ἕλκος (helkos)
helkos
sore
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun helkos refers to a physical wound, specifically one that is festering or ulcerated. In both the New Testament and the Septuagint, it describes open sores rather than simple cuts, carrying a sense of chronic pain and visible affliction. The word appears in Luke’s Gospel and throughout Revelation, where it marks divine judgment through bodily suffering.
In Luke 16:21, the beggar Lazarus lies at the rich man’s gate, covered in these sores, longing for scraps. This concrete image highlights his total vulnerability and social exclusion. Later, in Revelation 16, helkos describes painful ulcers breaking out on those who reject God, serving as a severe physical sign of spiritual rebellion.
Its root likely connects to verbs meaning to pull or draw, perhaps referring to the way such wounds pull at the skin or drain pus. Translators consistently use "sore" or "ulcer" to preserve this sense of lingering, painful disease. The term underscores the reality that spiritual states can have tangible, physical consequences in biblical narrative.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word helkos describes a festering sore or ulcer, a wound that is open, painful, and difficult to heal. In the ancient world, such sores were not just physical injuries but symbols of deep vulnerability and social exclusion. They represent a state where the body bears visible signs of suffering, often leaving the person unable to care for themselves or engage with society.
In Luke’s Gospel, we see this word used to describe Lazarus, who lay at the rich man’s gate covered in sores. This image highlights his total helplessness and the stark reality of human suffering. It reminds us that God sees those who are overlooked by the world, and He cares deeply for the broken and the marginalized.
While helkos appears in Revelation as a sign of judgment, its primary use in the Gospels points to our shared humanity. We all face moments of physical or emotional pain that feel like open wounds. This word invites us to look at suffering not just as a punishment, but as a call to compassion, reminding us that every person carries visible and invisible burdens that only God can fully heal.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- sores2×
- a sore1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἕλκος1×
- ἕλκη1×
- ἑλκῶν1×
Key Verses
-
Luke 16:21
and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
This verse uses helkos to depict Lazarus’s physical vulnerability and social exclusion, highlighting his need for mercy.
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Revelation of John 16:2
The first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth, and it became a harmful and painful sore on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image.
Here the word describes a painful ulcer on those who reject God, serving as a severe physical sign of spiritual rebellion.
-
Revelation of John 16:11
and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores. They still didn’t repent of their works.
The sores are mentioned alongside blasphemy to show how persistent suffering can harden the heart rather than lead to repentance.