φυσικός
physikós
G5446 attributive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
pertaining to nature or natural qualities; governed or characterized by innate, inherent qualities, especially in contrast to what is spiritual. In extended contexts, refers to that which is in accordance with physical properties, native tendencies, or instincts rather than reason or divine influence. Occasionally, implies what is driven by base or uncultivated impulses.
Semantic Range
natural, physical, pertaining to inherent qualities, belonging to physical nature, instinctive, following innate impulses, inborn, unspiritual (by contrast), relating to the physical world
Root / Etymology
From the noun φύσις (nature, natural state), with the adjectival suffix -ικός, forming an adjective meaning 'pertaining to nature.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
Ἀντίθετος to πνευματικός ('spiritual') or λογικός ('rational') in philosophical and Hellenistic Jewish contexts. In classical Greek, φυσικός was used for 'of nature' or 'natural,' often in philosophical treatises about physics, cosmology, or the natural world. By the Hellenistic period, it could mean both 'natural' in the sense of physical or material, and 'instinctual' or 'inborn.' In later Jewish and early Christian texts (including some later Greek translations and philosophical works), naturally inclined or animal (in contrast to spiritual) sometimes acquired negative moral connotations, but not always. In the NT, the term does not appear, but its cognate ψυχικός (natural/soulish) does, which is regularly contrasted with πνευματικός (spiritual). Natural English translations may fail to capture the breadth of classical and philosophical usage, which includes both a scientific sense ('pertaining to the natural world') and an ethical/psychological sense ('governed by nature, instinctual').
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from φύσις; "physical", i.e. (by implication) instinctive:--natural. Compare ψυχικός.
Root Family
φυσικός (physikos) — natural, of nature, belonging to innate constitution, instinctive
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5446-02 |
φυσικὴν | phusiken | ADJ.A ACC F SG |
natural | 2 | |
G5446-01 |
φυσικὰ | phusika | ADJ.S NOM N PL |
instinctive | natural things | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5446-02 |
Romans 1:26 | φυσικὴν | phusiken | ADJ.A ACC F SG |
natural | |
G5446-02 |
Romans 1:27 | φυσικὴν | phusiken | ADJ.A ACC F SG |
natural | |
G5446-01 |
2 Peter 2:12 | φυσικὰ | phusika | ADJ.S NOM N PL |
instinctive | natural things |