← G439 G441 →

ἄνθραξ

ánthrax

G440 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A piece of burning coal, live coal, a glowing ember; refers primarily to a fragment of charcoal or coal burning with heat, often used for fire or heating, and occasionally as a metaphor for something causing burning or pain.

Semantic Range

burning coal, glowing charcoal, ember, (later medical: carbuncle, ulcer—rare/not biblical), metaphor for something that burns or pains

Root / Etymology

Uncertain derivation. The word ἄνθραξ is present in classical Greek, referring to coal or charcoal, but connections to other Indo-European roots are debated and not definitively established.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἄνθραξ appears in Greek literature from the classical period onward, consistently denoting a piece of burning coal or charcoal, especially one used for heating, cooking, or sacrificial purposes (e.g., Homer, Herodotus). Its meaning remains stable in Koine and New Testament usage (e.g., Romans 12:20, quoting Proverbs 25:22), where it often refers to physical burning coals, sometimes used metaphorically for intense discomfort or moral effect ("heaping burning coals"). In medical Greek, the term also came to refer to an acute carbuncle or malignant ulcer, due to the coal-like appearance, but this sense is not present in biblical texts. Standard English translations typically render the term as "coal" or "burning coal," but the word may connote intense heat, discomfort, and sometimes a metaphorical or idiomatic nuance lost in translation. In the Septuagint and New Testament, the focus is on the literal, fiery sense; metaphorical senses are inherited from Hebrew idiom (see Proverbs 25:22).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; a live coal:--coal of fire.

Root Family

ἄνθραξ- (ánthrax) — burning coal, charcoal, ember

Root ἄνθραξ- burning coal, charcoal, ember

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G440-01 ἄνθρακας anthrakas N ACC M PL coals burning coals burning coals 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G440-01 Romans 12:20 ἄνθρακας anthrakas N ACC M PL coals burning coals burning coals
← G439 Greek Lexicon G441 →