"pr. harsh, sour in flavor; met. harsh, rigid, ungenerous, Lk. 19:21, 22*"
Definition and meaning
pr. harsh, sour in flavor; met. harsh, rigid, ungenerous, Lk. 19:21, 22*
In the original Greek the word is written: αὐστηρός
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of austeros (G840) across the King James Bible.
For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
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Common questions
Strong's G840 (austeros) is a Greek word that means: pr. harsh, sour in flavor; met. harsh, rigid, ungenerous, Lk. 19:21, 22* It appears 2 times in the King James Bible.
The word austeros (G840) appears 2 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G840 is austeros, a Greek word defined as: pr. harsh, sour in flavor; met. harsh, rigid, ungenerous, Lk. 19:21, 22*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
austeros is a Greek word found in the New Testament.