Two different words for "death" in Greek

 “Nekros” and  “Thanatos”

There are basically two different words in Greek that are translated as “death” in the KJV, “Nekros” and “Thanatos”. We use the ISA (Interlinear Scripture Analyzer) to compare their meanings. ISA uses Strong’s Notes to codify and distinguish Greek words. The typical format of such code is the letter “G” plus 1 to 4 numerals.

The different cases for the two words and their derivatives mainly fall into the following categories, according to Strong’s Notes:

1.       Nekros, nekrous, nekron, nekra, nekroi, are grouped under the same code G3498.

2.       Thanatos, thanato, thanaton, thanatou are grouped under the same code G2288, which is from the root word G2348 “Thnesko” or “Thano”.

Additional references:

3.       Apethanen, apethanon, apothane, apothaneitai, apothneskei, apothanein, apethanomen are grouped under the same code G599, which again is from the root words G575 “apo” and G2348 “Thnesko” or “Thano”.

4.       G575 “apo” is a primary particle, meaning “off” or away (from something near) in various senses (of place, time or relation, literal or figurative). In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.

5.       G2348 “Thnesko” is a strengthened form of a simpler primary “thano” (which is used for that meaning only in certain tenses), which means “to die” (literally or figuratively).

6.       “Thanatos” (etc.) is a noun or adjective for “death”, and “Apethanen” (etc.) is a verb for the same root word(G2348).  The relationship between the two is similar to that between “slave” and “enslave”.

In order to make it easier to understand the various interpretations of “nekros” and “thanatos”, let us first look at some other words, each of which are used for different meanings.

It is quite common that in English the interpretations of the same word may be completely different in different contexts.

For examples:

The word “look”:

a.      She looked at him with confusion.

b.      She looked very beautiful.

The word “Balance”:

a.      Gymnasts must have good balance.

b.      The last balance of my visa account was $999.00.

The word “address”:

a.      Can you tell me your home address?

b.      He listened to an address on minor Roman poets.

Second, let us look at the interpretations of “death” in Chinese and English, apart from the general meaning of “death” as “physical death”.

The words of “death” or “dead” in Chinese have different interpretations in different contexts:

·         A pond of dead water (without movement) 一潭死水

·         A deadly quietness in the room (Extremely) 一片死寂、死氣沉沉

·         A dead piece in chess (hopeless) 一盤死棋、死無對證

·         Unrepentant to death (Stubbornly) 死不悔改（回頭）

·         A dead road (closed or hopeless) 死路、死巷、死角

·         Deadly wound (Fatal) 死傷

Other interpretations:

·         Strong determination 死心塌地、死心眼、死要面子活受罪

·         Miseries or danger of death 死地求生

·         Death penalty or waiting for execution 死囚

·         Rigid 死板、死心眼、死搬硬套、死記硬背;

·         Live without any intention or do meaningless things 死樣活氣、死模活様（意同“行尸走肉”）、醉生夢死

The word  “dead” in English could be interpreted differently as below (apart from the physical death):

·         A dead volcano (Physically inactive)

·         Dead silence (complete)

·         A dead sleep (resembling death; deathlike)

·         A dead handshake (lacking in freshness, interest, or vitality)

·         A dead issue or a dead language (no longer in use, valid, effective, or relevant)

·         A dead-end job (leading nowhere, hopeless)

·         The motor is dead. (Out of operation because of a fault or breakdown)

·         I’m dead after that long trip. (Very tired)

·         The passersby were dead to our plea for help. (Unresponsive, not showing human feeling or sensitivity)

·         This is a dead town; nothing ever happens here. (devoid of activity, lying idle or unused)

·         I’m trying to turn that into a dead memory. (dead memory: when you completely forget, or WANT to forget a memory; disappeared); Etc.

The Greek words of “dead” or “death” also have abundant interpretations in different contexts in the Bible, which requires discernment of a reader to reach the right interpretation. Erroneous interpretations are caused by errors in the theology of the interpreters, which result in contradictions in the interpretation of different verses.  Conversely, one error may cause huge difference, and one erroneous interpretation may greatly influence the truth of the Bible.

Nekros, or Nekrous, Nekron, Nekra, Nekroi (dead, or dead ones):
It is a noun or adjective for the word “death” primarily concerning “the body” or “the flesh”. It can be interpreted as:

1)       an apparently primary nekus (a corpse); physically dead (one)(s);

2)       physically Unresponsive;

3)       be free from the bondage of the flesh;

4)      the submission of the body (members) as (an) instrument(s) of unrighteousness to sin.

5)      not counted for; invalid, null and void

Thanatos, or Thanato, Thanaton, Thanatou (death):

It is a noun or adjective for the word “death” referring not only to the general meaning of death, but also (an) extended meaning(s) for the consequences of death and the death leading to eternity:

1)       death in general (the separation of the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended)

2)       the power and miseries of death; the miseries arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell

3)       eternal death (the second death)

4)       the death as a ransom (to pay the eternal debts of men)

5)       the death as a punishment (penalty) or a curse for sins

6)       the union with Jesus Christ in death

7)       fatal (disease)

8)       something (be about) to be abolished

The meaning of a word in a specific context should be determined by that context, and the correct interpretation of the word will not cause the verse in which the word is used to contradict with other verses.

Here are some examples of the Bible verses that use “nekros”, “thanatos” and their above-noted derivatives:

When Nekros, or Nekrous, Nekron, Nekra, Nekroi (dead, or dead ones) are interpreted as:

Physically dead

Matthew 28:7

And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead (nekros), and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.

Romans 8:10

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead (nekron) because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Acts 28:6

However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead(nekron). But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Revelation 20:12

And I saw the dead(nekrous), small and great, standing before God,^[a] and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead (nekroi) were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Physically Unresponsive:

Romans6:11

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead (nekrous) indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Be free from the bondage of the flesh:

Romans 7:4

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead (nekron) to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.

The submission of the body (members) as (an) instrument(s) of unrighteousness to sin:

Ephesians 2:1-3
And you He made alive, who were dead (nekrous) in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

 There is no implication here that “the dead” one has lost his ability to choose.  Here, according to the context, to be “dead” is a choice, meaning to submit one’s body to sin. (Romans 6:19-21)

Colossians 2:13

And you, being dead (nekrous) in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

The implication here is the same as Ephesians2:1: “being dead” is the result of the choice of submitting the body to sin, which does not necessarily mean that the one “being dead” has lost one’s ability to choose again. (Romans 6:19-21)

Ephesians 5:14

Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead (nekron), And Christ will give you light.”

The implication here is the same as Ephesians2:1: “arise from the dead” means repentance, or to stop submitting the body to sin, but begin to submit the body to righteousness. In other words, by making the wrong choice one is dead, while by makinig the right choice one is alive. 

Luke 15:22-24

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring^[a] out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³ And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead (nekros) and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

Obviously here the “nekros” does not mean the physical death, but the state of being “lost”, which is the result of the wrong “choice” of submitting one’s body as an instrument to sin. “Is alive” and “Be found” is the result of a right choice that the son makes: i.e., he is to repent and go back home.

Not counted for, invalid, null or void:

Romans 7:8
But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin [was] dead (nekra).

 

James 2:26

For as the body without the spirit is dead (nekron), so faith without works is dead (nekra) also.

 The former “nekron” means “physically dead”, while the latter “nekra” means “invalid” or “not counted as (faith)”.

Luke 9:60

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead (nekrous) bury their own dead (nekrous), but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

The former “nekrous” means “the submission of the body (members) as (an) instrument(s) of unrighteousness to sin”; while the latter “nekrous” means “physically dead (ones)”.

When Thanatos, or Thanato, Thanaton, Thanatou (death) are interpreted as:

Death in General

Philippians2:27

For indeed he was sick almost unto death(thanato); but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

Revelation 9:6

In those days men will seek death(thanaton) and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

The power and miseries of death

Revelation 6:8 

So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death (Thanatos), and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death (Thanato), and by the beasts of the earth.

The former “thanatos” means “the power and miseries of death”, while it appears that the later “thanato” may be interpreted as “fatal diseases”.

Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death(thanatos) through sin(s), and thus death(thanatos) spread to all men, because all sinned—

Here, “death” means “the power and miseries of death”. It is the consequence of sin, and it brings men into the danger of eternal death.

Romans 5:14

Nevertheless death(thanatos) reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

1.       “From Adam to Moses” when narrowly interpreted refers to the time before Jesus, which includes the time of Adam, Noah, Moses and the law of Moses. For the gentiles it also refers to the time of the law of conscience(Romans2:14-15). When broadly interpreted it refers to the time before a person or persons have heard the Gospel.

2.       Here, if the word “thanatos” is interpreted as “physical death”, then why the Bible mentions that Enoch and Elijah were taken up alive, without tasting the physical death (2 Kings 2:11, Hebrews 11:5)? And why in the end there will be believers who are taken up alive also (1 Thessalonians 4:17)? These are all descendants of Adam.

3.       If the word “thanatos” is interpreted as the “eternal death”, they why the Bible mentions that there were a lot of people who were within the range of “Adam to Moses” that have obtained eternal life, including Moses himself?

4.       It should be interpreted as “the power and miseries of death” here. “The power of death” means: by inheriting a degraded sinful nature from Adam, men tend to commit sins, such that if without repentance and faith in God, men cannot be freed from the reign of death and are going to perish forever. “The miseries of death” are the miseries rising from sins, not only from the sins of oneself, but also from the sins of others; it means even one who has not commit sin yet, e.g., a baby, will suffer the miseries of sins of others (Revelation 6:8).

Romans7:10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death(thanaton).

Matthew 4:16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death(thanatou) Light has dawned.”^[a]

Without hearing the gospel, people are under the reign of “the power and miseries of death” (sitting in the shadow of death). Jesus brings the light and the life. The saints of the New Testament are promised to be regenerated in this life, the abidance of God himself.

1 John 3:14

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother^[a] abides in death(thanato).

The second death (hell) has not been in reality yet, it will happen after the final judgement (Revelation 20:13-14). As for now, one has no way to abide in “the second death”(hell), he may still have chance to repent as long as he lives. It is only possible for him to abide in “the power and miseries of death” before he chooses to repent.

The Eternal death (second death), hell:

Revelation 20:6

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death (Thanatos) has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Revelation 20:14

Then Death (Thanatos)  and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (Thanatos).

Revelation 21:8

But the cowardly, unbelieving,^[a] abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Thanatos) .”

The death as a ransom:

Romans5:10

For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death(thanatou) of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Obviously, the word  “death” here cannot be interpreted as “the eternal death”.

1 Conrinthans 11:26

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death(thanaton) till He comes.

Hebrews 9:15

And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death(thanatou), for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

The death as a punishment (penalty) or a curse for sins:

Romans7:10

And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death(thanaton).

The power and miseries of death, the death as a punishment or a curse, and eternal death:

Romans 6:21-23

What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death(thanatos). ²² But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin(s) is death(thanatos), but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The ”death” here has several layers of meaning simultaneously.

The union with Jesus Christ in death:

Romans 6:5

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death(thanatou), certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

Philippines 3:10

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death(thanato), if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

2 Corinthans 4: 11-12

For we who live are always delivered to death (Thanaton) for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So then death (Thanatos) is working in us, but life in you.

Here, “death” obviously cannot be interpreted as “the eternal death”, but “the union of death with Jesus Christ in death.”

Fatal (disease):

Revelation 13:3

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death(thanaton); and his deadly (thanatou)wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

(Something) to be abolished:

2 Corinthians 3:7-8 But if the ministry of death(thanatou), written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

When “Thanatou” are used together with different interpretations:

Hebrews 2:14-15

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death(thanatou) He might destroy him who had the power of death(thanatou), that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death(thanatou) were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Here, the first “thanatou” should be interpreted as “the death as a ransom”; the second “thanatou” means “the power and miseries of death”; the third “thanatou” means “death in general, eternal death, the power and miseries of death”.

When “Nekros” and “Thanatos” are used together, it shows distinctly that “nekros” refers to the physical death and “thanatos” has extended meanings:

Romans 6:4

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death(thanaton), that just as Christ was raised from the dead(nekros) by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:8-9

Now if we be dead(apethanomen) with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead(Nekron), dies no more. Death(Thanatos) no longer has dominion over Him.  

Philippines 3:10

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death(thanato), if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead(Nekron).

Revelation 20:13-14

The sea gave up the dead (Nekros)  who were in it, and Death(Thanatos)  and Hades delivered up the dead (Nekros) who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴ Then Death (Thanatos)  and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (Thanatos).