WG: Smoke (Fire, Smoke, Brimstone, Burning)
Overview
This word group maps the NT apocalyptic judgment vocabulary centered on visible combustion — fire, smoke, brimstone, and burning. These four words cluster together in Revelation's judgment scenes and share deep roots in OT theophany and divine-wrath imagery. The triad πῦρ + καπνός + θεῖον (fire + smoke + brimstone) appears as a unit in Rev 9:17-18 and reflects the Sodom archetype of catastrophic divine judgment.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G2586 |
καπνός |
kapnós |
masculine noun |
11 vv |
The smoke — visible sign of burning; ascends as judgment marker |
G2586-kapnos.md |
| G4442 |
πῦρ |
pŷr |
neuter noun |
73 vv |
The fire — initiating agent; purification or destruction |
G4442-pyr.md |
| G2303 |
θεῖον |
theîon |
neuter noun |
7 vv |
Brimstone/sulfur — agent of burning; links to Sodom-judgment archetype |
TODO(need G2303 study) |
| G4451 |
πύρωσις |
pýrōsis |
feminine noun |
3 vv |
Burning — the process or fiery trial |
TODO(need G4451 study) |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- G4442 πῦρ (fire) and G4451 πύρωσις (burning) share root πῦρ — πύρωσις derives from πυρόω (to burn, ignite)
- G2586 καπνός and G4442 πῦρ share Hebrew source H784 אֵשׁ (fire) — which bridges to both via LXX
Co-occurrence (shared distinct verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| πῦρ (G4442) |
θεῖον (G2303) |
7x |
"fire and brimstone" — Sodom archetype; lake of fire (Luk 17:29; Rev 9:17-18; 14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8) |
| καπνός (G2586) |
πῦρ (G4442) |
3x |
"fire and smoke" (Acts 2:19; Rev 9:17-18) |
| καπνός (G2586) |
θεῖον (G2303) |
2x |
The full triad: fire + smoke + brimstone (Rev 9:17-18) |
| καπνός (G2586) |
πύρωσις (G4451) |
2x |
"smoke of her burning" (Rev 18:9, 18:18) |
| πῦρ (G4442) |
πύρωσις (G4451) |
0x |
No verse-level co-occurrence despite shared root |
Multi-Word Passages (3+ group members together)
- Rev 9:17 — "breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone… out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone" [G2586 + G4442 + G2303]
- Rev 9:18 — "By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone" [G2586 + G4442 + G2303]
Shared Hebrew Sources
| Hebrew |
Strong's |
Bridges to |
| אֵשׁ (ʼêsh, fire) |
H784 |
G4442 (316x LXX co-occ), G2586 (7x) |
Roles in the Concept
- Agent: πῦρ (G4442) — the fire; can be purifying (1 Cor 3:13) or destroying (Rev 20:10); the dominant member (73 verses)
- Effect: καπνός (G2586) — the smoke; visible evidence that fire has occurred; also ascends as sign or worship
- Instrument: θεῖον (G2303) — sulfur/brimstone; the specific agent linking Revelation judgment to Sodom (Gen 19; Luk 17:29)
- Process: πύρωσις (G4451) — the burning as event (Rev 18:9, 18:18: "her burning") or ordeal (1 Pet 4:12: "fiery trial")
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Rev 9:17-18 — the judgment triad πῦρ + καπνός + θεῖον stated twice as weapons killing a third of mankind
- Luk 17:29 — "rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all" — Sodom as archetype for πῦρ + θεῖον
- Rev 18:9, 18:18 — "smoke of her burning" (καπνός + πύρωσις) — Babylon's destruction visible in ascending smoke
- Rev 20:10; 21:8 — "lake of fire and brimstone" (πῦρ + θεῖον) — final destiny of beast, false prophet, and the wicked
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py
Last updated: 2026-04-02