ἄνθος (anthos)
anthos
flower
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun anthos refers simply to a flower or bloom, capturing the delicate beauty of plant life in full display. In both the New Testament and the Greek Old Testament, it serves as a concrete image for something transient and fleeting. Its usage is rare, appearing only three times, yet each instance carries significant weight by contrasting human glory with divine permanence.
The word appears in James 1:10-11 and 1 Peter 1:24 to illustrate the impermanence of earthly life. In these passages, the flower represents the rich man or human pride, which fades just as quickly as a bloom in the heat. This imagery draws from the natural cycle where vibrant colors vanish rapidly, leaving nothing behind but dryness.
Its presence in 1 Peter 1:24 also connects to the Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 40:6-8. Here, anthos highlights the contrast between the temporary nature of humanity and the eternal word of God. While flowers wither, the divine message remains forever, offering a stable foundation amidst changing circumstances.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word anthos, meaning flower, appears only three times in the New Testament, yet it carries a heavy weight. It is used to describe something beautiful but incredibly brief. In James and Peter, this image reminds us that human pride and earthly success are as temporary as a bloom in the heat.
This does not mean our lives lack value. Instead, it points us toward what truly lasts. While the grass withers and the flower falls, the word of God remains forever. We can find our security not in fading achievements, but in the eternal promise that never changes.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- flower2×
- a flower1×
- [the] flower1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἄνθος4×
Key Verses
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James 1:10
and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
This verse uses the flower to illustrate how earthly status quickly fades, offering a humble perspective on wealth.
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James 1:11
For the sun arises with the scorching wind and withers the grass; and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So the rich man will also fade away in his pursuits.
Here the imagery is vivid, showing how scorching heat causes the flower to fall and its beauty to perish entirely.
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I Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all of man’s glory like the flower in the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls;
Peter quotes Isaiah to contrast the fleeting nature of all human glory with the permanent word of the Lord.