ὀχύρωμα (ochurōma)
ochurōma
stronghold
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun ochurōma refers to a stronghold or fortress, derived from a root meaning to fortify or make firm. In the Septuagint, it translates Hebrew words for military strongholds, describing physical places of defense and safety. This concrete image carries over into the New Testament, where Paul employs the term metaphorically in his second letter to the Corinthians.
In 2 Corinthians 10:4, Paul describes spiritual weapons that are powerful for destroying these strongholds. Here, the word does not denote a physical castle but rather the rigid arguments and reasoning people use to defend their opposition against God. It captures the idea of entrenched mental positions that resist the truth, which believers dismantle not with physical force but through divine power.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ochurōma describes a fortress or stronghold, a place built for defense and safety. In its original context, it referred to physical military positions that were difficult to breach. However, the Apostle Paul uses this image in a spiritual sense to describe the rigid arguments and proud obstacles that people raise against the knowledge of God.
For your faith life, this offers profound comfort. It reminds you that the battles you face in your mind or heart are not won by your own strength or cleverness. Instead, believers are equipped with divine power capable of dismantling these entrenched mental positions. You do not need to rely on human wisdom to overcome deep-seated doubts or opposition.
When you encounter resistance to truth, remember that the weapons provided are mighty before God. This assurance allows you to stand firm in your faith, trusting that spiritual victory comes from Him alone. It is a reminder that no obstacle is too fortified for divine power to break down.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- of strongholds,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ὀχυρωμάτων,1×
Key Verses
-
II Corinthians 10:4
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,
This verse defines the term metaphorically, shifting it from a physical fortress to the proud arguments and mental barriers that oppose God.