G1497 — εἴδωλον (eidōlon)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1497
Original: εἴδωλον
Transliteration: eidōlon
Pronunciation: i'-dō-lon
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: G1491 εἶδος (eidos) — form, appearance, visible shape
Occurrences: 11 in NT
First Occurrence: Acts 7:41 — "they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G1491 (εἶδος, eidos = form/appearance); an image (i.e. for worship); by implication, a heathen god.

The word derives from the Greek concept of visible form — an eidōlon is literally a "shaped thing," a representation given a concrete form, then applied specifically to images made for worship and, by extension, to the false deities they represent.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 006013 — Artifacts: Images and Idols - 012 — Supernatural Beings and Powers

Other words in 006013: εἰκών (G1504), κατείδωλος (G2712), μοσχοποιέω (G3447), ναός (G3485), τύπος (G5179), χάραγμα (G5480), Χερούβ (G5502)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [006] Artifacts - [012] Supernatural Beings and Powers

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
idols	7	63.6%
idol	2	18.2%
an idol	1	9.1%
the idol	1	9.1%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
1 John	1	1.0
1 Corinthians	4	0.9
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Acts	2	0.2
Romans	1	0.2
Revelation	1	0.2

Paul (1 Cor, 2 Cor, Rom, 1 Thess) accounts for 7 of 11 occurrences; the word appears almost entirely in epistles, with one reference in the narrative of Acts and one each in John and Revelation. Concentration is highest in 1 Corinthians, where idol-food is a sustained pastoral concern.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Physical Idol — Man-Made Image¶

The eidōlon is a concrete fabricated object, typically cast or carved. NT writers describe its inert nature: silent, motionless, unable to perceive.

Acts 7:41 — "they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands" — the golden calf called eidōlon; note "works of their hands"
Rev 9:20 — "idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk" — catalogue of materials with explicit negation of all animate capacities
1 Cor 12:2 — "ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led" — called dumb (voiceless), led by them rather than speaking to them

2. Idols in Cultic Practice — Sacrifice, Pollution, Conscience¶

Paul addresses practical questions about food offered to idols (εἰδωλόθυτον, G1494). He insists an idol is nothing in the world — yet warns that not everyone has this knowledge.

1 Cor 8:4 — "the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world"
1 Cor 8:7 — "some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol" — "conscience of the idol" = residual sense of the idol's reality
1 Cor 10:19 — "that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?" — rhetorical: the idol has no ontological standing
Acts 15:20 — "abstain from pollutions of idols" — Jerusalem council ruling; the idol produces moral/ritual defilement even if it is nothing

3. Idols as Rivals to the Living God¶

The sharpest NT usage sets eidōla in direct contrast to the θεὸς ζῶν (living God), framing idolatry as a defection from the one true God. The command to flee idols echoes OT prophetic calls.

1 Thess 1:9 — "ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" — the definitive conversion pattern: away from eidōla, toward the living (ζάω) God
2 Cor 6:16 — "what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God" — juxtaposition: eidōla vs. the dwelling place of God
Rom 2:22 — "thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?" — Jews who claim to abhor idols yet rob temples condemned for inconsistency
1 John 5:21 — "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." — closing word of the epistle; absolute warning, no qualification

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
εἰδωλόθυτον (eidōlóthyton)	G1494	3x	"things offered to idols" — sacrificial use context
θεός (theos)	G2316	3x	"temple of God with idols"; "turned to God from idols" — direct contrast
εἴδω (eidō)	G1492	2x	"we know that an idol is nothing" — knowledge framing
ἔργον (ergon)	G2041	2x	"works of their hands" (Acts 7:41; Rev 9:20) — man-made nature
ζάω (zaō)	G2198	2x	"living God" vs. dead idols
χείρ (cheir)	G5495	2x	"works of their hands" — handcrafted fabrication

Word Family / Cognates¶

G1491 εἶδος (eidos) — root noun: form, appearance, visible shape (5 verses)
G1492 εἴδω (eidō) — related: to see/know (collocation above)
G1494 εἰδωλόθυτον (eidōlóthyton) — compound: "idol-sacrifice," things offered to idols (9 verses in NT)
G1495 εἰδωλολατρεία (eidōlolatria) — idol-worship, idolatry (4 verses)
G1496 εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolatrēs) — idolater (7 verses)
G2712 κατείδωλος (kateidōlos) — "full of idols" (Acts 17:16 of Athens; 1 verse)

Synonyms¶

The clearest overlaps returned by search_relationships.py are: - G1504 εἰκών (eikōn) — image or representation; broader than εἴδωλον but overlaps in visible cultic imagery - G3667 ὁμοίωμα (homoiōma) — likeness, image-form - G5499 χειροποίητος (cheiropoiētos) — made by hands; a frequent descriptor for man-made cult objects

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G1497.

Easily Confused Words (KJV "idols" / "idol")¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
אֱלִיל (ʼelîyl)	H457	"idols" (7v)	Emphasizes worthlessness/vanity; etymology = "good for nothing" — the worthless non-entity
גִּלּוּל (gillûl)	H1544	"idols" (4v)	Ezekiel's contemptuous term; from "log/block"; stresses the idol's filthiness/repulsiveness (48 OT uses)
עָצָב (ʻâtsâb)	H6091	"idols" (4v)	Emphasizes the crafted image; from "to labor/fashion" — the idol as a product of toil

Domain Neighbors (LN 006013 — Images and Idols)¶

Word	Strong's	Verses	Primary KJV Translation	Key Difference
εἰκών (eikōn)	G1504	19	image	Broader: any likeness/representation, including legitimate ones (coin, Col 1:15); eidōlon is always pagan
κατείδωλος (kateidōlos)	G2712	1	full of idols	Adjective describing a city; Acts 17:16 only
μοσχοποιέω (moschopoieō)	G3447	1	made a calf	The specific act of making the golden calf (Acts 7:41 — same verse as first eidōlon use)
χάραγμα (charagma)	G5480	9	mark	The mark of the beast in Revelation; a stamped/engraved mark, not a formed image

Hebrew Source (LXX: Greek ← Hebrew)¶

The LXX uses εἴδωλον to render a range of Hebrew words for pagan cult objects:

Hebrew Source	Strong's	LXX Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
עָצָב (ʻâtsâb)	H6091	12	8.01	Primary LXX equivalent; crafted/fashioned image
גִּלּוּל (gillûl)	H1544	15	6.93	Ezekiel's contempt term; frequent LXX pairing
חַמָּן (chammân)	H2553	6	8.10	Sun-pillar/incense stand
מַסֵּכָה (massekah)	H4541	6	6.34	Molten/cast image
אֱלִיל (ʼelîyl)	H457	5	6.67	Vanity/worthlessness idol
תְּרָפִים (tᵉraphîym)	H8655	4	6.61	Household gods/teraphim
פֶּסֶל (pesel)	H6459	5	5.93	Carved/graven image

The LXX usage of εἴδωλον is notably broader than the NT usage — it serves as a catch-all Greek term for any Israelite prohibition against pagan cult objects, bridging the Hebrew idol vocabulary into Greek.