504. anudros
Lexical Summary
anudros: Waterless, dry

Original Word: ἄνυδρος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: anudros
Pronunciation: AN-oo-dros
Phonetic Spelling: (an'-oo-dros)
KJV: dry, without water
NASB: waterless, without water
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and G5204 (ὕδωρ - water)]

1. waterless, i.e. dry

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 Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and hudór
Definition
waterless
NASB Translation
waterless (2), without water (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 504: ἄνυδρος

ἄνυδρος, ἄνυδρον (alpha privative and ὕδωρ), without water: πηγαί, 2 Peter 2:17; τόποι, desert places, Matthew 12:43; Luke 11:24 ( 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.)

Topical Lexicon
Central Biblical Imagery

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.”
Luke 11:24 – Repeats the Matthean wording, reinforcing the theme of restless evil unable to satisfy.
2 Peter 2:17 – “These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.”
Jude 1:12 – “These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts… clouds without water, carried along by winds; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead, uprooted.”

Theological Significance

1. Spiritual Barrenness: Demonic forces, once ejected, wander through spiritually desolate regions, revealing that evil offers no true rest or fulfillment.
2. False Teaching Exposed: Both Peter and Jude label heretical influencers as sources that appear promising yet leave disciples parched. Their end is judgment (“blackest darkness”), underscoring divine justice against deceit.
3. Contrast with Living Water: Jesus proclaims Himself the giver of “living water” (John 4:10–14), highlighting the stark difference between His life-giving ministry and the spiritual drought represented by 504.

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.
• Deliverance Ministry: Recognize that casting out demons is only half the task; the vacated life must be filled with the Holy Spirit lest it remain a waterless haunt.
• Pastoral Self-Examination: Shepherds must guard against becoming “springs without water,” ensuring personal communion with Christ precedes public proclamation.

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.

Forms and Transliterations
ανυδροι άνυδροι ἄνυδροι ανύδροις άνυδρον άνυδρος άνυδρός ανύδρω ανυδρων ανύδρων ἀνύδρων ανυπόδετος ανυποδέτους anudroi anudron anudrōn anydroi ánydroi anydron anydrōn anýdron anýdrōn
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 12:43 Adj-GMP
GRK: 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
GRK: διέρχεται δι' ἀνύδρων τόπων ζητοῦν
NAS: through waterless places
KJV: he walketh through dry places, seeking
INT: it goes through waterless places seeking

2 Peter 2:17 Adj-NFP
GRK: εἰσιν πηγαὶ ἄνυδροι καὶ ὁμίχλαι
NAS: are springs without water and mists
KJV: wells without water, clouds
INT: are fountains without water and clouds

Jude 1:12 Adj-NFP
GRK: ποιμαίνοντες νεφέλαι ἄνυδροι ὑπὸ ἀνέμων
NAS: clouds without water, carried along
KJV: clouds [they are] without water, carried about
INT: shepherding clouds without water by winds

Strong's Greek 504
4 Occurrences


ἀνύδρων — 2 Occ.
ἄνυδροι — 2 Occ.

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