Greek · G1497 · unreviewed

εἴδωλον

Idol

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εἴδωλον G1497

Pronunciation eídōlon

What does εἴδωλον (eídōlon) mean in the Bible?

εἴδωλον (eídōlon) is a Greek word meaning "idol". εἴδωλον, -ου, τό (εἶδος), [in LXX for אֱלוֹהָּ, גְּלוּלִים, etc. Represents any rival allegiance that displaces devotion to the true God. This term runs through the canonical themes of Faith.

Full entry for εἴδωλον (G1497) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

idol

Extended definition

An idol is both the physical image and the false god it represents, conflating object with deity.

(εἶδος), [in LXX for אֱלוֹהָּ, גְּלוּלִים, etc. ;]

1in cl.

aa phantom, image, likeness;

ban image in the mind, an idea, fancy.

2In LXX and NT,

aan image of a god, an idol (cf. Polyb., xxxi, 3, 13): Act.7:41, 1Co.12:2, Rev.9:20;

bthe false god or idol worshipped in an image (ICC, on I Th, l.with): Act.15:20, Rom.2:22, 1Co.8:4, 7 10:19 2Co.6:18, 1Th.1:9, 1Jn.5:21.

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith

Why This Word Matters

Represents any rival allegiance that displaces devotion to the true God. 1 John 5:18-21

The letter ends with a warning that any substitute for the true God undermines authentic faith.

Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Neuter 1 Cor 8:4 · 1 Cor 10:19 2×

Genitive · Plural · Neuter Acts 15:20 · 2 Cor 6:16 · 1 Thess 1:9 · 1 John 5:21 4×

Genitive · Singular · Neuter 1 Cor 8:7 1×

Dative · Singular · Neuter Acts 7:41 1×

Accusative · Plural · Neuter Rom 2:22 · 1 Cor 12:2 · Rev 9:20 3×

Canonical Themes

Faith

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

New Testament Witnesses

1 John 5:18-21 idols eídōlon Genitive · Plural · Neuter

False representations or substitutes for God.

Additional Occurrences

1-john Idols eídōlon

false representation or substitute deity

Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

1 Corinthians 8 — Knowledge, Love, and the Weak Brother in a World of Idols Acts 15 — The Gospel of Grace Clarified and the Gentiles Received

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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