νέκρωσις (nekrōsis)
nekrōsis
death
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun nekrosis denotes a state of being put to death or rendered lifeless. In the New Testament, it appears only twice, describing a physical condition where bodily members and organs experience utter sluggishness or decline. This usage reflects its root in the word for "dead body," pointing to a tangible weakening of the flesh rather than a spiritual metaphor.
Paul employs this term in Romans 4:19 and 2 Corinthians 4:10 to illustrate how believers participate in Christ’s death through physical frailty. In these passages, the body is described as being "given over" to death, highlighting the reality of human mortality even for those who are spiritually alive. The word captures the paradox that the power of Jesus’ life is made visible precisely through this mortal weakness.
Translators typically render nekrosis as "death" or "dying," though the Greek emphasizes the process or state of decay. It serves as a stark reminder that the Christian experience includes sharing in Christ’s sufferings, with the body subject to the same limitations as any human frame. This physical reality does not diminish faith but rather becomes the context in which divine strength is displayed.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word nekrosis describes a physical state of decline or 'deadness' in the body. It appears only twice in the New Testament, referring to tangible human frailty rather than spiritual death. Paul uses it to describe Abraham’s aged body and Sarah’s barren womb, as well as the daily weariness believers face while serving Christ.
This reality does not separate you from God’s power; instead, it becomes the very context where His life is revealed. When your physical strength fades or circumstances feel stagnant, the vitality of Jesus shines through your weakness. Mortality is not a failure of faith but a shared experience that points to the resurrection hope.
There is comfort in knowing that even in our most limited moments, we participate in Christ’s story. Your body’s fragility does not diminish your standing with God. Instead, it invites you to rely on His sustaining grace, trusting that life emerges from surrender.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- lifelessness1×
- death1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- νέκρωσιν2×
Key Verses
-
Romans 4:19
Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
Paul applies this term to Abraham’s aged body and Sarah’s womb to show that faith persists even when physical vitality is gone.
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II Corinthians 4:10
always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
This verse links the daily experience of bodily decline directly to the visible manifestation of Jesus’ life in believers.