"dead, without life, Mt. 11:5; 22:31; met. νεκρός τινι, dead to a thing, no longer devoted to, or under the influence of a thing, Rom. 6:11; dead in respect of fruitlessness, Jas. 2:17, 20, 26; morally or spiritually dead, Rom. 6:13; Eph. 5:14; dead in alienation from God, Eph. 2:..."
Definition and meaning
dead, without life, Mt. 11:5; 22:31; met. νεκρός τινι, dead to a thing, no longer devoted to, or under the influence of a thing, Rom. 6:11; dead in respect of fruitlessness, Jas. 2:17, 20, 26; morally or spiritually dead, Rom. 6:13; Eph. 5:14; dead in alienation from God, Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13; subject to death, mortal, Rom. 8:10; causing death and misery, fatal, having a destructive power, Heb. 6:1; 9:14
In the original Greek the word is written: νεκρός
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
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 nekros (G3498) across the King James Bible.
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
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Common questions
Strong's G3498 (nekros) is a Greek word that means: dead, without life, Mt. 11:5; 22:31; met. νεκρός τινι, dead to a thing, no longer devoted to, or under the influence of a thing, Rom. 6:11; dead in respect of fruitlessness, Jas. 2:17, 20, 26; morally... It appears 123 times in the King James Bible.
The word nekros (G3498) appears 123 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3498 is nekros, a Greek word defined as: dead, without life, Mt. 11:5; 22:31; met. νεκρός τινι, dead to a thing, no longer devoted to, or under the influence of a thing, Rom. 6:11; dead in re. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
nekros is a Greek word found in the New Testament.