Greek word · G2627

κατακλυσμός

kataklysmos

flood

A deluge, an overwhelming inundation (from kataklyzō, 'to wash over, swamp'). In Jewish and Christian Greek it is almost a proper name for Noah's Flood.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κατα-κλυσμός, -οῦ, ὁ

(κατακλύζω), [in LXX chiefly for מַבּוּל, Genesis 6:17, al.; also for שֶׁטֶף, Psalms 32:6, al. ;]

a flood, deluge: Matthew 24:38-39 Luke 17:27, 2 Peter 2:5.†

(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 2 Peter 2:5

Range of meaning

A deluge, an overwhelming inundation (from kataklyzō, 'to wash over, swamp'). In Jewish and Christian Greek it is almost a proper name for Noah's Flood.

Against the English

'Flood' is accurate; 'deluge' captures the scale better.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint Genesis 6:17; 9:11, 15; Sirach 44:17–18 ('a remnant was left on the earth when the deluge came'); Matthew 24:38–39 and Luke 17:27, where Jesus uses the Flood as the model for the sudden coming of the Son of Man. Greek writers also used it of Deucalion's flood.

From the study of Luke 17:27

Range of meaning

Inundation, deluge: an overwhelming wash of water. In biblical Greek it is used almost always for Noah's Flood.

Against the English

"Flood" (BSB, KJV, WEB) and "deluge" (YLT) are both accurate. "Deluge" keeps more of the one-of-a-kind, catastrophic sense.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Gen 6:17; 7:6–17; 9:11, 15, 28; Ps 29(28):10 ("the LORD sat enthroned at the Flood"); Sir 44:17–18 (Noah "left a remnant when the flood came"); Matt 24:38–39; 2 Pet 2:5. Josephus and Philo use it the same way.

From the study of Matthew 24:38

Range of meaning

From κατακλύζω, "to wash over, inundate." It means a deluge or overwhelming flood. In Jewish and Christian Greek it became almost a proper noun for the Flood of Genesis.

Against the English

"The flood" is accurate. The Greek word is a little stronger than English "flood": a total covering-over, not a river breaking its banks.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint uses it throughout Genesis 6–11 for Hebrew mabbul (e.g. Gen 6:17; 7:6–7, 10, 17; 9:11, 15, 28), and in Psalm 29:10 (LXX 28:10) and Sirach 44:17. Plato (Timaeus 22; Laws 677a) uses the plural for great floods that periodically destroyed civilizations. In the New Testament: Matthew 24:38–39, Luke 17:27 and 2 Peter 2:5.

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 24:38 κατακλυσμοῦ, flood,

    For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.

    Here: The Flood of Genesis 6–9, named with the word the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) used for it. It means an overwhelming, all-covering inundation, not just high water.

  2. Matthew 24:39 κατακλυσμὸς flood

    And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

    Here: The standard Greek word for Noah's Flood in the Greek Old Testament. It means an overwhelming, washing-down inundation, a catastrophe of judgment and not just high water.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 17:27 κατακλυσμὸς flood

    People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

    Here: "The deluge": literally a washing-down or overwhelming by water. It is the Septuagint's technical word for Noah's Flood, so it names that event, not just any flood.

2 Peter · 1

  1. 2 Peter 2:5 κατακλυσμὸν [the] flood upon

    if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;

    Here: 'The Deluge', the standard Greek word for Noah's Flood in the Septuagint (Gen 6:17; 9:11) and in Jesus' sayings (Matt 24:38–39). It means a world-swamping inundation, not an ordinary river flood.

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