Original Word: εἴδωλον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: eidólon
Pronunciation: i'-do-lon
Phonetic Spelling: (i'-do-lon)
Definition: Idol
Meaning: an idol, false god.

Word Origin: Derived from εἶδος (eidos), meaning "form" or "appearance."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - H457 (אֱלִיל, elil): Often translated as "worthless" or "idol," referring to false gods.

- H6091 (עֲצַב, atseb): Meaning "idol" or "image," used in contexts of idolatry.

Usage: The term "eidólon" refers to an image or representation, often of a false god, that is worshiped as a deity. In the New Testament, it is used to denote objects of pagan worship and is associated with idolatry, which is the worship of created things rather than the Creator.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, idols were common in religious practices. Temples and shrines were filled with statues and images representing various gods and goddesses. These idols were central to the religious life of the time, and worship often included rituals and sacrifices. The early Christians, emerging from a Jewish background that strictly prohibited idolatry, faced significant cultural pressure to conform to these practices. The rejection of idol worship was a defining characteristic of the Christian faith, setting believers apart from the surrounding pagan culture.

Word Origin
from eidos
Definition
an image (i.e. for worship), by impl. a false god
NASB Translation
idol (4), idols (7).

STRONGS NT 1497: εἴδωλον

εἴδωλον, εἰδώλου, τό (εἶδος (cf. Winers Grammar, 96 (91); Etym. Magn. 296, 9)), in Greek writings from Homer down, an image, likeness, i. e. whatever represents the form of an object, either real or imaginary; used of the shades of the departed (in Homer), of apparitions, spectres, phantoms of the mind, etc.; in Biblical writings (an idol, i. e.):

1. the image of a heathen god: Acts 7:41; 1 Corinthians 12:2; Revelation 9:20 (Isaiah 30:22; 2 Chronicles 23:17, etc.; θεῶν ἤ δαιμον´ων εἴδωλα, Polybius 31, 3, 13);

2. a false god: Acts 15:20 (on which see ἀλίσγημα); Romans 2:22; 1 Corinthians 8:4, 7; 1 Corinthians 10:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (often in the Sept.); φυλάσσειν ἑαυτόν ἀπό τῶν εἰδώλων, to guard oneself from all manner of fellowship with heathen worship, 1 John 5:21.

idol.

From eidos; an image (i.e. For worship); by implication, a heathen god, or (plural) the worship of such -- idol.

see GREEK eidos

ειδωλα είδωλα είδωλά εἴδωλα ειδώλοις ειδωλον είδωλον είδωλόν εἴδωλον εἴδωλόν ειδωλου ειδώλου εἰδώλου ειδωλω ειδώλω εἰδώλῳ ειδωλων ειδώλων εἰδώλων εικάδι εικάδος εικασθή eidola eidōla eídola eídōla eidolo eidōlō eidṓloi eidṓlōi eidolon eidōlon eidōlōn eidṓlon eidṓlōn eídolon eídolón eídōlon eídōlón eidolou eidōlou eidṓlouInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts