What does σκώληξ (skṓlēx) mean in the Bible?
σκώληξ (skṓlēx): Worm that devours corpses, used metaphorically for eternal punishment in Gehenna.
Greek · G4663
σκώληξ
A grub, maggot or earth-worm
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σκώληξ G4663
Pronunciation skṓlēx
What does σκώληξ (skṓlēx) mean in the Bible?
σκώληξ (skṓlēx): Worm that devours corpses, used metaphorically for eternal punishment in Gehenna.
Full entry for σκώληξ (G4663) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4663?
The BSB source-word alignment has 1 aligned row for this entry. Common renderings include worm (1).
Where does σκώληξ (skṓlēx) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 9:48. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It worm 1× Mark 9:48
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Mark 9:48
Aligned rows 1
Books represented 1
Mark 1
Source forms
σκώληξ 1x skōlēx Mark 9:48
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x Mark 9:48
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Worm that devours corpses, used metaphorically for eternal punishment in Gehenna.
Strong's G4663
Lexical occurrences 1 verse Greek text appearances 3 times Word forms 1 form 1 reference Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
a grub, maggot or earth-worm
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 9:44 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
σκώληξ skwlhx
a gnawing worm
Read verse Mark 9:46 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
σκώληξ skwlhx
a gnawing worm
Read verse Mark 9:48 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
σκώληξ skwlhx
a gnawing worm
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 1 Case pattern Nominative (1) Number pattern Singular (1)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Mark 9:48 1×
Where It Appears in Scripture
Where this word appears in Scripture: passage, original form, and sense in context.
Witnesses
Mark 9:42–48 σκώληξ skṓlēx
worm, maggot
Word Origins
σκώληξ is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain