Greek word · G1364

δίς

dis

twice

'Twice having died.' δίς simply means 'twice'. The phrase can mean 'completely dead' or 'dead in two senses'.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

δίς

adv.,

twice: Mark 14:30, 72; δ. τ. σαββάτου, Luke 18:12; καὶ ἅπαξ κ. δ., Philippians 4:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:18; δ. ἀποθανόντα, Jude 1:12 (see Mayor, ICC, in l); δ. μυριάδες, Revelation 9:16.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Jude 1:12

Range of meaning

'Twice having died.' δίς simply means 'twice'. The phrase can mean 'completely dead' or 'dead in two senses'.

Against the English

Most versions have 'twice dead'. NASB has 'doubly dead'.

Used elsewhere in the period

'The second death' is a term for final condemnation in Revelation 2:11, 20:6, 20:14 and 21:8, and in Jewish Aramaic paraphrases of Scripture (Targums, e.g. on Deut 33:6 and Isa 65:6, 15).

Where it appears

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 14:30 δὶς twice

    “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”

  2. Mark 14:72 δίς, twice

    And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 18:12 δὶς twice

    I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’

    Here: 'Two times.' The number is the point. The Torah commands only one fast a year (the Day of Atonement), so twice every week is far more than the Law requires.

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 4:16 δὶς twice

    For even while I was in Thessalonica, you provided for my needs again and again.

1 Thessalonians · 1

  1. 1 Thessalonians 2:18 δίς, twice —

    For we wanted to come to you—indeed I, Paul, tried again and again—but Satan obstructed us.

    Here: Completes the idiom. The point is repetition, not a precise count of two attempts.

Jude · 1

  1. Jude 1:12 δὶς twice

    These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.

    Here: Their deadness is doubled. The word may also hint at the 'second death' of final judgment (see debates).

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 9:16 δισμυριάδες twice ten thousand

    And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.