G3639 — ὄλεθρος (olethros)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3639
Original: ὄλεθρος
Transliteration: olethros
Pronunciation: ol'-eth-ros
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: From ὄλλυμι (ollymi) — to destroy
Occurrences: 4 in NT (4 unique verses, 4 books)
First Occurrence: 1Co 5:5 — "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ὄλλυμι (ollymi, to destroy — a prolonged form); ruin, i.e. death, punishment: — destruction.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 20 — Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill
Subdomain: 20.3 — Destroy
Other words in subdomain: αἴρω (G142), ἀναλίσκω (G355), ἀπόλλυμι (G622), ἀπώλεια (G684), ἀφανίζω (G853), διαφθείρω (G1311), ἐξολεθρεύω (G1842), ἐρημόω (G2049), ἐρήμωσις (G2050)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
destruction	3	75%
the destruction	1	25%

KJV renders ὄλεθρος uniformly as "destruction" across all 4 occurrences.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
1 Timothy	1	0.9
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

All 4 occurrences are in Pauline epistles. Concentration in the Thessalonian letters reflects the eschatological context of those letters. The single Corinthian use stands out as a disciplinary context rather than eschatological.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Disciplinary Destruction of the Flesh¶

Punitive but redemptive — destruction of the sinful flesh as a corrective measure aimed at spiritual salvation. - 1Co 5:5 — "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction (ὄλεθρος) of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

2. Sudden Eschatological Destruction¶

Unexpected ruin overtaking the unprepared at the Day of the Lord — likened to labor pains: sudden, inescapable. - 1Th 5:3 — "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction (ὄλεθρος) cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."

3. Everlasting Destruction from God's Presence¶

Final and eternal exclusion from the Lord — the ultimate consequence of rejecting the gospel. - 2Th 1:9 — "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction (ὄλεθρος) from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

4. Destruction Paired with Perdition¶

Catastrophic ruin linked to covetousness and sinful desire — ὄλεθρος and ἀπώλεια (perdition) appear together as twin consequences. - 1Ti 6:9 — "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction (ὄλεθρος) and perdition (ἀπώλεια)."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
κύριος (kýrios)	G2962	2x	"from the Lord" (2Th 1:9); "day of the Lord" (1Co 5:5)
αἰώνιος (aiṓnios)	G166	1x	"everlasting destruction" (2Th 1:9)
αἰφνίδιος (aiphnídios)	G160	1x	"sudden destruction" (1Th 5:3)
ἀπώλεια (apṓleia)	G684	1x	"destruction and perdition" — paired synonyms (1Ti 6:9)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G622 ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) — verb: to destroy, to perish; the semantic parent; olethros is the resulting noun state
G1842 ἐξολεθρεύω (exolethreúō) — compound verb: to utterly destroy (1x NT); shares the ὄλεθρος root

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G3639.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for G3639.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀπώλεια (apṓleia)	G684	both "destruction"	apōleia = general ruin/loss/perdition (13 NT uses, broader scope including eternal state); olethros = catastrophic, violent, external destruction specifically
καθαίρεσις (kathaíresis)	G2506	both "destruction"	kathaíresis = demolition, physical tearing down; olethros = punishing ruin/annihilation

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 20.3 — Destroy)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation	Key Difference
G622	ἀπόλλυμι	29	perish, to destroy	The verb; olethros is the resulting noun state
G684	ἀπώλεια	13	destruction, perdition	Broader ruin including eternal loss; co-occurs with olethros in 1Ti 6:9
G853	ἀφανίζω	4	doth corrupt, perish	Disappearance/vanishing; olethros = violent/punitive ruin
G2049	ἐρημόω	4	desolate, brought to desolation	Laying waste (physical space); olethros = punitive ruin of persons
G355	ἀναλίσκω	3	consume	Consuming/using up; olethros = catastrophic punitive destruction

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
020	Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill	`search_relationships.py` keeps olethros in the destructive-harm field, which matches its punitive, catastrophic sense in both disciplinary and eschatological contexts.

Hebrew Source (via LXX, ranked by PMI)¶

Hebrew	Strong's	Transliteration	PMI Score	Definition
אֵיד	H343	ʼêyd	7.89	Calamity, distress, ruin — oppressive downfall
שֹׁד	H7701	shôd	7.77	Violence, ravage, devastation
שָׁדַד	H7703	shâdad	6.83	To devastate, overwhelm, deal violently

The high-PMI Hebrew sources indicate olethros in LXX contexts renders words for violent catastrophic overthrow (shod, shadad) and ruinous calamity (eid) — not merely "death" but overwhelming external devastation.