ἔχθρα
echthra
hostility
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word ἔχθρα (echthra) translates to hostility. This term is used six times in the Bible. Analyzing the lexicon data, we can conclude that echthra describes a negative sentiment or opposition between two parties, often carrying a sense of intense anger, hatred, or animosity. The frequency and distribution of echthra across six instances suggest that it's a significant concept in the narratives and letters of the Bible. Its usage might indicate a state or quality of relationship, where people are in conflict or opposing each other. Without additional context, it's difficult to determine whether this hostility is a result of external circumstances or inherent in the characters' personalities. The presence of echthra in the biblical text could signify the complexity of human relationships, highlighting the challenges of conflict resolution, the impact of negative emotions on interactions, or the presence of deep-seated grudges. Its meaning should be interpreted within the specific narrative framework of its usage in the Bible.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences across the text
Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.
Romans 8:7because the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be.
Galatians 5:20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Ephesians 2:14For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation,
Ephesians 2:16and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it.
James 4:4You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.