φθινοπωρινός (phthinopōrinos)
phthinopōrinos
autumnal
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective phthinopōrinos describes something belonging to late autumn, specifically evoking trees that are dry, leafless, and bare of fruit. Its root combines a sense of waning or decay with the season of harvest’s end, creating an image of natural decline at the time when one might expect abundance.
This word appears only once in the New Testament, in Jude 12. There it modifies "trees" to describe false teachers who are unfruitful and spiritually dead. The imagery is stark: these individuals are like autumn trees stripped of their leaves and fruit, offering no nourishment or life to those around them.
Translators typically render this as "autumnal" or "without fruit," capturing the specific timing that makes the barrenness so significant. Unlike summer trees that might simply be dormant, these are late-autumn trees, signaling a finality and uselessness that underscores the severity of Jude’s warning.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word φθινοπωρινός (phthinopōrinos) appears only once in the New Testament, found in Jude 1:12. It describes trees in late autumn that have lost their leaves and fruit, standing bare and lifeless. This image serves as a vivid metaphor for spiritual barrenness, illustrating how false teachers can appear outwardly present yet offer no nourishment or truth to those around them.
For your faith, this word is a gentle reminder to examine the fruit of your own life. Just as an autumn tree that bears no fruit is ultimately useless, our relationship with God should produce visible goodness and integrity. It invites us to consider whether our actions reflect the life we claim to have, encouraging a sincere commitment to spiritual growth rather than empty appearance.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- autumnal1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- φθινοπωρινὰ1×
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 term to depict false teachers as spiritually dead and unfruitful, emphasizing the finality of their condition by comparing them to late-autumn trees stripped of all life.