ταρταρόω
tartaróō
G5020 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To consign or confine to Tartarus—the lowest and most severe part of the underworld—denoting an act of sending (someone, usually supernatural beings) into a state of especially severe confinement or punishment, as in subterranean imprisonment. Used figuratively in later Greek, and in Hellenistic contexts, specifically for extreme spiritual or punitive seclusion, not just a generic 'hell.' In the New Testament, refers to the mythological realm beneath Hades where certain transgressors (such as rebellious angels) are held in chains, highlighting not universal punishment but a particular mythic or judicial fate.
Semantic Range
to confine to Tartarus, to imprison in the deepest or most severe part of the underworld, to consign to severe punitive spiritual imprisonment; figuratively, to subject to ultimate seclusion or punishment
Root / Etymology
Derived from Τάρταρος (Tartarus), itself a borrowing or adaptation from earlier mythological Greek tradition for the deep abyss used as a dungeon of torment in the underworld. The formation follows a denominative pattern with the verb-forming suffix -όω, indicating 'to put into' or 'to treat in the manner of.' Root: Ταρταρ-.
Historical & Contextual Notes
ταρταρόω is extremely rare in extant Greek literature and appears only once in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:4), and nowhere else in the Septuagint. Its primary background is the Greek mythological concept of Tartarus, the lowest region of the underworld in Hesiod and later literature, reserved for the titans and greatest offenders among the gods. In Hellenistic and early Jewish literature (e.g., 1 Enoch), Tartarus merges with Jewish and Near Eastern concepts of a punitive underworld but remains primarily mythological. The term used in 2 Peter 2:4 is a participial form (ταρταρώσας) describing God confining angels who sinned. English translations ("cast down to hell") often obscure the distinction between Tartarus and broader notions of 'hell' or Hades; in Greek usage, Tartarus is always more severe and specific. Not used generically for all afterlife punishment or the fate of ordinary humans. Compare ᾍδης (Hades), which is a broader term for the underworld, and γέεννα (Gehenna), which developed as a term for final punishment or the destination of the wicked in later Jewish and Christian texts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from (the deepest abyss of Hades); to incarcerate in eternal torment:--cast down to hell.
Root Family
Ταρταρ- (tartaróō) — to consign to Tartarus, to imprison in the deepest abyss
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5020-01 |
ταρταρώσας | tartarosas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
cast them into hell | having consigned to Tartarus | having consigned to Tartarus | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5020-01 |
2 Peter 2:4 | ταρταρώσας | tartarosas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
cast them into hell | having consigned to Tartarus | having consigned to Tartarus |