σπιλάς (spilas)
spilas
reef
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun spilas literally refers to a hidden rock or reef in the sea, a danger that lies just beneath the surface until a ship strikes it. In classical literature, this image described the physical hazard itself, but in the New Testament it takes on a sharp metaphorical meaning. It appears only once in Scripture, in Jude 12, where it describes individuals who are "spots" or stains in the community’s love feasts.
Here, the word paints these people as moral hazards to others. Just as a submerged reef can wreck a vessel, these individuals cause spiritual danger and damage through their conduct. While some ancient sources link the term to a visible stain, Jude uses the imagery of the hidden rock to emphasize the deceptive and destructive nature of their influence on the church.
Translators often render this difficult word as "spots" or "blemishes," focusing on the resulting flaw rather than the active danger. This choice highlights how such people mar the purity of the community from within, acting as a hidden threat to those who fellowship with them.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word spilas describes a submerged reef, a danger that lies just beneath the surface until a ship strikes it. In Jude’s letter, this image warns against people who seem to share in Christian fellowship but carry hidden moral hazards. Their presence threatens the community’s unity and purity, much like a rock that wrecks a vessel from below.
This metaphor invites us to examine our own hearts and the communities we join. It reminds us that true fellowship requires integrity and transparency. We are called to build relationships that reflect Christ’s love, avoiding any behavior that might cause others to stumble or be harmed spiritually.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- hidden reefs,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- σπιλάδες,1×
Key Verses
-
Jude 1:12
These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
This verse uses the reef imagery to describe individuals who appear to participate in love feasts but pose a hidden spiritual danger to the community.