Quick Definition
νεκρόω v. I put to death, render weak
Strong's Definition
to deaden, i.e. (figuratively) to subdue
Derivation: from G3498 (νεκρός);
KJV Usage: be dead, mortify
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
νεκρόω, τῶ: 1 aor. impv. vexpwoate; pf. pass. ptep. vevexpwpevos; to make dead (Vulgate and Lat. Fathers mortifico), to put to death, slay: twa, prop., Anthol. app. 313, 5; pass. νενεκρωμένος, hyperbolically, worn out, of an impotent old man, Heb. xi. 12; also σῶμα vevexp. Ro. iv. 19; equiv. to to deprive of power, destroy the strength of: τὰ μέλη, i. 6. the evil desire lurking in the members (of the body), Col. iii. 5. (τὰ δόγματα, Antonin. 7, 2; τὴν ἕξιν, Plut. de primo frig. 21; [ἄνθρωπος, of obduracy, Epictet. diss. 1, 5, 7].)
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
νεκρόω nekroō 3x
pr. to put to death, kill; in NT met. to deaden, mortify, Col. 3:5; pass. to be rendered impotent, Rom. 4:19; Heb. 11:12*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
*† νεκρόω, ῶ
(< νεκρός),
to make dead, put to death; pass., to be dead: hyperbolically, of impotent age, He 11:12; σῶμα, Ro 4:19. Trop., of carnal impulses, τὰ μέλη, Col 3:5.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
νεκρόω [page 424]
To Rom_4:19 κατενόησεν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα [ἤδη ] νενεκρωμένον , Deissmann ( LAE , p. 94) finds a striking parallel in IG III. 2, No. 1355 ἄνθρωπε . . . μή μου παρέλθῃς σῶμα τὸ νεν [ε ]κρ [ω ]μένον , O man, pass not by my body, now a corpse.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
νεκρόω (nekroō) — to put to death. νεκρ-όω, make dead, mortify, μόριόν τι [Refs 2nd c.AD+]:—passive, νενεκρῶσθαι τὸ μόριον [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; to be dead, νεκρωθείς [Refs]; νενεκρωμένος, of the body of Abraham, [NT]
II. metaphorically, mortify, νεκρώσατε τὰ μέλη [NT]
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
νεκρόω, ῶ
(νεκρός),
to make dead, put to death; pass., to be dead: hyperbolically, of impotent age, Heb.11:12; σῶμα, Rom.4:19. Trop., of carnal impulses, τὰ μέλη, Col.3:5.†
(AS)
📖 Greek Word Study — In-Depth Study from Precept Austin
Mortify (3499) nekroo
Dead (3499) (nekroo from nekros = dead; English = necropsy) means literally in the active sense to put to death or slay. To put an end to the life of something. In the passive sense it means to be put to death or to die. Thayer adds that the passive sense here in Romans 4 is used hyperbolically to mean worn out as one might describe an impotent old man.
Nekroo is used figuratively in all 3 NT occurrences (Ro 4:19, see note on Colossians 3:5, Hebrews 11:12 - there are no uses found in the Septuagint) meaning to cease completely from activity or to be deprived of force, strength or vigor (and thus impotent).
In Colossians Paul commands...
Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead (aorist imperative) (KJV = mortify) to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (see note on Colossians 3:5) (Comment: Note that in this verse nekroo is in the active voice which Vine says conveys the "sense of destroying the strength of, depriving of power, with reference to the evil desires which work in the body". "Put an end to the life of" your bodily members and functions in regard to immoral purposes)
The writer of Hebrews records Isaac's birth writing that...
therefore, also, there was born of one man (Abraham), and him as good as dead (perfect tense = pictures the permanence of his condition of "impotence") at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE. (see note Hebrews 11:12)
Nekroo as used here in Romans is in the perfect tense which means in essence that Abraham's reproductive organs had stopped functioning and were dead forever and could never again function (the perfect tense = speaks of permanence).
Abraham could never have a son. It was not humanly possible. Any modern day fertility expert would diagnose Abraham and Sarah as "permanently infertile". But Abraham's "attending Physician" was not a human physician but the Great Physician Who Alone is able to give life to the dead! If you are a believer, He is also your "attending" Physician. Have you gone to Him for a regular check-up recently?
AND THE DEADNESS OF SARAH'S WOMB: kai ten nekrosin tes metras sarras: (Heb 11:11-19; Ge 18:11-14)
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