Lexical Summary apóleia: Destruction, ruin, loss, perdition Original Word: ἀπώλεια Strong's Exhaustive Concordance damnation, destruction, perish, waste. From a presumed derivative of apollumi; ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal) -- damnable(-nation), destruction, die, perdition, X perish, pernicious ways, waste. see GREEK apollumi HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 684 apṓleia (from 622 /apóllymi, "cut off") – destruction, causing someone (something) to be completely severed – cut off (entirely) from what could or should have been. (Note the force of the prefix, apo.) See 622 (apollymi). 684 /apṓleia ("perdition") does not imply "annihilation" (see the meaning of the root-verb, 622 /apóllymi, "cut off") but instead "loss of well-being" rather than being (Vine's Expository Dictionary, 165; cf. Jn 11:50; Ac 5:37; 1 Cor 10:9-10; Jude 11). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom apollumi Definition destruction, loss NASB Translation destruction (13), destructive (1), perdition (1), perish (1), waste (1), wasted (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 684: ἀπώλειαἀπώλεια, ἀπωλείας, ἡ (from ἀπόλλυμι, which see); 1. actively, a destroying, utter destruction: as, of vessels, Romans 9:22; τοῦ μύρου, waste, Mark 14:4 (in Matthew 26:8 without a genitive) (in Polybius 6, 59, 5 consumption, opposed to τήρησις); the putting of a man to death, Acts 25:16 Rec.; by metonymy, a destructive thing or opinion: in plural 2 Peter 2:2 Rec.; but the correct reading ἀσελγείαις was long ago adopted here. 2. passively, a perishing, ruin, destruction; a. in general: τό ἀργύριον σου σύν σοι εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν, let thy money perish with thee, Acts 8:20; βυρθίζειν τινα εἰς ὄλεθρον καί ἀπώλειαν, with the included idea of misery, 1 Timothy 6:9; αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας destructive opinions, 2 Peter 2:1; ἐπάγειν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπώλειαν, ibid. cf. 2 Peter 2:3. b. in particular, the destruction which consists in the loss of eternal life, eternal misery, perdition, the lot of those excluded from the kingdom of God: Revelation 17:8, 11, cf. Revelation 19:20; Philippians 3:19; 2 Peter 3:16; opposed to ἡ περιποίησις τῆς ψυχῆς, Hebrews 10:39; to ἡ ζωή, Matthew 7:13; to σωτηρία, Philippians 1:28. ὁ υἱός τῆς ἀπωλείας, a man doomed to eternal misery (a Hebraism, see υἱός, 2): 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (of Antichrist); John 17:12 (of Judas, the traitor); ἡμέρα κρίσεως καί ἀπωλείας τῶν ἀσεβῶν, 2 Peter 3:7. (In secular authors from Polybius as above (but see Aristotle, probl. 17, 3, 2, vol. ii., p. 916{a}, 26; 29, 14, 10 ibid. 952^b, 26; Nicom. eth. 4, 1 ibid. 1120{a}, 2, etc.); often in the Sept. and O. T. Apocrypha.) The word translated “destruction,” “perdition,” or “waste” gathers within itself the ideas of ruin, loss, and utter undoing. It can describe the squandering of material goods (Matthew 26:8) as easily as the irreversible fate of the impenitent (Matthew 7:13). The nuance must be discerned from context; but whether temporal or eternal, the focus is always on a state that opposes the good purposes of God and stands under His judgment. Old Testament and Intertestamental Background Although the exact term is Greek, its sense is foreshadowed in Hebrew words such as ʾăbaddôn and šāḥaṯ, places or conditions of ruin (Job 26:6; Proverbs 15:11). Second-Temple literature increasingly associated “destruction” with eschatological judgment, paving the way for the New Testament’s concentrated usage. Synoptic Gospels: Destructive Waste and the Broad Road 1. Material Waste (Matthew 26:8; Mark 14:4) The disciples’ indignation over the “waste” of costly perfume illustrates that the term can denote profligate squandering. Though the object is temporal, the moral question is already spiritual: the value system that dismisses lavish love for Christ is self-condemning. 2. Destructive Destiny (Matthew 7:13) The “broad way that leads to destruction” contrasts with the “narrow gate” leading to life. Here “destruction” is ultimate and final, highlighting two mutually exclusive destinies and summoning hearers to decisive repentance. Luke-Acts: Judgment on Mercenary Religion Acts 8:20 records Peter’s stern verdict: “May your silver perish with you.” The Apostle identifies monetary manipulation of spiritual gifts as a pathway to ruin, a theme that will recur in the pastoral epistles. Pauline Epistles: Ethical Trajectories and Eschatological Ends 1. Personal Conduct (Philippians 3:19; 1 Timothy 6:9) Self-indulgence (“their god is their belly”) and greed (“those who want to be rich”) culminate in “destruction.” The moral choices of the present project themselves into an irreversible future unless arrested by grace. 2. Corporate Witness (Philippians 1:28) Believers’ fearless testimony is “a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved.” The church’s perseverance becomes a visible eschatological marker distinguishing the redeemed from the perishing. 3. Sovereign Justice (Romans 9:22) “Vessels of wrath prepared for destruction” underscores divine patience even toward those who persistently refuse Him, revealing both God’s longsuffering and His right to judge. 4. Eschatological Personification (2 Thessalonians 2:3) The “man of lawlessness—the son of destruction” incarnates rebellion. He not only faces doom; he embodies it, serving as a living warning that self-exaltation before God ends in catastrophe. Petrine Epistles: False Teaching and Swift Ruin Peter’s second letter concentrates the term: • “Destructive heresies” that “bring swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1). False doctrine is never merely intellectual error; it is a spiritual cancer that hastens ruin, both for its purveyors and for those who follow them. Johannine Literature: The Betrayer and the Kept Ones John 17:12 records Jesus’ prayer: “None has been lost except the son of destruction.” Judas exemplifies deliberate unbelief maturing into irrevocable loss, yet even his betrayal fulfills Scripture, underscoring the inviolable plan of God. Apocalyptic Visions: Beastly Doom Revelation 17 twice declares that the beast “is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction” (verse 8) and “is going to destruction” (verse 11). Earthly power structures energized by evil appear formidable, but their termination is certain and foreknown. Temporal Ruin versus Eternal Perdition The fluidity of the term guards readers against trivializing sin. Material waste in the Gospels reflects heart priorities; unchecked, those priorities harden into eternal trajectories. Conversely, repentance can redirect a life headed for ruin into the path of salvation. Theological Reflection through the Centuries Early creeds affirmed “the resurrection of the just and the unjust,” implicitly endorsing a two-fold outcome mirrored in the term. Augustine warned that perdition is not annihilation but living death; the Reformers linked it with the justice of God against unatoned sin. Historic orthodoxy has therefore treated “destruction” as real, conscious, and final. Pastoral and Evangelistic Implications 1. Urgency: The breadth of the “way to destruction” (Matthew 7:13) mandates clear preaching of repentance and faith. Homiletical and Discipleship Uses • Contrast of roads (Matthew 7:13-14) offers a compelling evangelistic outline. Conclusion Every instance of this term testifies that God’s moral order is inviolable. Whether detailing foolish waste, doctrinal error, or apocalyptic judgment, Scripture uses “destruction” to expose the end of all that resists His grace and glory, compelling humankind toward the narrow gate that leads to everlasting life. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 7:13 N-AFSGRK: εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν καὶ πολλοί NAS: that leads to destruction, and there KJV: that leadeth to destruction, and many INT: to destruction and many Matthew 26:8 N-NFS Mark 14:4 N-NFS John 17:12 N-GFS Acts 8:20 N-AFS Romans 9:22 N-AFS Philippians 1:28 N-GFS Philippians 3:19 N-NFS 2 Thessalonians 2:3 N-GFS 1 Timothy 6:9 N-AFS Hebrews 10:39 N-AFS 2 Peter 2:1 N-GFS 2 Peter 2:1 N-AFS 2 Peter 2:3 N-NFS 2 Peter 3:7 N-GFS 2 Peter 3:16 N-AFS Revelation 17:8 N-AFS Revelation 17:11 N-AFS Strong's Greek 684 |
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