Greek word · G2303

θεῖον

theion

sulfur

Sulfur, brimstone, burning sulfur. It was used for fumigation and is associated with lightning and volcanic fire.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

θεῖον, -ου, τό

[in LXX; Genesis 19:24, Deuteronomy 29:23 Job 18:15, Psalms 11:7, Isaiah 30:33 34:9, Ezekiel 38:22 (גׇּפְרִית), 3Ma.2:5 * ;]

brimstone: Luke 17:29 (LXX), Revelation 9:17-18 14:10 19:20 20:10 21:8.†

(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 Revelation 14:10

Range of meaning: Sulfur, brimstone, burning sulfur. It was used for fumigation and is associated with lightning and volcanic fire.
Against the English: KJV and YLT have 'brimstone'. BSB and WEB have 'sulfur'. Same substance.
How it drifted: 'Fire and brimstone' has become an English phrase for a style of loud, harsh preaching, which pulls the image away from the scriptural scenes it comes from.
Used elsewhere in the period: Genesis 19:24 (Sodom). Isaiah 34:9-10 (Edom: 'its soil turned to sulfur... night and day it will not be quenched; its smoke will rise forever'), which is the source of Revelation 14:11. Ezekiel 38:22 (Gog). Luke 17:29. Revelation 19:20, 20:10 and 21:8 (the lake of fire and sulfur).

From the study of Revelation 9:17

Range of meaning: Theion means sulfur (brimstone): the yellow mineral that burns with a choking blue flame and smell. Theiōdēs means 'sulfur-like' or 'sulfur-coloured', so pale yellow.
Against the English: KJV/YLT/NASB have 'brimstone', BSB/ESV/NIV/WEB 'sulfur'. 'Brimstone' (literally 'burning stone') is accurate but archaic. Modern ears mostly know it from the stock phrase 'fire and brimstone', meaning a style of preaching. 'Sulfur' keeps the physical substance and its yellow colour.
How it drifted: 'Brimstone' has dropped out of everyday English and survives mainly in religious idiom, so it now sounds like a figure of speech rather than a real, recognisable substance. The colour link to theiōdeis earlier in the verse is lost when one word is translated 'yellow' and the other 'brimstone'.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Septuagint, fire and sulfur rain on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24). The same pairing marks God's judgment in Deut 29:23, Ps 11:6, Isa 30:33, Isa 34:9 and Ezek 38:22. In Greek tradition sulfur was also used to purify by fumigation (Homer, Odyssey 22.481). Revelation uses 'fire and sulfur' again for the lake of judgment (14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8).

From the study of Revelation 9:18

Range of meaning: Sulfur, brimstone: the mineral that burns with a blue flame and choking fumes. In the ancient world it was also used to fumigate and purify. Its strong smell was linked with lightning strikes. Greek writers often connected the word with theios, "divine", perhaps because lightning was thought to come from the gods. The real etymology is uncertain.
Against the English: KJV and some NASB editions have "brimstone" (Old English for "burning stone"). Most modern versions have "sulfur" and NLT has "burning sulfur". "Sulfur" is accurate, but it can sound like a chemistry-class word and hide the scriptural echo. "Brimstone" keeps the echo but now carries the overtones of the stock phrase "fire-and-brimstone".
How it drifted: "Brimstone" dropped out of ordinary English and survives mostly in the phrase "fire and brimstone", now used for hell-themed preaching. That phrase makes the word sound like a reference to hell itself. Here it describes a judgment within history, not the final state.
Used elsewhere in the period: Gen 19:24 LXX: the Lord rained "sulfur and fire" (theion kai pyr) on Sodom and Gomorrah. Ps 10:6 LXX (11:6 English): "fire and sulfur" rained on the wicked. Isa 34:9–10: Edom's soil becomes sulfur and its smoke rises forever. Ezek 38:22: fire and sulfur on Gog. Luke 17:29 recalls Sodom with the same pair. Homer, Odyssey 22.481–494: Odysseus fumigates his hall with sulfur after the slaughter of the suitors. Revelation itself: 14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

Luke 17:29 θεῖον brimstone

But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

Revelation · 6

Revelation 9:17 θεῖον. brimstone.

Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur.

Here: The third plague, matching the sulphur-yellow armour. Burning sulfur is the classic biblical sign of God's destroying judgment (Sodom, Gen 19:24).
Revelation 9:18 θείου brimstone

A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths.

Here: Sulfur: the yellow mineral that burns with suffocating fumes. With fire, it is the scriptural signature of Sodom's destruction, and Revelation later uses it for the final "lake of fire and sulfur".
Revelation 14:10 θείῳ brimstone

he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

Here: Burning sulfur. It calls up the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:24) and of Edom (Isaiah 34:9), where the land was left desolate for good.
Revelation 19:20 θείῳ. brimstone.

But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Here: Sulfur. It instantly recalls the 'fire and brimstone' that destroyed Sodom (Gen 19:24) and the sulfurous Dead Sea region nearby.
Revelation 20:10 θείου of sulfur

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Here: Burning sulfur, choking and foul-smelling. It is the substance of Sodom’s destruction (Gen 19:24) and of God’s judgment on Gog (Ezek 38:22), which matters here because Gog has just been named in v. 8.
Revelation 21:8 θείῳ, with brimstone,

But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Here: "Sulfur," the choking, burning mineral of the Dead Sea region. It recalls the fire and brimstone rained on Sodom and Gomorrah.

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