and Transliterations πυρωσει πυρώσει πυρωσεως πυρώσεως πύρωσις πυρωτών purosei purōsei puroseos purōseōs pyrosei pyrōsei pyrṓsei pyroseos pyrōseōs pyrṓseos pyrṓseōsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Peter 4:12 N-DFSGRK: ἐν ὑμῖν πυρώσει πρὸς πειρασμὸν NAS: do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among KJV: concerning the fiery trial which INT: among you fire for trial Revelation 18:9 N-GFS Revelation 18:18 N-GFS Strong's Greek 4451 |
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