ἐλεγμός (elegmos)
elegmos
rebuke
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun elegmos refers to a correction or exposure intended to reveal error and prompt change. In the New Testament, it appears only once, in Second Timothy 3:16, where Paul describes Scripture as useful for this specific purpose. The word carries the sense of bringing hidden faults into the light so they can be addressed.
Its root verb means to convict or reprove. This usage aligns with how the term appears in the Greek Old Testament, such as in Psalms and Sirach, where it translates Hebrew words for discipline or instruction. The focus is not on punishment but on the clarifying power of truth to correct a person’s path.
Translators often render elegmos as "rebuke" or "correction." This highlights the constructive nature of biblical teaching. Rather than merely condemning, Scripture serves to expose what needs changing, allowing believers to grow in faithfulness through honest self-examination guided by God's word.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we encounter difficult truths in Scripture, it can feel like a sharp light exposing our hidden flaws. The word elegmos captures this moment of honest correction. It is not about shame or punishment, but about clarity. God’s Word acts as a mirror, revealing areas where our lives drift from His design so we can turn back toward Him.
This gentle rebuke is actually an act of grace. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul reminds us that all Scripture is profitable for this very purpose. Instead of leaving us in confusion, God uses His Word to guide our steps. We are invited to welcome this correction as a sign of His care, trusting that He wants to restore our path rather than condemn us.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- conviction,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐλεγμόν,1×
Key Verses
-
II Timothy 3:16
Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,
This verse uniquely identifies Scripture as the tool for elegmos, showing that divine correction comes through God-breathed text rather than human opinion.