894. apsinthos
Lexical Summary
apsinthos: Wormwood

Original Word: ἀψίνθιον
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine; Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: apsinthos
Pronunciation: ap'-sin-thos
Phonetic Spelling: (ap'-sin-thos)
KJV: wormwood
NASB: Wormwood
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. wormwood (as a type of bitterness
2. (figuratively) calamity)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
wormwood.

Of uncertain derivation; wormwood (as a type of bitterness, i.e. (figuratively) calamity) -- wormwood.

HELPS Word-studies

894 ápsinthos – a bitter plant known as "wormwood"; (figuratively) what is intensely bitter (grievous), bringing on very sad results (used only in Rev 8:11).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
wormwood
NASB Translation
Wormwood (1), wormwood (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 894: ἄψινθος

ἄψινθος, ἀψινθου, , wormwood, Absinthe: Revelation 8:11; ἄψινθος ibid. is given as a proper name to the star which fell into the waters and made them bitter.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Symbolism in Scripture

Wormwood is consistently employed in Scripture as an emblem of intense bitterness, sorrow, and judgment. The plant’s extremely bitter taste became a vivid metaphor for moral poison and the painful consequences of sin. In both Testaments, wormwood is linked to the turning of life-giving water into something harmful, underlining the seriousness of divine retribution on rebellion.

Occurrences in Revelation

Revelation 8:11 records the third trumpet judgment: “The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood, and many people died from the bitter waters”. Here the imagery moves from metaphor to an eschatological event. The celestial object named Wormwood falls upon rivers and springs, altering fresh water into a lethal draught. The singular placement of the word—one lower-case (ἄψινθον) and one capitalized (Ἄψινθος)—underscores both the quality (bitter) and the personified agency (the star itself) involved in the judgment.

Old Testament Background

1. Deuteronomy 29:18 warns that idolatry will bring forth “poisonous vines of gall and wormwood,” foretelling national calamity if the covenant is breached.
2. Jeremiah 9:15 and Jeremiah 23:15 record the Lord’s intent to “feed this people with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink,” an indictment against persistent unfaithfulness.
3. Lamentations 3:15, 19 employs wormwood to describe Jerusalem’s grief after the Babylonian conquest.
4. Amos 5:7 and Amos 6:12 condemn perversions of justice that turn righteousness into “wormwood.”

Collectively, these texts lay the theological backdrop for Revelation: idolatry, injustice, and doctrinal corruption invite judicial bitterness.

Historical and Botanical Context

Botanically identified as Artemisia absinthium and related species, wormwood grew readily throughout the Mediterranean world. Its leaves and oil served limited medicinal purposes for digestive ailments, but taken in quantity they produced nausea and even neurological toxicity. The plant’s paradox—ostensibly helpful yet potentially harmful—mirrors the spiritual truth that what appears advantageous apart from God inevitably becomes destructive.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Retribution: Bitterness of wormwood is a just response to obstinate sin (Jeremiah 9:15; Revelation 8:11).
2. Moral Consequences: Actions contrary to God’s statutes produce internal and societal bitterness (Proverbs 5:3-4).
3. Covenant Fidelity: Israel’s history with wormwood illustrates the blessings of obedience versus the curses of rebellion (Deuteronomy 29:18-20).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Preaching and Teaching: Wormwood offers a clear picture of the cost of sin. Its use assists pastors and teachers in illustrating how seemingly small compromises can contaminate entire communities (Hebrews 12:15).
• Counseling: The metaphor of bitterness helps believers identify unforgiveness or doctrinal error that, if unaddressed, can “defile many.”
• Worship and Prayer: Corporate confession can acknowledge the Lord’s right to discipline, petitioning Him to sweeten bitter waters just as He did at Marah (Exodus 15:23-25).

Eschatological Significance

The third trumpet stands as a sobering preview of the finality of divine judgment. The global scale—“a third of the waters”—signals that the Tribulation intensifies the Old Testament pattern. Wormwood’s eschatological appearance underlines that present history is moving toward an appointed climax where Christ, rather than creation, will be the eternal source of living water (Revelation 22:1-3).

Christological Perspective

At Calvary, Jesus was offered gall, a bitter mixture (Matthew 27:34), foreshadowing His bearing of all wormwood-like judgment for believers. The Gospel reverses Revelation’s plague for those who trust Him: instead of drinking bitterness, they receive “the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17).

Warnings and Assurance

Scripture’s use of wormwood offers a twofold message. First, it warns that persistent unbelief will culminate in irreversible bitterness. Second, it assures the faithful that God’s judgments are right and that His ultimate purpose is to remove every source of bitterness from the new creation.

Forms and Transliterations
αψινθον άψινθον ἄψινθον Αψινθος άψινθος Ἄψινθος apsinthon ápsinthon Apsinthos Ápsinthos
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Revelation 8:11 N-NFS
GRK: λέγεται Ὁ Ἄψινθος καὶ ἐγένετο
NAS: is called Wormwood; and a third
KJV: is called Wormwood: and
INT: is called Wormwood and becomes

Revelation 8:11 N-AFS
GRK: ὑδάτων εἰς ἄψινθον καὶ πολλοὶ
NAS: became wormwood, and many
KJV: became wormwood; and
INT: waters to wormwood and many

Strong's Greek 894
2 Occurrences


ἄψινθον — 1 Occ.
Ἄψινθος — 1 Occ.

893
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