Word Studies — ECT Strongest Case¶

All word studies below were completed in prior etc studies. This file consolidates the relevant findings.

G928 — basanizo (to torment/torture)¶

Studied in: etc-12-tormented-forever

12 NT occurrences
Wide semantic range: physical illness (Matt 8:6), waves tossing boat (Matt 14:24), toiling at rowing (Mark 6:48), emotional distress (2 Pet 2:8), labor pains (Rev 12:2), demonic fear (Matt 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28), divine judgment (Rev 9:5; 14:10; 20:10)
7 of 12 uses are non-judgment contexts
All 5 judgment uses are in Revelation's apocalyptic framework or involve demons speaking of their own future
No epistle, Gospel, or OT passage applies basanizo/basanismos to the final fate of generic human wicked

Studied in: etc-11, etc-12

6 NT occurrences, ALL in Revelation
3 of 6 describe Babylon's completed destruction (Rev 18:7,10,15)
Babylon's basanismos IS her destruction: "utterly burned with fire" (18:8), "in one hour" (18:10), "thrown down, and shall be found no more at all" (18:21)

Studied in: etc-09, etc-12

3 NT occurrences: Matt 4:24 (physical diseases), Luke 16:23,28 (parabolic context)
Not used in any eschatological judgment passage

Studied in: etc-09

Used by Luke for ordinary grief: Mary "sorrowing" for Jesus (Luke 2:48), disciples "sorrowing" at Paul's departure (Acts 20:38)
Translated "tormented" in Luke 16:24-25 but the word means grieve/sorrow
Different word from basanizo (the standard eschatological torment term)

Studied in: etc-14

2 NT occurrences: Matt 25:46 ("punishment"), 1 John 4:18 ("fear hath torment/punishment")
Derived from kolazo (to curtail, prune, restrain)
Means penal infliction/punishment, not torment (basanismos)
Aristotle distinguished kolasis (corrective punishment) from timoria (retributive punishment)
Matt 25:46 uses kolasis, not basanismos — different Greek word from Revelation torment vocabulary

Studied in: etc-08-aionios-forever-in-nt

71 NT occurrences
Derived from aion (G165, "an age")
LXX translation of Hebrew olam (H5769, 100 times)
Duration determined by nature of subject it modifies
Used for past time: "before aionios times" (Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 1:9; Tit 1:2)
Used for completed judgments: Jude 1:7 "eternal fire" applied to Sodom (no longer burning)
Greek has separate word aidios (G126) for "strictly everduring" — used only twice (Rom 1:20; Jude 1:6)

Studied in: etc-07-olam-forever-in-ot

~432 OT occurrences
Root meaning: "concealed/hidden time" — time whose endpoint is not visible
Duration determined by nature of subject: genuinely eternal for God; finite for institutions, human activities
Demonstrably finite uses: slave service (Exo 21:6), Jonah's three days (Jon 2:6), Aaronic priesthood (Exo 40:15; ended per Heb 7:12)
Two olam promises explicitly revoked by God (1 Sam 2:30; 13:13)
LXX translates as aion 287 times and aionios 100 times

Studied in: etc-14

2 OT occurrences: Dan 12:2 and Isa 66:24
Describes onlookers' reaction to the dead, not what the dead experience
In Isa 66:24, objects of dera'on are peger (dead bodies/corpses, 22 OT occurrences, always = corpse)

Studied in: etc-05-four-hell-words

12 NT occurrences (all in Synoptic Gospels and James)
Named after the Valley of Hinnom (ge-Hinnom) outside Jerusalem
Associated with burning of refuse and corpses
Mark 9:43-48 quotes Isa 66:24, which describes carcasses (peger), not conscious living beings
Jesus: God can "destroy both soul and body in gehenna" (Matt 10:28) — destroy vocabulary, not torment

Studied in: etc-14

4 NT occurrences: 1 Cor 5:5 (destruction of flesh), 1 Thess 5:3 (sudden destruction), 2 Thess 1:9 (everlasting destruction), 1 Tim 6:9 (destruction and perdition)
All four mean destruction/ruin
ECT interpretation requires redefining olethros from "destruction" to "ongoing conscious ruin"

Research gathered: 2026-02-20

These companion sites use the same tool-driven research methodology:

Site	Description
The Law of God	A 33-study investigation examining every major text, word, and argument about the moral law, ceremonial law, the Sabbath, and what continues under the New Covenant. 810 evidence items classified.
Genesis 6: The "Sons of God" Question	Who are the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:1-4? A 10-part report built on 28 supporting studies examines the angel view vs. the godly human view using explicit biblical evidence.
The Ten Commandments	A 17-study investigation of the Ten Commandments -- origin, meaning, Hebrew and Greek word studies, love and law, faith and obedience. 1,054 evidence items classified.
Bible Study Collection	Standalone Bible studies on various topics -- genealogies, prophecy, biblical history, and more. Each study is a self-contained investigation produced by the same three-agent pipeline.