λίθινος (lithinos)
lithinos
stone
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective lithinos describes something made of stone. Derived from the word for rock itself, it appears only three times in the New Testament, marking specific objects constructed from this hard material.
In John’s Gospel, it identifies the six stone water jars at the wedding in Cana (John 2:6), highlighting their durability and capacity before Jesus transformed their contents. Paul uses the term in 2 Corinthians 3:3 to contrast physical tablets with the human heart, suggesting that true faith is not carved into inert rock but written by the Spirit on living flesh.
Revelation 9:20 lists stone idols among the things people refuse to abandon, placing lithinos alongside images of gold and silver. In each case, the word emphasizes material solidity, whether as a vessel for blessing, a metaphor for spiritual reality, or an object of misplaced worship.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word lithinos simply means made of stone. It appears in three distinct settings in the New Testament, each highlighting a different aspect of this hard material. In John’s Gospel, we see six large stone jars at the wedding in Cana. These were heavy, durable vessels used for Jewish purification rites. They held water that Jesus turned into wine, showing how ordinary, solid things can become instruments of grace when placed in His hands.
Paul uses the term differently in 2 Corinthians. He contrasts tablets of stone with hearts of flesh. Here, the hardness of stone represents an old way of relating to God through rigid rules. The Spirit writes on living hearts instead, suggesting that true faith is dynamic and internal, not fixed in inert rock.
Revelation lists stone idols among the things people refuse to abandon. In this context, stone represents false gods that cannot see or help. Together, these uses remind us that while stone is strong, it is not alive. Our hope lies not in unyielding objects or laws, but in the living God who transforms our hearts and blesses our ordinary lives.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- of stone2×
- stone1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- λίθιναι1×
- λίθινα1×
- λιθίναις1×
Key Verses
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John 2:6
Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ way of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece.
This verse identifies the purification jars as stone, emphasizing their substantial capacity and durability before Jesus performs His first sign.
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II Corinthians 3:3
being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.
Paul contrasts the permanence of stone tablets with the living responsiveness of a heart written on by the Spirit.
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Revelation of John 9:20
The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn’t repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn’t worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood, which can’t see, hear, or walk.
Stone idols are listed alongside metal images to show that even durable materials cannot save or respond when worshipped instead of God.