adjective
ischuros
Strong’sG2478
strong, mighty, powerful
stem ischur-29 times in the New Testamentin 8 of 27 books13 of 26 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Strong, mighty, powerful 1234.
Used of persons, this describes strength of body or of spirit — someone mighty or powerful, whether a human being, a demonic or hostile power, or God himself 13. It appears in comparisons, describing one figure as "stronger" than another, including God's strength as greater than human strength 13. It can also describe a group referred to simply as "the strong" 1.
Used of things, it describes something forcible, severe, or intense — a severe famine, a strong cry, a loud voice, a weighty letter, strong comfort, or violent thunder 13.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ἰσχυρός, -ά, -όν
(< ἰσχύω), [in LXX for אֵל, גִּבּוֹר, עָצוּם, חָזָק, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G2478 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidis-khoo-ros'
forcible (literally or figuratively)
Fromfrom G2479;
King Jamesboisterous, mighty(-ier), powerful, strong(-er, man), valiant.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
(ἰσχύς) strong, especially of personal strength, Refs 5th c.BC+; of things, ἰ. βέλος Refs 7th c.BC+; ἰ. χθών hard, Refs 4th c.BC+; of food, indigestible, Refs 5th c.BC+; of taste, strong, Refs 4th c.BC+; of armies, ἰσχυροτέρα φάλαγξ Refs 5th c.BC+; of places, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἰ., opposed to τὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἰ., Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ ἰσχυρότατα your strongest points, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἰ. that in which the strength of the state lies, Refs 4th c.BC+; ὁρῶντες οὐδὲν ἰ. ἀπὸ τῶν Λεσβίων no show of strength, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἰ. τι πρὸς τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ ἔχειν a strong point, Refs 4th c.BC+
2 powerful, ἄλοχος Διός Refs 5th c.BC+: comparative -ότερος, ἐς πειθώ NT+3rd c.AD+
3 forcible, violent, severe, σιτοδείη, ψύχη, NT+5th c.BC+; αἱ λίαν ἰ. τιμωρίαι violent, excessive, Refs; ὅρκος -ότατος, ἀνάγκαι -όταται, Refs 5th c.BC+; γέλως, ἐπιθυμίαι, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+; νόμος ἰ. severe, Refs 5th c.BC+; γνώμη -οτέρη more positive, Refs 5th c.BC+; τρόπῳ ᾧ ἂν δύνωνται -οτάτῳ Foed. cited in Refs 5th c.BC+; κατὰ τὸ ἰσχυρόν by main force, opposed to δόλῳ, Refs 5th c.BC+
4 of literary style, vigorous, Refs 1st c.BC+; also of syllables, strong, Refs
II adverb -ρῶς strongly, with all force, ἐγκεῖσθαι Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 very much, exceedingly, with adjectives, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἔθνος μέγα ἰRefs 5th c.BC+; κίνησις νωθὴς ἰ. Refs 5th c.BC+: comparative -οτέρωςRefs 5th c.BC+; -ότερον Refs 5th c.BC+ most certainly, Refs
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | masculine singular | feminine singular | neuter singular | masculine plural | feminine plural | neuter plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | ischuros3×ἰσχυρὸς | ischuras1×ἰσχυρὰ | ischurem | ischurois4×ἰσχυροί | ischurais1×ἰσχυραί | ischureim1×ἰσχυρά |
| object accusative | ischuron5×ἰσχυρὸν | ischuran1×ἰσχυρὰν | ischuroin | ischurain | ||
| direct address vocative | ischuror | ischurar1×ἰσχυρά | ischuroir | ischurair | ||
| of, belonging to genitive | ischurou2×ἰσχυροῦ | ischurau1×ἰσχυρᾶς | ischureu | ischuroiu1×ἰσχυρῶν | ischuraiu1×ἰσχυρῶν | ischureiu |
| to, for dative | ischuro | ischura1×ἰσχυρᾷ | ischure | ischuroi | ischurai | ischurei |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
ischur is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
29 occurrences, every one of them listed
ischuros“mighty”subjectnominative singular3×
Luke 11:21hotan tos ischuros kathoplizorēntos fulassateiō tan heautou aulan, en …When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house …
Revelation 18:8… limos, kai en pure katakaiiti; hoti ischuros kurios tos theos tos krinarantos autan.… will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges …
Revelation 18:21Kai airata henos angelos ischuros lithon hōs mulinon megon, kai balata …Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the …
ischuron“strong”objectaccusative singular5×
Matthew 12:29… harpazara, ean mē prōtem dateia ton ischuron? kai tote tan oikian autou diarpazati.… unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his …
Matthew 14:30“strong”bleparōntos de ton anemon ischuron fobita, kai archerantos katapontizorō krazata legarōntos; …But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save …
Mark 3:27… autou diarpazara ean mē prōtem ton ischuron dateia, kai tote tan oikian autou …… unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his …
Revelation 5:2“strong”kai horama angelon ischuron kērussarōnton en fōna mega; Tinos axios …And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break …
Revelation 10:1Kai horama alloson angelon ischuron katabainarōnton ek tou ouranou, peribalorēnton nefelan, …Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped …
ischurou“strong”of, belonging togenitive singular2×
Matthew 12:29… tinos eiserchara eis tan oikian tou ischurou kai teim skeveim autou harpazara, ean …… again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions …
Mark 3:27… oudenos dunotō eis tan oikian tou ischurou eisercharantos teim skeveim autou diarpazara ean …Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions …
ischuras“severe”subjectnominative singular1×
Luke 15:14dapanarantou de autou panteim geneta limas ischuras kata tan chōran ekeinan, kai autos …… had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and …
ischuran“strong”objectaccusative singular1×
Hebrews 6:18“strong”… ametatheteiu, en hei adunatem pseudera theon, ischuran paraklēsian echaneiō tois katafugarantois kratara tau …… by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set …
ischurar“mighty”direct addressvocative singular1×
Revelation 18:10… tas megar, Babulōnar tas polar tas ischurar, hoti hena hōra erchata tas krisias …… woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a …
ischurau“loud”of, belonging togenitive singular1×
Hebrews 5:7… sōzarō auton ek thanatou meta kraugau ischurau kai dakrueiu prosferarantos kai eisakouirantos apo …… offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One …
ischura“mighty”to, fordative singular1×
Revelation 18:2kai krazata en ischura fōna legarōntos; Piptata, piptata Babulōnas tas …And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the …
ischurois“strong”subjectnominative plural4×
1 Corinthians 4:10… en Christo; nis asthenois, vis de ischurois; vis endoxois, nis de atimois.… We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are …
Hebrews 11:34… stomeim machairau, dunamila apo astheniau, genila ischurois en polemo, parembolain klinala allotrioiu;… who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies …
1 John 2:14… apo archau; grafama vi, neaniskoir, hoti ischurois avō kai tos logos tou theou …… you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides …
Revelation 6:15“powerful”… chiliarchois kai tois plousiois kai tois ischurois kai pantos doulos kai eleutheros kruptala …… the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the …
ischuroiu“mighty”of, belonging togenitive plural1×
Revelation 19:18… basilevoiu kai sarkain chiliarchoiu kai sarkain ischuroiu kai sarkain hippoiu kai toiu kathorōntoiu …… flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of …
ischurais“powerful”subjectnominative plural1×
2 Corinthians 10:10“powerful”… Tais epistolais men, fēatō, baruais kai ischurais, tas de parousias teu sōmeu asthenas …For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive …
ischuraiu“mighty”of, belonging togenitive plural1×
Revelation 19:6… hudeiu polleiu kai hōs fōnan brontaiu ischuraiu, legarōntoiu; Hallēlouia, hoti basilata kurios, tos …… of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah …
ischureim“strong”subject or objectdirect plural1×
1 Corinthians 1:27… eklegeta tos theos, hina kataischunateiō teim ischureim,… of the world to shame the strong.
ischuroteros4×
Matthew 3:11… metanoian; tos de opisō mu erchorōntos ischuroteros mu atō, hou ouk amō hikanos …… after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am …
Mark 1:7kai kērussate legarōntos; Erchotō tos ischuroteros mu opisō mu, hou ouk amō …… After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose …
Luke 3:16… hude baptizamō vin; erchotō de tos ischuroteros mu, hou ouk amō hikanos luara …… you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps …
Luke 11:22epan de ischuroteros autou epercharantos nikateia auton, tan panoplian …But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes …
ischuroterem1×
1 Corinthians 1:25… atō, kai tem asthenem tou theou ischuroterem toiu anthrōpoiu.… and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
ischuroterois1×
1 Corinthians 10:22ē parazēlanō ton kurion? mē ischuroterois autou anō?… the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?