Original Word: φλόξ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: phlox
Pronunciation: flocks
Phonetic Spelling: (flox)
KJV: flame(-ing)
NASB: flame, flaming
Word Origin: [from a primary phlego "to flash or flame"]

1. a blaze

flame

From a primary phlego (to "flash" or "flame"); a blaze -- flame(-ing).

Word Origin
from phlegó (to burn)
Definition
a flame
NASB Translation
flame (6), flaming (1).

STRONGS NT 5395: φλόξ

φλόξ, genitive φλογός, ἡ (φλέγω (to burn; cf. Latin 'flagro', etc.)), from Homer down, the Sept. for לַהַב and לֶהָבָה, a flame: Luke 16:24; on the phrases φλόξ πυρός and πῦρ φλογός see πῦρ, p. 558{a}.

Overview of New Testament Usage

The noun underlying Strong’s 5395 appears seven times in the Greek New Testament. It is always literal enough to evoke a vivid picture of a visible, burning flame, yet consistently carries profound theological weight. The contexts cluster around four themes: angelic ministry (Hebrews 1:7), theophany (Acts 7:30), the righteous omniscience of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:14; Revelation 2:18; Revelation 19:12), and final or interim judgment (Luke 16:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:8).

Flame as Manifestation of Angelic Service

Hebrews 1:7 cites Psalm 104:4 to contrast angels with the Son: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire”. The “flame” image highlights angelic purity, energy, and readiness. In the wider context of Hebrews 1, it underscores that even these dazzling servants are subordinate to the enthroned Christ. Historically, Jewish apocalyptic literature portrayed angels as fiery beings; the writer of Hebrews appropriates that imagery to magnify Christ’s supremacy without denying the real, active ministry of angels on behalf of believers (Hebrews 1:14).

Flame in Theophany and Covenant History

Acts 7:30 recalls the decisive moment when “an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush”. By choosing this noun, Stephen links the Exodus theophany to a consistent biblical pattern: God often reveals Himself amid fire (Exodus 19:18; Deuteronomy 4:24). The flame draws but does not consume, signifying both holiness and mercy. For the early Church, this reminded listeners that the God who commissioned Moses is the same God now acting in Jesus Christ, validating the continuity of redemptive history.

Flame and the Penetrating Gaze of Christ

Three occurrences belong to Johannine apocalypse. Twice John describes the risen Lord: “His eyes were like a blazing fire” (Revelation 1:14) and “His eyes are like blazing fire” (Revelation 19:12). The ascended Christ addresses Thyatira in identical terms: “whose eyes are like a blazing fire” (Revelation 2:18). The metaphor communicates omniscience—eyes that pierce every hidden motive—and purifying judgment that burns away dross. Pastoral application is immediate: nothing escapes the Lord’s scrutiny; therefore the church must pursue holiness and rely on His refining work.

Flame as Eschatological Retribution

Paul foresees the Lord Jesus “in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). Here the flame embodies active, personal retribution, not impersonal fate. Similarly, the rich man in Hades pleads, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24). Together these passages establish an unbroken biblical witness: divine judgment involves conscious, fiery punishment. While imagery should not be flattened into merely symbolic language, neither should it obscure that God’s justice is severe, final, and righteous.

Pastoral and Missional Implications

1. Holiness and Service: As angels are “flames of fire,” believers—“ministers of a new covenant”—are called to the same fervor and purity, empowered by the indwelling Spirit (compare Acts 2:3).
2. Comfort in Persecution: Thessalonian Christians suffering affliction are assured that a day of fiery recompense is coming. This instills patience and hope rather than personal vengeance.
3. Evangelistic Urgency: Luke 16:24 and 2 Thessalonians 1:8 compel proclamation of the gospel. The reality of fiery judgment heightens the call to rescue the perishing.
4. Assurance of Christ’s Omniscience: Churches wrestling with compromise (Thyatira) or persecution (Smyrna, Philadelphia) find solace and warning in the One whose fiery eyes miss nothing.

Connections to the Septuagint and Wider Canon

The Septuagint often uses the same noun-group for the fiery sword of Eden (Genesis 3:24), the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21), and the consuming presence atop Sinai (Exodus 24:17). These intertextual links reinforce that God’s holiness, revelation, and judgment are consistent from Genesis to Revelation.

Theological Reflections

• Divine Immanence and Transcendence: Flames attract yet repel, illuminate yet chastise—an apt symbol of the God who draws near while remaining utterly holy.
• Christology: The flaming eyes affirm both the deity and sovereign authority of Jesus.
• Eschatology: Fiery judgment is future, certain, and in the hands of the risen Lord; the same fire that purifies the righteous condemns the wicked.
• Pneumatology: While Strong’s 5395 never names the Holy Spirit, the connection between heavenly fire and Spirit-baptism (Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:3) enriches the motif.

Conclusion

The New Testament uses the imagery of flame not merely for dramatic effect but to unveil essential realities: angelic zeal, divine self-disclosure, the searching gaze of Christ, and the inevitability of final judgment. For the Church, these truths kindle worship, fuel holy living, and sustain mission until the day the Lord Himself is revealed “in blazing fire.”

φλογα φλόγα φλόγες φλογής φλογι φλογί φλογὶ φλογος φλογός φλοξ φλὸξ phloga phlóga phlogi phlogì phlogos phlogós phlox phlòxInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts