← G1496 G1498 →

εἴδωλον

eídōlon

G1497 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Artificial image, likeness, or representation, typically crafted from stone, wood, metal, or other materials, often intended to represent a deity or supernatural being; in wider contexts, an object of cultic veneration or worship. In figurative uses, denotes any object or concept that is regarded as occupying a place of ultimate concern or reverence (especially in polemical religious writings). The primary meaning is a manufactured image or likeness viewed in relation to cult or veneration.

Semantic Range

image, statue, representation, cultic image, object of veneration, idol, phantom, ghost (in early Greek poetry); artificial cultic representation, symbol of foreign worship (in Hellenistic and later Jewish-Greek usage); anything regarded as an object of ultimate concern or false worship (figurative)

Root / Etymology

Derived from εἶδος (form, shape, appearance) with the diminutive or artifact-forming suffix -ον; thus, εἴδωλον originally means 'little form/appearance' or 'representation.' Cognate with Latin idolum, itself from Greek via intermediary languages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, εἴδωλον first referred to a visible appearance, shade, ghost, or the immaterial likeness of a person, such as an apparition of the dead in Homeric epic (e.g., Odyssey). By the Hellenistic period, its dominant use shifted to refer to an artificially made image—especially of a deity—for cultic use. In the Septuagint, εἴδωλον is regularly used to translate Hebrew terms for graven or carved images set up for worship (e.g., פֶּסֶל pesel, עֵצֶב etsev), marking a polemical stance toward non-Israelite cultic objects. In the New Testament, εἴδωλον refers specifically to objects of non-Judean cults and is consistently treated as the symbol of illegitimate worship, not simply as an image but as something set in opposition to monotheistic practice. While English translations often render the term as 'idol,' this word in modern English can oversimplify the polemic and cultic nuances. The conceptual contrast with related terms (e.g., ἄγαλμα 'statue [of a god],' εἰκών 'image, representation') rests on εἴδωλον’s negative connotation and its polemical usage against foreign cults. Unlike ἄγαλμα, which could have neutral or positive meanings, εἴδωλον is consistently negative from the Hellenistic period onward in religious literature.

Translation Consistency

primary "idol" 10 occurrences

εἴδωλον primarily denotes a manufactured image or object of cultic veneration; the natural, commonly used English equivalent in biblical contexts is “idol.” It covers both the literal statue/image sense and the figurative sense of something given ultimate devotion, and matches typical Bible-language usage for clarity and consistency.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"cultic image" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from εἶδος; an image (i.e. for worship); by implication, a heathen god, or (plural) the worship of such:--idol.

Root Family

εἴδωλον (eidōlon) — image, representation, formed likeness, cultic object

Root εἰδ- to see, to form, to represent

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1497-03 εἰδώλων eidolon N GEN N PL idols of cultic images idol 6
G1497-01 εἴδωλα eidola N ACC N PL idols cultic images idols 3
G1497-02 εἰδώλῳ eidolo N DAT N SG idol to a cultic image to a cultic image 1
G1497-04 εἰδώλου eidolou N GEN N SG idol of a cultic image idol 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1497-02 Acts 7:41 εἰδώλῳ eidolo N DAT N SG idol to a cultic image to a cultic image
G1497-03 Acts 15:20 εἰδώλων eidolon N GEN N PL idols of cultic images of idols
G1497-01 Romans 2:22 εἴδωλα eidola N ACC N PL idols cultic images idols
G1497-03 1 Corinthians 8:4 εἴδωλον eidolon N NOM N SG idol of cultic images idol
G1497-04 1 Corinthians 8:7 εἰδώλου eidolou N GEN N SG idol of a cultic image idol
G1497-03 1 Corinthians 10:19 εἴδωλόν eidolon N NOM N SG an idol of cultic images idol
G1497-01 1 Corinthians 12:2 εἴδωλα eidola N ACC N PL idols cultic images idols
G1497-03 2 Corinthians 6:16 εἰδώλων eidolon N GEN N PL idols of cultic images of idols
G1497-03 1 Thessalonians 1:9 εἰδώλων eidolon N GEN N PL idols of cultic images idols
G1497-03 1 John 5:21 εἰδώλων eidolon N GEN N PL idols of cultic images idols
← G1496 Greek Lexicon G1498 →