εἰδωλολατρεία (G1495) — Greek Lexicon

εἰδωλολατρεία

eidōlolatreía

G1495 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Worship or veneration directed toward images, idols, or objects regarded as divine, with primary sense as rendering religious service to manufactured representations of deities. The term also includes broader forms of devotion to entities other than the highest deity, not limited to traditional temple cults but extending to any practice regarded as improper devotion or allegiance to beings, forces, or objects in place of the divine. In some contexts, carries a polemical overtone of ritual impurity or apostasy.

Semantic Range

service or worship of idols, veneration of images, participation in pagan cultic rituals, apostasy from worship of the divine, metaphorical idolatry (devotion to anything in place of God)

Root / Etymology

Compound of εἴδωλον ('image, idol') and λατρεία ('service, worship'), literally 'service/worship of an idol'. Formation is transparent in Greek. No direct Semitic cognate.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term εἰδωλολατρεία is not attested in classical Greek but emerges in later Hellenistic and Jewish-Greek literature, particularly among writers interacting with Israelite and Judean monotheistic traditions. In Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible (LXX) and related Jewish literature, the term is used to translate Hebrew phrases for idol worship (esp. עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, avodah zarah). In the New Testament and early Christian writings, εἰδωλολατρεία becomes a technical term for any worship or ritual devotion toward idols or pagan deities, but by extension may also be applied metaphorically to behaviors or allegiances considered improper or spiritually disloyal. The rendering 'idolatry' in English translations captures the core meaning but often obscures the broader semantic and polemical use in Second Temple and early Christian contexts, where the term could refer to participation in Gentile cults, banquets with sacrificial meat, or even figurative devotion to vices. Distinguished from related terms such as εἰδωλοθύτα ('idol-offerings') and εἴδωλον ('idol, image') by its emphasis on acts of religious service or ritual. The term is central to Judean polemic against Hellenistic religions and cultic practices, marking boundaries of religious identity.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from εἴδωλον and λατρεία; image-worship (literally or figuratively):--idolatry.

Root Family

εἰδωλολατρεία (eidōlolatreia) — idol, image, service, worship

Root εἰδωλο-λατρει- idol, image, service, worship

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G1495-01`	εἰδωλολατρία	eidololatria	`N NOM F SG`	idolatry	idol-worship	idolatry	2
`G1495-02`	εἰδωλολατρίαις	eidololatriais	`N DAT F PL`	idolatries	to idol-worship services	idol-worship services	1
`G1495-03`	εἰδωλολατρίας	eidololatrias	`N GEN F SG`	idolatry	of idol-worship	idolatry	1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G1495-03`	1 Corinthians 10:14	εἰδωλολατρίας	eidololatrias	`N GEN F SG`	idolatry	of idol-worship	idolatry
`G1495-01`	Galatians 5:20	εἰδωλολατρία	eidololatria	`N NOM F SG`	idolatry	idol-worship	idol-worship
`G1495-01`	Colossians 3:5	εἰδωλολατρία	eidololatria	`N NOM F SG`	idolatry	idol-worship	idolatry
`G1495-02`	1 Peter 4:3	εἰδωλολατρίαις	eidololatriais	`N DAT F PL`	idolatries	to idol-worship services	idol-worship services

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