Greek word · G4448

πυρόω

pyroō

to burn

Active: to set on fire, burn. In the passive, to be set on fire or burn, and metaphorically to be inflamed with emotion (desire, anger, grief, indignation). In metalwork, to be refined or tried by fire.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

πυρόω, -ῶ

(πῦρ) [in LXX chiefly for צָרַף ;]

to set on fire, burn up. In NT always pass.,

1. to be set on fire, to burn: Ephesians 6:16, 2 Peter 3:12; ptcp., glowing, Revelation 1:15. Metaphorical, of grief or indignation, 2 Corinthians 11:29; of lust, 1 Corinthians 7:9.

2. Of metals (cf. Job 22:25, Psalms 12:7, Zechariah 13:9), to be refined or purified by fire: Revelation 3:18 (and so in RV, Revelation 1:15, but see supr.).†

(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 1 Corinthians 7:9

Range of meaning: Active: to set on fire, burn. In the passive, to be set on fire or burn, and metaphorically to be inflamed with emotion (desire, anger, grief, indignation). In metalwork, to be refined or tried by fire.
Against the English: KJV, YLT and the Vulgate (uri) just say "burn", which leaves the image open, so many modern readers hear hellfire. BSB, NIV, ESV and WEB say "burn with passion". NLT says "burn with lust", which narrows the image to wrongful desire, while the Greek pictures desire that is intense and unrelieved, whether or not it has been acted on.
How it drifted: In English, a bare "burn" in a sin context carries centuries of association with hell. "Burn with passion" can sound like romantic attraction in a modern ear. The Greek present tense pictures something sustained and consuming.
Used elsewhere in the period: Paul uses it in 2 Cor 11:29 ("who is made to stumble, and I am not inflamed?") for burning inner distress. Elsewhere in the NT: Eph 6:16 (flaming arrows), 2 Pet 3:12 (the elements burning), Rev 1:15 and 3:18 (refined in a furnace). Fire is a stock image for erotic desire in Greek literature from the love poets onward, and also in Jewish texts: Hos 7:4–7 likens adulterers to a heated oven, and Sirach 23:16 speaks of a "hot soul like a burning fire" and of the fornicator who will not stop "until the fire burns him up". The Sirach passage mixes the images of desire and destruction, which is the basis for the minority reading that sees judgment here (M. L. Barré, CBQ 1974).

From the study of Revelation 3:18

Range of meaning: To set on fire, burn. Of metals: to heat in a furnace, smelt, refine. Figuratively: to be inflamed with emotion (2 Cor 11:29; 1 Cor 7:9), or to be tested and purified.
Against the English: 'Refined by fire' (BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB) gives the sense. The KJV's 'tried in the fire' uses 'tried' in its old meaning of 'tested, purified', which today can sound like 'attempted'. YLT's 'fired by fire' keeps the Greek wordplay.
How it drifted: In 1611 'tried' meant refined or proven by testing (compare 'a tried and true method'). Modern readers can miss this.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Psalm 11:7 (Eng 12:6): the LORD's words are 'silver fired (πεπυρωμένον), tested in the earth'. LXX Ps 65:10 (Eng 66:10) and Zech 13:9: 'I will refine them as silver is refined (πυροῦται)'. Rev 1:15: Christ's feet are 'like burnished bronze refined (πεπυρωμένης) in a furnace'. Compare Mal 3:2–3; Job 23:10; Prov 17:3; 1 Pet 1:7, faith 'more precious than gold tested by fire'.

From the study of Revelation 1:15

Range of meaning: To set on fire or burn. Of metals: to heat until glowing, and so to refine or purify by fire. In the passive it can also mean to burn inwardly with emotion (2 Corinthians 11:29).
Against the English: BSB/ESV/WEB 'refined'; NASB 'heated to a glow'; NIV 'glowing'; KJV 'as if they burned'; YLT 'having been fired'. 'Refined' stresses purity; 'glowing' stresses brightness. The Greek holds both, because refining is done by heating metal until it glows.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Greek Old Testament it is used for refining silver and gold: Psalm 12:6 (11:7 in the Greek), 'silver fired in a furnace'; Psalm 66:10 (65:10); Zechariah 13:9, 'refine them as silver is refined'. Revelation 3:18 uses the same perfect participle for 'gold refined by fire'.

Where it appears

1 Corinthians · 1

1 Corinthians 7:9 πυροῦσθαι.¶ to burn with passion.

But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Here: Present passive (or middle) infinitive: "to be continually aflame". In context this most likely means being consumed by unrelieved sexual desire, a common ancient image. A minority reads it as the fire of judgment. The present tense pictures an ongoing state, not a passing feeling.

2 Corinthians · 1

2 Corinthians 11:29 πυροῦμαι; do burn inwardly?

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief?

Here: Present passive or middle, used figuratively: 'I am on fire inside'. Burning was a common image for being gripped by a strong emotion. Here it is most likely hot indignation against whoever caused the fall, mixed with acute distress for the one who fell.

Ephesians · 1

Ephesians 6:16 πεπυρωμένα enflamed

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Here: "Having been set on fire," so already alight when they arrive. The perfect participle describes a lasting state: these missiles were fired while burning so they would spread fire wherever they hit.

2 Peter · 1

2 Peter 3:12 πυρούμενοι being set on fire

as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat.

Here: Present passive participle: the heavens are set ablaze while they come apart. God's fire is the implied agent, picking up 'reserved for fire' in v. 7.

Revelation · 2

Revelation 1:15 πεπυρωμένης refined

His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.

Here: 'Having been fired.' The perfect form describes a finished state: fully heated and refined. Grammatically it is genitive feminine, so it most naturally goes with the furnace ('as in a furnace that has been fired up'). Either way the image is metal glowing white-hot and purified.
Revelation 3:18 πεπυρωμένον refined

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

Here: The perfect participle means 'having been put through the fire and now pure'. This is metal smelted and refined, with the impurities burned away. Biblical writers use the image for testing that proves something genuine.

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