Lexical Summary lithinos: Made of stone, stone Original Word: λίθινος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of stone. From lithos; stony, i.e. Made of stone -- of stone. see GREEK lithos NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom lithos Definition of stone NASB Translation stone (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3035: λίθινοςλίθινος, λιθινη, λιθινον (λίθος); from Pindar down; of stone: John 2:6; 2 Corinthians 3:3; Revelation 9:20. Topical Lexicon Nature and ConnotationThe adjective λίθινος denotes that which is fashioned out of stone. In Scripture the material is never a neutral detail; it carries overtones of durability, rigidity, and, at times, spiritual insensibility. When the term surfaces, it invites reflection on the contrast between what is outwardly fixed and what God intends to make inwardly living. Old Testament Foreshadowing Stone first gains covenantal prominence in the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved (Exodus 31:18). Connected themes recur in prophecies promising that God will remove the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). The adjective λίθινος, while New-Testament Greek, therefore stands against a rich Hebraic backdrop in which stone may signify both permanence of revelation and the peril of spiritual hardness. Stone and Ritual Purity (John 2:6) “Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish ceremonial washing, each holding from two to three metretes.” (John 2:6) Stone vessels were preferred in Jewish purification rites because, unlike clay, they could not contract ritual impurity (cf. Mishnah, Kelim 10). The Messiah’s first sign employs objects representative of the old purification system: water turns to wine, signaling that external washings give way to the joyful, inward cleansing of the new covenant. The stone jars stand solid and unyielding, yet their contents are transformed—a subtle picture of how Christ fulfills, rather than abolishes, the law. Stone Tablets and Covenant Contrasts (2 Corinthians 3:3) “It is clear that you are a letter from Christ … written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:3) Here λίθινος recalls Sinai. Tablets of stone embodied a divinely authoritative but external code. The apostle sets this against the Spirit’s inscription on “tablets of human hearts,” echoing Jeremiah 31:33. The adjective intensifies Paul’s argument: the new covenant outstrips the old not by diminishing its authority but by relocating it—from immutable rock to regenerated hearts. The permanence of stone is surpassed by the life-giving permanence of the Spirit. Stone Idols and Final Judgment (Revelation 9:20) “The rest of mankind … did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk.” (Revelation 9:20) In apocalyptic context λίθινος marks the obstinate worship of lifeless matter. The plagues showcase divine warnings; the idols’ stony composition underscores their impotence and the spiritual dullness of the unrepentant. What is crafted from enduring material nevertheless faces inevitable judgment when set against the living God. Unified Themes: Permanence, Hardness, Transformation 1. Permanence: Stone jars, stone tablets, stone idols—each object projects endurance. Scripture leverages that quality either to affirm the lasting character of God’s law or to expose the futility of trusting in whatever merely endures materially. Historical Insights First-century Judea saw extensive quarrying of soft limestone, easily carved yet still classified as stone and so ritually non-absorbent. Stone vessels from this era, many discovered around Jerusalem, corroborate the detail in John 2. Likewise, the durability of stone tablets accords with ancient Near-Eastern practices of inscribing enduring records on hard media. Revelation’s mention of stone idols mirrors Greco-Roman statuary commonly carved from marble or basalt. Ministry Applications • Gospel Proclamation: Just as Christ transformed water within stone jars, the preacher expects the Spirit to transform hearts, even those seemingly hardened. Summary Λίθινος highlights objects of stone that frame decisive moments in redemptive history: purification jars at Cana, covenant tablets in Corinthian correspondence, and condemned idols in Revelation. Each appearance contrasts the fixed yet lifeless character of stone with the dynamic, life-giving work of God. The term therefore calls the Church to embrace internal transformation by the Spirit, to discard reliance on outward forms devoid of life, and to rest in the enduring covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations λιθινα λίθινα λιθιναι λίθιναι λιθιναις λιθίναις λιθίνας λιθίνην λίθινοι λιθίνοις λιθίνους lithina líthina lithinai líthinai lithinais lithínaisLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance John 2:6 Adj-NFPGRK: δὲ ἐκεῖ λίθιναι ὑδρίαι ἓξ NAS: Now there were six stone waterpots set KJV: waterpots of stone, after INT: moreover there of stone water pots six 2 Corinthians 3:3 Adj-DFP Revelation 9:20 Adj-ANP Strong's Greek 3035 |
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