STRONGS G12:
ἄβυσσος, in classic Greek an adjective,
-ος,
-ον, (from
ὁ βυσσός equivalent to
βυθός),
bottomless (so perhaps in Wis. 10:19),
unbounded (
πλοῦτος ἄβυσσος, Aeschylus, the
Sept. (931) 950). in the Scriptures
ἡ ἄβυσσος (
Sept. for
תְּהום) namely,
χώρα,
the pit, the immeasurable depth,
the abyss. Hence, of 'the deep' sea:
Genesis 1:2;
Genesis 7:11;
Deuteronomy 8:7; Sir. 1:3 Sir. 16:18, etc.; of
Orcus (a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth: Psalm 70:21 (
Ps. 71:20)
ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς, Euripides, Phoen. 1632 (1605)
ταρτάρου ἄβυσσα χάσματα, Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 20, 5
ἀβύσσων ἀνεξιχνίαστα κλίματα, ibid. 59, 3
ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐν ταῖς ἀβύσσοις, of God; [Act. Thom. 32
ὁ τήν ἄβυσσον τοῦ ταρτάρου οἴκων, of the dragon]), both as the common receptacle of the dead,
Romans 10:7, and especially as the abode of demons,
Luke 8:31;
Revelation 9:1;
Revelation 9:11;
Revelation 11:7;
Revelation 17:8;
Revelation 20:1,
3. Among secular authors used as a substantive only by Diogenes Laërtius 4 (5) 27
κατῆλθες εἰς μέλαιναν Πλουτέως ἄβυσσον. Cf.
Knapp, Scripta var. Arg., p. 554f; [
J. G. Müller, Philo's Lehre von der Weltschöpfung, p. 173f;
B. D. American edition under the word Deep].
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's