adjective
nekros
Strong’sG3498
dead, a corpse
stem nekr-128 times in the New Testamentin 18 of 27 books11 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
Dead — no longer alive; used of a person who has died, of a corpse, or, especially as the plural noun "the dead," to refer to those who have died collectively 1234. It describes actual physical death, as of someone who has died or is subject to death 13, and can also apply to a dead body or corpse 1234.
The word is also used figuratively of persons who are alive but described as dead in a spiritual or moral sense — for example, someone absorbed in worldly cares, someone dead in sin, or (in the opposite direction) someone who has died to sin 13.
It is further used of things regarded as inoperative or without power — sin considered powerless, or faith and works described as "dead" when they produce no effect 1.
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
νεκρός, -ά, -όν,
[in LXX chiefly for מֵתpossible misspelling of מָוֶת;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3498 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidnek-ros'
dead (literally or figuratively; also as noun)
Fromfrom an apparently primary νέκυς (a corpse);
King Jamesdead.
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
(of a woman, Refs 4th c.BC+, corpse, Refs 8th c.BC+: as substantive, in early writers always of mankind, νεκροὺς συλήσετε τεθνηῶτας Refs 8th c.BC+: frequently of those killed in battle, τοὺς ν. ὑποσπόνδους ἀνείλοντο Refs 5th c.BC+; later, of a fish, ν. ἰχθύος Refs 1st c.AD+
2 dying person, μυχθισμὸς νεκρῶν Refs 5th c.BC+
3 metaphorically, ὁ υἱός μου ν. ἦν καὶ ἀνέζησε NT
4 in plural, the dead, as dwellers in the nether world, κλυτὰ ἔθνεα νεκρῶν NT+8th c.BC+
II as adjective νεκρός, ά, όν, dead, first in Refs 5th c.BC+; ν. σώματα Mitteis Refs 5th c.BC+ (but also τὰ τῶν ν. σώματα Refs 5th c.BC+: comparative -ότεροςRefs 1st c.AD+
II.2 inanimate, inorganic, opposed to ἔμψυχος, Refs 3rd c.AD+; οὐχὶ ν., ὥσπερ λίθον ἢ ξύλον, ἀλλὰ ζῶν Refs; ἡ ν. θάλασσα the Refs 2nd c.AD+
II.3 metaphorically, ν. πλοῦτος Refs 2nd c.AD+
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 | nekros9×νεκρὸς | nekras3×νεκρά | nekrem2×νεκρὸν | nekrois14×νεκροὶ | nekrais | nekreim |
| object accusative | nekron1×νεκρόν | nekran1×νεκράν | nekroin19×νεκροὺς | nekrain | ||
| direct address vocative | nekror | nekrar | nekroir | nekrair | ||
| of, belonging to genitive | nekrou1×νεκροῦ | nekrau | nekreu | nekroiu74×νεκρῶν | nekraiu | nekreiu2×νεκρῶν |
| to, for dative | nekro | nekra | nekre | nekroi2×νεκροῖς | nekrai | nekrei |
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
nekr 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
Words built on the same stem
Other words sharing the exact same stem — not merely related in meaning.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
128 occurrences, 100 of them printed here — the rest are in the reader
nekros“dead”subjectnominative singular9×
Mark 9:26… polleim sparassarantos exerchata; kai geneta hōsei nekros hōste toin polloin legarō hoti apothnēskata.… out. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He is …
Luke 7:15kai anakathizata tos nekros kai archeta lalarō, kai dōata auton …And the dead man sat up and began to …
Luke 15:24hoti houtos tos huios mu nekros ate kai anazata, ate apolarēntos kai …For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was …
Luke 15:32… date, hoti tos adelfos su houtos nekros ate kai zōata, kai apolarēntos kai …… because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was …
Acts 20:9… apo teu tristegeu katō kai airita nekros.… third story and was picked up dead.
Revelation 1:17… piptama pros toin podoin autou hōs nekros; kai tithata tan dexan autou epi …… fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right …
Revelation 1:18kai tos zōarōntos kai genema nekros kai idou zōarōntos amō eis toin …the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive …
Revelation 2:8“dead”… prōtos kai tos eschatos, hos geneta nekros kai zōata;… of the First and the Last, who died and returned to …
Revelation 3:1… hoti onomem echasō hoti zōasō, kai nekros asō.… for being alive, yet you are dead.
nekron“dead”objectaccusative singular1×
Acts 28:6… auton mellarō pimprēorō ē katapiptarō afnōs nekron. epi pollem de autoiu prosdokarōntoiu kai …… to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after waiting a long time …
nekrou“dead”of, belonging togenitive singular1×
Revelation 16:3… tan thalassan; kai geneta haimem hōs nekrou, kai pantas psuchas zōau apothnēskata teim …… to blood like that of the dead, and every living thing in the …
nekras“dead”subjectnominative singular3×
Romans 7:8… pantan epithumian, chōris gar nomou hamartas nekras.… apart from the law, sin is dead.
James 2:17… tas pistias, ean mē echateiō ergeim, nekras atō kata heautan.… does not result in action, is dead.
James 2:26… houtōs kai tas pistias chōris ergeiu nekras atō.… dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
nekran“dead”objectaccusative singular1×
Acts 5:10… eisercharantois de tois neaniskois heuriskala autan nekran, kai ekferarantois thaptala pros ton andron …… men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her …
nekrem“dead”subject or objectdirect singular2×
Romans 8:10… Christos en vi, tem men sōmem nekrem dia hamartan, tem de pneumem zōas …… is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit …
James 2:26hōsper gar tem sōmem chōris pneumeu nekrem atō, houtōs kai tas pistias chōris …… the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
nekrois“dead”subjectnominative plural14×
Matthew 11:5… leprois katharizolō kai kōfois akoualō, kai nekrois egerolō kai ptōchois euangelizolō;… are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news …
Matthew 28:4… seiila tois tērarōntois kai genila hōs nekrois.… fear of him and became like dead men.
Luke 7:22… chōlois peripatalō, leprois katharizolō, kōfois akoualō, nekrois egerolō, ptōchois euangelizolō;… are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news …
Luke 20:37hoti de egerolō tois nekrois kai Mōusos mēnuata epi tau batau, …Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about …
John 5:25… hōras kai nun atō hote tois nekrois akouali tau fōnau tou huiou tou …… and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the …
1 Corinthians 15:15… Christon, hon ouk egerata eiper ara nekrois ouk egerolō.… raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.
1 Corinthians 15:16ei gar nekrois ouk egerolō, oude Christos egerotē;For if the dead are not raised, then not even …
1 Corinthians 15:29… baptizorōntois huper toiu nekroiu? ei holōs nekrois ouk egerolō, tinem kai baptizolō huper …… do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised …
1 Corinthians 15:32… Efesa, tinem mi tem ofelem? ei nekrois ouk egerolō, Esthianeia kai pinaneia, aurion …… what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat …
1 Corinthians 15:35Alla legati tinos; Pōs egerolō tois nekrois, poie de sōme ercholō?… someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body …
1 Corinthians 15:52… eschata salpinga; salpizati gar, kai tois nekrois egerili afthartois, kai nis allaxini.… For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we …
1 Thessalonians 4:16… theou, katabaineti apo ouranou, kai tois nekrois en Christo anastēeli prōtem,… the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first …
Revelation 14:13… tou ouranou legarōntau; Grafasar; Makariois tois nekrois tois en kurio apothnēskarōntois apo arti. …… me to write, “Blessed are the dead — those who die in the Lord …
Revelation 20:12… atō tau zōau; kai krinila tois nekrois ek teiu graforēnteiu en tei bibliei …… the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds …
nekroin“dead”objectaccusative plural19×
Matthew 8:22… auto; Akolouthasōr mi, kai afiēkasar toin nekroin thaptara toin heautoiu nekroin.… him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Matthew 8:22… afiēkasar toin nekroin thaptara toin heautoiu nekroin.… let the dead bury their own dead.”
Matthew 10:8asthenarōntoin therapeuavōr, nekroin egeravōr, leproin katharizavōr, daimoneim ekbalavōr; dōreōs …Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons …
Luke 9:60legata de auto; Afiēkasar toin nekroin thaptara toin heautoiu nekroin, sis de …But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however …
Luke 9:60… Afiēkasar toin nekroin thaptara toin heautoiu nekroin, sis de apercharantos diangelasōr tan basileian …… Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the …
John 5:21hōsper gar tos patros egeratō toin nekroin kai zōopoiatō, houtōs kai tos huios …… just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also …
Acts 26:8… krinotō para vi ei tos theos nekroin egeratō?… it incredible that God raises the dead?
Romans 4:17… hou pisteuata theou tou zōopoiarōntou toin nekroin kai kalarōntou teim mē arōnteim hōs …… God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does …
Romans 6:11houtōs kai vis logizovōr heautoin arō nekroin men ta hamarta zōarōntoin de to …So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God …
2 Corinthians 1:9… epi to theo to egerarōnto toin nekroin;… but in God, who raises the dead.
Ephesians 2:1Kai vin arōntoin nekroin tei paraptōmei kai tai hamartai vu,And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
Ephesians 2:5kai arōntoin nin nekroin tei paraptōmei suzōopoiata to Christo charita …… with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by …
Colossians 2:13kai vin nekroin arōntoin en tei paraptōmei kai ta …When you were dead in your trespasses and in the …
2 Timothy 4:1… Iēsu, tou mellarōntou krinarō zōarōntoin kai nekroin, kai tan epifaneian autou kai tan …… will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing …
Hebrews 11:35labala gunaikais ek anastasiau toin nekroin autaiu; allosois de tumpanizila, ouk prosdecherantois …Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were …
1 Peter 4:5… to hetoimōs echarōnto krinara zōarōntoin kai nekroin;… to judge the living and the dead.
Revelation 20:12kai horama toin nekroin, toin megoin kai toin mikroin, stēarēntoin …And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the …
Revelation 20:13kai dōata tas thalassas toin nekroin toin en auta, kai tos thanatos …The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up …
Revelation 20:13… thanatos kai tos hados dōala toin nekroin toin en autoi, kai krinila hekastos …… Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according …
nekroiu“dead”of, belonging togenitive plural74×, 46 shown
Matthew 14:2… tos baptistos; autos egerita apo toiu nekroiu, kai dia houtem tais dunamiais energalō …… Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are …
Matthew 17:9… hou tos huios tou anthrōpou ek nekroiu egeriteia.… Man has been raised from the dead.”
Matthew 22:31peri de tau anastasiau toiu nekroiu ouk anagnōskava tem legirantem vi hupo …But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God …
Matthew 22:32… theos Iakōb? ouk atō tos theos nekroiu alla zōarōntoiu.… is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Matthew 23:27… fanolō hōraiois esōthen de gemalō osteiu nekroiu kai pantau akatharsiau;… on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of …
Matthew 27:64… legaleia to lao; Egerita apo toiu nekroiu, kai eti tas eschatas planas cheirōnas …… people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be …
Matthew 28:7… mathētoi autou hoti Egerita apo toiu nekroiu, kai idou proagatō vin eis tan …… disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you …
Mark 6:14… hoti Iōannos tos baptizarōntos egerotē ek nekroiu, kai dia houtem energalō tais dunamiais …… the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are …
Mark 9:9… hotan tos huios tou anthrōpou ek nekroiu anastēateia.… of Man had risen from the dead.
Mark 9:10… heautoin suzētarōntois tinem atō tem ek nekroiu anastēara.… it meant to rise from the dead.
Mark 12:25hotan gar ek nekroiu anastēaleia, oute gamalō oute gamizolō, alla …When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor …
Mark 12:26peri de toiu nekroiu hoti egerolō ouk anagnōskava en ta …But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about …
Mark 12:27ouk atō theos nekroiu alla zōarōntoiu; pollem planovō.… is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are …
Luke 9:7… hupo tinoiu hoti Iōannos egerita ek nekroiu,… that John had risen from the dead,
Luke 16:30… patror Abraam, alla ean tinos apo nekroiu poreuiteia pros autoin metanoali.… is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Luke 16:31… ouk akoualō, oude ean tinos ek nekroiu anastēateia peithili.… even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 20:35… tuchara kai tau anastasiau tau ek nekroiu oute gamalō oute gamizolō;… and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given …
Luke 20:38theos de ouk atō nekroiu alla zōarōntoiu, pantois gar auto zōalō.… is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to …
Luke 24:5… Tinem zētavō ton zōarōnton meta toiu nekroiu?… look for the living among the dead?
Luke 24:46… paschara ton christon kai anastēara ek nekroiu ta trita hēmera,… will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
John 2:22hote oun egerita ek nekroiu, mimnēskila tois mathētois autou hoti houtem …After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had …
John 12:1… hopou ate Lazaros, hon egerata ek nekroiu Iēsus.… whom He had raised from the dead.
John 12:9… ton Lazaron horaleia hon egerata ek nekroiu.… whom He had raised from the dead.
John 12:17… teu mnēmeieu kai egerata auton ek nekroiu.… tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify.
John 20:9… tan grafan hoti datō auton ek nekroiu anastēara.… Jesus had to rise from the dead.
John 21:14… tos Iēsus toi mathētoi egerirantos ek nekroiu.… after He was raised from the dead.
Acts 3:15… apoktenava, hon tos theos egerata ek nekroiu, hou nis marturois anō.… but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of this …
Acts 4:2… to Iēso tan anastasian tan ek nekroiu,… in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
Acts 4:10… staurava, hon tos theos egerata ek nekroiu, en houte houtos parastēatē enōpion vu …… but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you …
Acts 10:41… auto meta tem anastēara auton ek nekroiu;… Him after He rose from the dead.
Acts 10:42… hupo tou theou kritos zōarōntoiu kai nekroiu.… to judge the living and the dead.
Acts 13:30tos de theos egerata auton ek nekroiu;But God raised Him from the dead,
Acts 13:34hoti de anastēata auton ek nekroiu mēketi mellarōnton hupostrefarō eis diafthoran, houtōs …… fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He …
Acts 17:3… christon date paschara kai anastēara ek nekroiu, kai hoti houtos atō tos christos, …… to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to …
Acts 17:31… pistian parecharantos pantoi anastēarantos auton ek nekroiu.… everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:32Akouarantois de anastasian nekroiu tois men chleuazale tois de legala …… heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but …
Acts 23:6… huios Farisaioiu; peri elpidau kai anastasiau nekroiu mis krinomō.… hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”
Acts 24:21… en autoi stēarēntos hoti Peri anastasiau nekroiu mis krinomō sēmeron epi vu.… is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before …
Acts 26:23… tos christos, ei prōtos ek anastasiau nekroiu fōtem mellatō katangelarō to tē lao …… the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people …
Romans 1:4… dunamia kata pneumem hagiōsunau ek anastasiau nekroiu, Iēsu Christou tou kuriou nu,… God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 4:24… egeraranton Iēsun ton kurion nu ek nekroiu,… raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Romans 6:4… thanaton, hina hōsper egerita Christos ek nekroiu dia tau doxau tou patrou, houtōs …… as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father …
Romans 6:9oidarēntois hoti Christos egerirantos ek nekroiu ouketi apothnēskatō, thanatos autou ouketi kurieuatō;… since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no …
Romans 6:13“dead”… parastēavar heautoin to theo hōsei ek nekroiu zōarōntoin kai teim meleim vu hopleim …… wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 7:4… tem genera vin hetero, to ek nekroiu egeriranto hina karpoforaneia to theo.… Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear …
Romans 8:11… pneumem tou egerarantou ton Iēsun ek nekroiu oikatō en vi, tos egerarantos ek …… Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who …
nekroi“dead”to, fordative plural2×
Hebrews 9:17“dead”diathēkas gar epi nekroi bebaias, epei mēpote ischuatō hote zōatō …because a will does not take effect until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still alive.
1 Peter 4:6eis houtem gar kai nekroi euangelizita hina krinileia men kata anthrōpoin …… even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged …
nekreiu“dead”of, belonging togenitive plural2×
Hebrews 6:1… mē palin themelion katabalorōntois metanoiau apo nekreiu ergeiu, kai pistiau epi theon,… again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,
Hebrews 9:14“dead”… theo, katharizati tan suneidēsian nu apo nekreiu ergeiu eis tem latreuarō theo zōarōnto.… who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!