Lexical Summary anudros: Waterless, dry Original Word: ἄνυδρος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dry, without water. From a (as a negative particle) and hudor; waterless, i.e. Dry -- dry, without water. see GREEK a see GREEK hudor NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom alpha (as a neg. prefix) and hudór Definition waterless NASB Translation waterless (2), without water (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 504: ἄνυδροςἄνυδρος, ἄνυδρον (alpha privative and ὕδωρ), without water: πηγαί, 2 Peter 2:17; τόποι, desert places, Matthew 12:43; Luke 11:24 (ἡ ἄνυδρος the desert, Isaiah 43:19; Herodotus 3, 4, etc.; in the Sept. often γῆ ἄνυδρος) (desert places were believed to be the haunts of demons; see Isaiah 13:21; Isaiah 34:14 (in the Sept.), and Gesenius or Alex. on the former passage; cf. further, Baruch 4:35; Tobit 8:3; 4 Macc. 18:8; (Enoch 10:4); Revelation 18:2; cf. d. Zeitschr. d. deutsch. morgenl. Gesell. xxi. 609); νεφέλαι, waterless clouds (Vergil georg. 3, 197faridanubila), which promise rain but yield none, Jude 1:12. (In Greek writings from Herodotus down.) The term depicts a landscape devoid of water—unrelenting, inhospitable, and lifeless. Scripture employs it to expose the barrenness of demonic activity (Matthew 12:43; Luke 11:24) and the emptiness of false teachers (2 Peter 2:17; Jude 1:12). The picture is one of promise without provision: a spring that offers no refreshment, a cloud that yields no rain, a wasteland that cannot sustain life. Occurrences in Scripture • Matthew 12:43 – “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.” Theological Significance 1. Spiritual Barrenness: Demonic forces, once ejected, wander through spiritually desolate regions, revealing that evil offers no true rest or fulfillment. Historical Interpretation Early Church writers applied these verses to Gnostic and licentious groups. Medieval commentators broadened the warning to any cleric who preaches orthodoxy outwardly but lacks inward grace. Reformers found in the word a caution against empty ecclesiastical ritual devoid of gospel power. Practical Ministry Applications • Discernment: Evaluate teaching not merely by eloquence but by whether it leads hearers to the refreshment of Christ. Devotional Reflection Believers are called to be “like a tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3). Encounter with 504 challenges the church to reject aridity—whether demonic, doctrinal, or devotional—and to seek, share, and safeguard the living water that alone satisfies thirsty souls. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 12:43 Adj-GMPGRK: διέρχεται δι' ἀνύδρων τόπων ζητοῦν NAS: through waterless places KJV: he walketh through dry places, seeking INT: it goes through waterless places seeking Luke 11:24 Adj-GMP 2 Peter 2:17 Adj-NFP Jude 1:12 Adj-NFP Strong's Greek 504 |
    |