254. halusis
Lexical Summary
halusis: Chain

Original Word: ἅλυσις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: halusis
Pronunciation: hä'-lü-sēs
Phonetic Spelling: (hal'-oo-sis)
KJV: bonds, chain
NASB: chains, chain
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. a fetter or manacle

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bonds, chain.

Of uncertain derivation; a fetter or manacle -- bonds, chain.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
a chain
NASB Translation
chain (3), chains (8).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 254: ἅλυσις

ἅλυσις, or as it is commonly written ἅλυσις (see WH's Appendix, p. 144), (εως, (from the alpha privative and λύω, because a chain is ἄλυτος, i. e., not to be loosed (others from the root val, and allied with εἱλέω, to restrain, ἁλίζω, to collect, crowd; Curtius, § 660; Vanicek, p. 898)), a chain, bond, by which the body, or any part of it (the hands, feet), is bound: Mark 5:3; Acts 21:33; Acts 28:20; Revelation 20:1; ἐν ἁλύσει in chains, a prisoner, Ephesians 6:20; οὐκ ἐπαισχυνθῇ τήν ἁλύσειν μου he was not ashamed of my bonds, i. e., did not desert me because I was a prisoner, 2 Timothy 1:16. specifically used of a manacle or handcuff, the chain by which the hands are bound together (yet cf. Meyer on Mark as below; per contra especially Lightfoot on Philippians, p. 8): Mark 5:4; (Luke 8:29); Acts 12:6f (From Herodotus down.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview of Biblical Usage

Eleven New Testament occurrences portray literal chains placed on human or angelic beings, yet Scripture consistently moves from the material to the spiritual, turning an iron restraint into a living metaphor for bondage, imprisonment, and finally triumphant release.

Literal Chains Restraining Demoniacs and Prisoners

The first three occurrences are clustered in the Gadarenes narrative (Mark 5:3-4; Luke 8:29). The ferocity of the demon-possessed man is underscored by his ability to snap “the chains” that attempted to subdue him—an emblem of humanity’s utter helplessness before dark powers. Roman and Jewish authorities recur in Acts, fastening Peter between two soldiers with “two chains” (Acts 12:6-7) and later clapping Paul in “chains” at Jerusalem (Acts 21:33) and Rome (Acts 28:20). In every case the device is iron, common in Roman penal practice, and usually paired with two soldiers so a short length could be attached to each wrist of the prisoner and the guard.

Apostolic Imprisonment and the Advance of the Gospel

Ephesians 6:20 and 2 Timothy 1:16 reveal Paul’s self-description as “an ambassador in chains,” a paradox in which imperial restriction becomes a platform for gospel proclamation. The manacled apostle writes doctrinal treatises, disciples coworkers, evangelizes guards, and models perseverance. Thus chains become a backdrop for divine sovereignty: “What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12, implied context).

The Symbol of Spiritual Bondage and Liberation

The demoniac’s broken restraints (Mark 5) prefigure Christ’s authority to liberate souls enslaved by sin. Conversely, Paul’s voluntary submission to confinement pictures the believer’s glad servitude to Christ. The physical object therefore swings between two poles—sin’s destructive strength and the Spirit’s greater power to deliver.

Eschatological Binding of Satan

Revelation 20:1 projects the final, cosmic employment of a chain: “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the Abyss and a great chain”. The same instrument once impotent before a legion of demons now binds their prince, demonstrating that God alone wields ultimate authority over evil.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. Suffering borne for Christ is no barrier to service; it may amplify testimony (Ephesians 6:20).
2. Visible restraints do not confine the word of God (2 Timothy 2:9, echoing Paul’s experience).
3. Deliverance ministries draw confidence from Christ’s mastery over every chain (Mark 5; Luke 8).
4. The final judgment assures believers that evil’s power is finite and scheduled for rigorous confinement (Revelation 20).

Historical and Cultural Insights

Roman custodia militaris generally used two eighteen-inch manacles attached by short links. The indignity intensified for political prisoners, yet Acts records angelic removal (Acts 12:7) and lawful petition (Acts 25:11), displaying both supernatural and judicial means of liberation.

Theological Reflections

Chains in the New Testament trace a redemptive arc: oppressive, broken, redeemed, imposed on evil itself. They remind the church that material circumstances cannot thwart divine purpose; rather, God turns instruments of bondage into testimonies of grace and into tokens of coming judgment on all rebellion.

Forms and Transliterations
αλυσει αλύσει ἁλύσει αλυσεις αλύσεις ἁλύσεις αλυσεσι αλύσεσι ἁλύσεσι αλύσεσιν ἁλύσεσιν αλυσιν άλυσιν άλυσίν ἅλυσιν ἅλυσίν alusei aluseis alusesi alusesin alusin halysei halýsei halyseis halýseis halysesi halýsesi halysesin halýsesin halysin hálysin hálysín
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Englishman's Concordance
Mark 5:3 N-DFS
GRK: καὶ οὐδὲ ἁλύσει οὐκέτι οὐδεὶς
NAS: him anymore, even with a chain;
KJV: him, no, not with chains:
INT: and not even with chains no longer anyone

Mark 5:4 N-DFP
GRK: πέδαις καὶ ἁλύσεσιν δεδέσθαι καὶ
NAS: with shackles and chains, and the chains
KJV: and chains, and
INT: with shackles and chains had been bound and

Mark 5:4 N-AFP
GRK: αὐτοῦ τὰς ἁλύσεις καὶ τὰς
NAS: and chains, and the chains had been torn apart
KJV: and the chains had been plucked asunder
INT: him the chains and the

Luke 8:29 N-DFP
GRK: καὶ ἐδεσμεύετο ἁλύσεσιν καὶ πέδαις
NAS: and he was bound with chains and shackles
KJV: bound with chains and
INT: and he was bound with chains and shackles

Acts 12:6 N-DFP
GRK: στρατιωτῶν δεδεμένος ἁλύσεσιν δυσίν φύλακές
NAS: with two chains, and guards
KJV: bound with two chains: and the keepers
INT: soldiers bound with chains two guards

Acts 12:7 N-NFP
GRK: αὐτοῦ αἱ ἁλύσεις ἐκ τῶν
NAS: up quickly. And his chains fell off
KJV: And his chains fell off from
INT: of him the chains from the

Acts 21:33 N-DFP
GRK: ἐκέλευσεν δεθῆναι ἁλύσεσι δυσί καὶ
NAS: with two chains; and he [began] asking
KJV: two chains; and
INT: commanded [him] to be bound with chains two and

Acts 28:20 N-AFS
GRK: Ἰσραὴλ τὴν ἅλυσιν ταύτην περίκειμαι
NAS: this chain for the sake
KJV: I am bound with this chain.
INT: of Israel the chain this I have around [me]

Ephesians 6:20 N-DFS
GRK: πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει ἵνα ἐν
NAS: I am an ambassador in chains; that in [proclaiming] it I may speak boldly,
KJV: in bonds: that
INT: I am an ambassador in a chain that in

2 Timothy 1:16 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ τὴν ἅλυσίν μου οὐκ
NAS: me and was not ashamed of my chains;
KJV: ashamed of my chain:
INT: and the chain of me not

Revelation 20:1 N-AFS
GRK: ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν μεγάλην ἐπὶ
NAS: and a great chain in his hand.
KJV: and a great chain in his
INT: abyss and a chain great in

Strong's Greek 254
11 Occurrences


ἁλύσει — 2 Occ.
ἁλύσεις — 2 Occ.
ἁλύσεσι — 1 Occ.
ἁλύσεσιν — 3 Occ.
ἅλυσιν — 3 Occ.

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