OliveGrove
Pressing the Word of God for Deeper Understanding.
Greek · G2851 · unreviewed

κόλασις

Penal infliction

These lexicon entries are being actively developed. If you notice missing content, incorrect definitions, or have suggestions, we'd love to hear from you. Share a note on our Connect page and include a screenshot if helpful.

κόλασις G2851
Pronunciation kólasis

What does κόλασις (kólasis) mean in the Bible?

κόλασις (kólasis) is a Greek word meaning "penal infliction". κόλασις, -εως, ἡ (κολάζω), [in LXX: Eze. Fear tied to punitive expectation is incompatible with mature love rooted in Christ’s atonement. This term runs through the canonical themes of Messiah, Priesthood.

Full entry for κόλασις (G2851) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

penal infliction
Extended definition

Punishment aimed at correction and reformation of the sufferer, not mere retribution or vengeance.

(κολάζω), [in LXX: Eze.14:3-7 18:30 44:12, (מִכְשׁוֹל) Eze.43:11, λαμβάνειν τὴν κ. (כָּלַם ni.); Wis.11:13 16:2, 24 19:4, Jer.18:20, 2-4 Mac.5 * ;] correction, penalty, punishment: Mat.25:46, 1Jn.4:18.

Synonymsτιμωρία, requital. Arist. distinguishes between κ . as that which, being disciplinary, has reference to the sufferer, and τ. as that which, being penal, has reference to the satisfaction of him who inflicts (see Thayer, see word κ., and cf. Tr., Syn., § vii). But in late Gk. especially, the distinction is not always maintained (see reff. in Thayer)
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Why This Word Matters
Fear tied to punitive expectation is incompatible with mature love rooted in Christ’s atonement. 1 John 4:17-21
Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 25:46 · 1 John 4:18 2×
2 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Canonical Themes
Messiah Priesthood
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 4:17-21 punishment kólasis Accusative · Singular · Feminine
Corrective or retributive penalty.
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.

αἰώνιος · κόλασις G166, G2851
eternal punishment, final punitive judgment
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.

Matthew 25 — Readiness, Stewardship, and the Final Judgment of the Son of Man

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

Full license details