What does ἀόρατος (aóratos) mean in the Bible?
ἀόρατος (aóratos): Describes what cannot be perceived by physical sight, emphasizing transcendent divine reality beyond human perception
Greek · G517
ἀόρατος
ἀόρατος (aóratos): Describes what cannot be perceived by physical sight, emphasizing transcendent divine reality beyond human perception
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through theConnect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἀόρατοςG517
Pronunciationaóratos
What does ἀόρατος (aóratos) mean in the Bible?
Full entry for ἀόρατος (G517) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G517?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include invisible (3), [and] invisible (1), invisible qualities (1).
Where does ἀόρατος (aóratos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Romans 1:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Colossians (2), 1 Timothy (1), Hebrews (1), Romans (1).
Are there verse guides for ἀόρατος (aóratos)?
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itinvisible3×Colossians 1:15, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 11:27
[and] invisible1×1 Timothy 1:17
invisible qualities1×Romans 1:20
Show sample aligned rows
Romans 1:20ἀόραταtoinvisible qualitiesAdjective - Nominative Neuter PluralColossians 1:15ἀοράτουtoinvisibleAdjective - Genitive Masculine SingularColossians 1:16ἀόραταtoinvisibleAdjective - Nominative Neuter Plural1 Timothy 1:17ἀοράτῳto[and] invisibleAdjective - Dative Masculine SingularHebrews 11:27ἀόρατονtoinvisibleAdjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowRomans 1:20
Aligned rows5
Books represented4
Romans1Colossians21 Timothy1Hebrews1
Source forms
ἀόρατα2xaorataRomans 1:20, Colossians 1:16
ἀόρατον1xaoratonHebrews 11:27
ἀοράτου1xaoratouColossians 1:15
ἀοράτῳ1xaoratō1 Timothy 1:17
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural2xRomans 1:20, Colossians 1:16
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular1xHebrews 11:27
Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular1x1 Timothy 1:17
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular1xColossians 1:15
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Describes what cannot be perceived by physical sight, emphasizing transcendent divine reality beyond human perception
Source Gloss
invisible
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Describes what cannot be perceived by physical sight, emphasizing transcendent divine reality beyond human perception
(ὁράω), [in LXX: Gen.1:2 (תֹּהוּ), Isa.45:3 (מִסְתָּר), 2Ma.9:5 * ;] unseen, invisible: Rom.1:20, Col.1:15-16, 1Ti.1:17, Heb.11:27.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Romans 1:20Adjective Nominative Plural Neuter
ἀόραταaorata
unseen, invisible
Read verseaoratou
unseen, invisible
Read verseColossians 1:16Adjective Nominative Plural Neuter
ἀόρατα,aorata
unseen, invisible
Read verse1 Timothy 1:17Adjective Dative Singular Masculine
ἀοράτῳ,aoratw
unseen, invisible
Read verseHebrews 11:27Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀόρατονaoraton
unseen, invisible
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 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns4Aligned forms5Case patternNominative (2)Number patternSingular (3)
Nominative · Plural · NeuterRom 1:20 · Col 1:162×
Dative · Singular · Masculine1 Tim 1:171×
Accusative · Singular · MasculineHeb 11:271×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
invisible
Showing 1 selected witness from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀόρατος is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Emphasizes faith's focus on unseen divine reality.Hebrews 11:23-29