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νέκρωσις

nékrōsis

G3500 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

State or process of becoming dead, loss of vitality or function; refers both to literal death (the process by which a body or organism becomes a corpse) and, figuratively, to the loss or absence of power, strength, or efficacy in persons or faculties. In medical or anatomical contexts, can denote local death of tissue or an organ. In extended, metaphorical usage, describes the 'dead condition' or powerlessness, as when Paul uses the term to speak of the 'deadness' of Abraham's body or Sarah's womb (Romans 4:19), emphasizing incapacity for activity or life.

Semantic Range

state of death, dying, death of tissue (necrosis), deadness (impotence or infertility), loss of efficacy, figurative state of powerlessness or incapacity

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root νεκρ- (relating to 'death, deadness') and formed with the common feminine -σις suffix indicating the process or state of becoming. Related to the verb νεκρόω ('to put to death, cause to become dead').

Historical & Contextual Notes

Earliest uses of νέκρωσις appear in classical Greek for the physical process of dying or for necrosis (the death of body tissue). By the Hellenistic and Koine periods, this technical-medical sense persists but the word also gains figurative connotations, especially in religious and philosophical contexts, where it can describe impotence or loss of reproductive ability (Romans 4:19), or spiritual deadness. In the Septuagint and New Testament, the term often signals a transition from physical to metaphorical limits, especially regarding human powerlessness or the futility of flesh. Standard translations such as 'deadness' or 'dying' capture the literal sense but may underemphasize its use for incapacity rather than nonexistence. Distinguished from θάνατος ('death') by its emphasis on process or state, and from ἀνάστασις ('resurrection') as its semantic opposite.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from νεκρόω; decease; figuratively, impotency:--deadness, dying.

Root Family

νέκρωσις (nekrōsis) — state of death, dying, deadness, loss of vital power

Root νεκρ- to die, to become dead, to lose vital power

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3500-01 νέκρωσιν nekrosin N ACC F SG deadness deadness deadness 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3500-01 Romans 4:19 νέκρωσιν nekrosin N ACC F SG deadness deadness deadness
G3500-01 2 Corinthians 4:10 νέκρωσιν nekrosin N ACC F SG dying deadness deadness
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