Word Studies — Lake of Fire / Second Death

G3041 — limne (lake)

Transliteration: limne Pronunciation: lim-nay Part of Speech: feminine noun Definition: Probably from (through the idea of nearness of shore); a pond, lake BLB Count: 10

Translation Distribution

Translation	Count	Percentage
lake	10	100%

All 10 Occurrences

Verse	Context
Luke 5:1	"stood by the lake of Gennesaret" — literal lake
Luke 5:2	"two ships standing by the lake" — literal lake
Luke 8:22	"Let us go over unto the other side of the lake" — literal lake
Luke 8:23	"there came down a storm of wind on the lake" — literal lake
Luke 8:33	"ran violently down a steep place into the lake" — literal lake
Rev 19:20	"cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone"
Rev 20:10	"cast into the lake of fire and brimstone"
Rev 20:14	"death and hell were cast into the lake of fire"
Rev 20:15	"was cast into the lake of fire"
Rev 21:8	"the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone"

Analysis

• The word limne simply means "lake" or "pond" — a body of standing water.
• Five uses are literal (Lake of Gennesaret in Luke).
• Five uses are in Revelation for the "lake of fire" (limne tou puros).
• The "lake of fire" is a construct unique to Revelation. It does not appear in the OT, the Gospels, the Epistles, or any other NT book.
• The phrase "lake of fire" is not identical to "gehenna" (G1067), "sheol/hades" (G86), or "fire" generally (G4442). It is a distinct image in Revelation's apocalyptic framework.

G4442 — pur (fire)

Transliteration: pur Pronunciation: poor Part of Speech: neuter noun Definition: A primary word; "fire" (literally or figuratively) BLB Count: 74

Translation Distribution

Translation	Count	Percentage
fire	37	52.9%
of fire	16	22.9%
with fire	8	11.4%
the fire	5	7.1%
other	4	5.7%

Key Observations

• 74 NT occurrences — extensive usage across many contexts.
• Used for literal fire (Luke 22:55), theophany fire (Acts 2:3; Heb 12:29), judgment fire (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:14), and metaphorical fire (Luke 12:49; Jas 3:5-6).
• In the "lake of fire" construct, pur modifies limne — the fire characterizes the lake.
• The same word appears in "everlasting fire" (Matt 25:41) and "unquenchable fire" (Matt 3:12; Mark 9:43).

G1208 — deuteros (second)

Transliteration: deuteros Pronunciation: dyoo-ter-os Part of Speech: adjective Definition: As the comparative of; ordinal — second (in time, place, or rank) BLB Count: 47

Translation Distribution

Translation	Count	Percentage
second	24	55.8%
the second	4	9.3%
second time	3	7.0%
the second time	3	7.0%
again	2	4.7%
other	7	16.3%

Key Observations

• Standard ordinal adjective meaning "second."
• In the "second death" (deuteros thanatos) construct: deuteros modifies thanatos.
• The term "second death" implies a first death exists — physical death.
• The "second death" is distinguished from ordinary death by the adjective.
• All four "second death" occurrences are in Revelation (2:11; 20:6; 20:14; 21:8).

G2288 — thanatos (death)

Transliteration: thanatos Pronunciation: than-at-os Part of Speech: masculine noun Definition: From (properly, an adjective used as a noun) death (literally or figuratively) BLB Count: 119 (97 in the translation database)

Translation Distribution

Translation	Count	Percentage
death	55	56.7%
of death	26	26.8%
the death	5	5.2%
to death	3	3.1%
deadly	2	2.1%
other	6	6.2%

Key Observations

• The most common NT word for death — 119 occurrences.
• Used for: physical death (Matt 10:21), spiritual death (Rom 5:12), death as a power/enemy (1 Cor 15:26), the death of Christ (Phil 2:8), and the second death (Rev 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8).
• In Rev 20:14, thanatos appears three times: "death (thanatos) and hell (hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (thanatos)."
• Death is personified in Revelation: riding a horse (6:8), holding keys (1:18), giving up the dead (20:13), being cast into the lake (20:14).
• The casting of death itself into the lake of fire parallels Paul's statement that "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:26) and Isaiah's prophecy that God will "swallow up death in victory" (Isa 25:8).

Thanatos in Revelation

Verse	Usage
Rev 1:18	Christ has "the keys of hell and of death"
Rev 2:10	"Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life"
Rev 2:11	"shall not be hurt of the second death"
Rev 2:23	"I will kill her children with death"
Rev 6:8	"his name that sat on him was Death" (personified)
Rev 9:6	"men shall seek death, and shall not find it"
Rev 12:11	"loved not their lives unto the death"
Rev 13:3	"wounded to death"
Rev 13:12	"deadly wound was healed"
Rev 18:8	"death, and mourning, and famine"
Rev 20:6	"second death hath no power"
Rev 20:13	"death and hell delivered up the dead"
Rev 20:14	"death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
Rev 21:4	"there shall be no more death"
Rev 21:8	"which is the second death"

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Research compiled: 2026-02-20

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