Greek word · G3997
πένθος
penthos
grief
Mourning, especially for the dead: the grief and also its outward forms (lament, mourning clothes, the set days of mourning). It can also mean sorrow or misfortune more broadly.
Appears 5 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
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 21:4
- Range of meaning
Mourning, especially for the dead: the grief and also its outward forms (lament, mourning clothes, the set days of mourning). It can also mean sorrow or misfortune more broadly.
- Against the English
BSB, WEB, NIV and ESV use 'mourning', which is accurate. The KJV's 'sorrow' moves the word inward to a feeling and loses the public, ritual side. In the ancient world grief was something a family and village did together, with wailing, torn clothes and fixed periods of days.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Septuagint: Gen 27:41 and 50:10 (the days of mourning for a father, Jacob's seven-day mourning); Amos 8:10 ('I will turn your feasts into mourning'). New Testament: James 4:9. In Revelation the word appears only here and in chapter 18, where Babylon boasts 'I will never see mourning' (18:7) and is then struck with 'death and mourning and famine' (18:8).
From the study of Revelation 18:7
- Range of meaning
Mourning, grief, especially for the dead, including its outward rites: lament, torn clothes, sackcloth, wailing.
- Against the English
BSB 'grief', KJV/YLT 'sorrow' and WEB 'mourning' are all fine. 'Mourning' best keeps the sense of bereavement and public lament that ties it to 'widow'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Septuagint it usually translates Hebrew 'evel (mourning rites), e.g. Gen 50:10 and Amos 8:10, 'I will turn your feasts into mourning.' Compare James 4:9, 'let your laughter be turned to mourning.' In Revelation it appears in 18:7 (twice) and 18:8 among her plagues, and finally in 21:4: 'no more mourning'.
From the study of Revelation 18:8
- Range of meaning
Mourning, grief, lament, especially the outward mourning for the dead: wailing, dirges, mourning clothes.
- Against the English
BSB has 'grief', KJV and WEB 'mourning', YLT 'sorrow'. 'Mourning' best keeps the sense of grieving for the dead and the link to widowhood.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Revelation uses it four times: 18:7 (twice), 18:8, and 21:4 ('neither mourning nor crying'). The background is Isaiah 47:8–9, where Babylon says 'I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children' and is told both 'will come in one day'.
Where it appears
James · 1
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James 4:9 πένθος mourning
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.
Here: The noun form of the verb used earlier in the verse. Mourning takes the place of laughter, the reverse of the usual happy ending.
Revelation · 4
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Revelation 18:7 πένθος, πένθος misery,, mourning
As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
Here: The grief of bereavement, including its public rites of lament. This is the very thing she will boast she can never experience.
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Revelation 18:8 πένθος misery
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
Here: Mourning for the dead, the public lament of the bereaved. This is the very word she boasted she would 'never see' in verse 7, and now it is handed to her.
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Revelation 21:4 πένθος mourning
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Here: Mourning for the dead, both the inner grief and the outward customs of lament. It is the first thing that follows from death.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.