Lexical Summary nekrósis: Death, deadness, mortification Original Word: νέκρωσις Strong's Exhaustive Concordance deadness, dying. From nekroo; decease; figuratively, impotency -- deadness, dying. see GREEK nekroo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nekroó Definition a putting to death, a state of death NASB Translation deadness (1), dying (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3500: νέκρωσιςνέκρωσις, νεκρωσεως, ἡ (νεκρόω); 1. properly, a putting to death (Vulg.mortificatio in 2 Corinthians 4:10), killing. 2. equivalent to τό νεκρουσθαι (the being put to death), with τοῦ Ἰησοῦ added, i. e. the (protracted) death (A. V. the dying) which Jesus underwent in God's service (on the genitive cf. Winer's Grammar, 189 (178) note), Paul so styles the marks of perpetual trials, misfortunes, hardships attended with peril of death, evident in his body (cf. Meyer), 2 Corinthians 4:10. 3. equivalent to τό νενεκρωμένον εἶναι, the dead state (A. V. deadness), utter sluggishness (of bodily members and organs, Galen): Romans 4:19. Topical Lexicon Entry: Νέκρωσις (Strong’s Greek 3500) Scope of the Term Paul employs νέκρωσις to speak of physical or experiential “deadness” that serves a theological purpose: it highlights God’s power to create life where human ability has utterly failed and, in Christ, to transform suffering into resurrection life. Occurrences in the New Testament Romans 4:19; 2 Corinthians 4:10. Romans 4:19 – Faith Confronting Physical Deadness Abraham “considered his own body as good as dead… and the deadness of Sarah’s womb” (Berean Standard Bible). Here νέκρωσις underscores the irreversible sterility of Abraham’s natural situation. Paul chooses the word to magnify two points: By framing the patriarch’s condition as νέκρωσις, Paul links Abraham’s experience to the broader biblical pattern—divine life emerging from apparent death (Genesis 22; Hebrews 11:11–12). 2 Corinthians 4:10 – Sharing the Dying of Jesus “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (Berean Standard Bible). Paul applies νέκρωσις to the apostolic ministry itself. Continuous exposure to weakness, persecution, and mortal danger becomes a living reenactment of Christ’s death. The purpose is explicitly missional: the more the messenger is outwardly diminished, the more Christ’s life is made visible. Old Testament and Jewish Background While νέκρωσις does not appear in the Septuagint, the concept of life springing from death permeates Scripture: Sarah’s barrenness (Genesis 18), Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37), and resurrection hopes in Daniel 12:2. Paul’s terminology resonates with these narratives, positioning Christ as the climactic fulfillment. Death-to-Life Motif in Pauline Theology 1. Representative: Abraham’s νέκρωσις foreshadows the believer’s inability to attain righteousness by human effort (Romans 4:4–5). Pastoral and Ministry Implications • Encouragement amid infirmity: Physical decline or ministry hardship is not evidence of divine abandonment but an arena for God’s life-giving power. Historical Reception Early Church writers (e.g., Irenaeus, Athanasius) linked νέκρωσις with the incarnation: the Son entered human mortality to abolish death. Reformers emphasized νέκρωσις in the doctrine of mortification, urging believers to “put to death” sinful desires (Colossians 3:5) in reliance on the Spirit. Related Concepts • Σταυρός (cross) – the instrument producing Christ’s νέκρωσις. Summary Νέκρωσις in the New Testament serves as a vivid reminder that God’s saving work thrives where human capability ends. Whether confronting infertility or apostolic suffering, the term directs faith toward the Creator who brings life out of death and guarantees the hope of resurrection in Christ. Forms and Transliterations ένεμε ενέμεσθε ενέμετο ενέμοντο νεκρωσιν νέκρωσιν νεμέσθωσαν νεμήσει νεμήσεται νεμήσονται νεμόμενοι νέμων ο nekrosin nekrōsin nékrosin nékrōsinLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Romans 4:19 N-AFSGRK: καὶ τὴν νέκρωσιν τῆς μήτρας NAS: a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's KJV: neither yet the deadness of Sara's INT: and the deadening of the womb 2 Corinthians 4:10 N-AFS |