πυρράζω (purrazō)
purrazō
be (fiery) red
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb pyrrazō describes a vivid, fiery redness, evoking the glow of heated metal or intense color. It appears only twice in the New Testament, both within Matthew’s Gospel (16:2–3). In these verses, Jesus uses the term to describe the appearance of the sky at sunset or sunrise, noting that such changes in light and color are easily read by observers.
Its root connects directly to pyrros, meaning "flame-colored" or "reddish." This lexical link reinforces the image of a burning or glowing hue rather than a dull shade. The word captures a specific visual phenomenon, grounding Jesus’ teaching in observable natural signs that his audience could clearly identify.
Translators typically render this term as "red" or "glowing red," preserving the intensity of the original Greek. By focusing on this precise coloration, the text highlights how ordinary weather patterns serve as familiar references for spiritual insight, showing how physical signs can point to deeper understanding without requiring supernatural intervention.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pyrrazō describes a vivid, fiery redness in the sky, much like heated metal glowing at sunset or sunrise. Jesus used this specific image to show how people can easily read ordinary weather patterns without applying that same attention to spiritual realities. It reminds us that God often speaks through the natural world we see every day.
This word invites you to look closer at your own life. Just as the sky’s color signals changing weather, the events around you may carry deeper meaning. Instead of missing these signs, you can learn to notice them with care and patience.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- is red2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- πυρράζει2×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 16:2
But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
Jesus uses this word to describe the red sky at evening that people recognize as a sign of fair weather.
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Matthew 16:3
In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!
The same term appears here for the red and threatening morning sky, highlighting how easily people read nature but miss spiritual signs.