Brief Overview of ἄσβεστος (G762: ásbestos)

1. Brief Overview:

Transliteration: ásbestos

Root Words:

• ἄσβεστος (ásbestos) is derived from the Greek prefix α- (a-) meaning “without” and σβέσις (sbésis) meaning “extinguishing” or “putting out.”

Primary Meanings:

• Inextinguishable: Refers to something that cannot be extinguished or put out.
• Unquenchable: Describes a fire or flame that cannot be quenched.
• Eternal: Often used metaphorically to denote something everlasting or imperishable.

2. Detailed Description:

BDAG: BDAG defines ἄσβεστος as “inextinguishable” or “unquenchable.” It is used primarily to describe a fire or flame that cannot be put out. The term also has metaphorical uses to describe eternal or imperishable qualities.

Thayer’s: Thayer’s Greek Lexicon agrees with BDAG, noting that ἄσβεστος means “inextinguishable” or “unquenchable,” particularly referring to fire. It is used metaphorically to denote something that cannot be destroyed or is everlasting.

Vines: Vines’ Expository Dictionary aligns with the BDAG and Thayer’s definitions, describing ἄσβεστος as “inextinguishable” and “unquenchable,” used in a literal sense for fire and metaphorically for eternal truths or aspects.

LSJ: LSJ provides a similar definition, emphasizing the term’s use for something that cannot be extinguished, especially in relation to fire.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: Strong’s defines ἄσβεστος as “inextinguishable” or “unquenchable,” particularly in the context of fire and eternal attributes.

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Bible Verses:

• Matthew 3:12 (KJV): “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
• Here, “unquenchable fire” reflects the meaning of ἄσβεστος.
• Mark 9:43 (KJV): “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:”
• The phrase “fire that never shall be quenched” illustrates the concept of ἄσβεστος.
• Revelation 19:20 (KJV): “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
• Although ἄσβεστος is not used directly, the “lake of fire” imagery is related to the term’s meaning.

3. Usage in Classic Greek Literature:

• Plato’s Timaeus: References the concept of an eternal, unquenchable fire in descriptions of the cosmos and its elements.
• Aristotle’s Meteorology: Discusses fires and substances that cannot be extinguished, using similar terminology.
• Homer’s Iliad: Mentions unquenchable fires in the context of divine or mythical occurrences, reflecting the idea of perpetual flames.

4. Summary:

ἄσβεστος (G762: ásbestos) means “inextinguishable” or “unquenchable,” often referring to fire that cannot be put out. It can also denote eternal or imperishable qualities. In the Bible, it is used to describe eternal punishment or divine aspects that are everlasting. In classic Greek literature, while not always used directly, related concepts of unquenchable fire and eternal elements appear in philosophical and mythological texts.