Greek word · G4559

σαρκικός

sarkikos

fleshly

Belonging to the realm of 'flesh' (sarx). In Paul that can mean (1) physical or material (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11), or (2) characterised by ordinary human existence apart from God's Spirit: human, worldly, self-reliant (1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 1:12, 'fleshly wisdom').

Appears 7 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 23, 2026

What it means

σαρκικός, -ή, -όν (σάρξ)

(seel. for σάρκινος, Arist., H.A., x, 2, 7)

= Lat. carnalis, i.e.

(a) associated with or pertaining to the flesh, fleshly, carnal: Romans 15:27, 1 Corinthians 9:11;

(b) in a more ethical sense, of the nature of the flesh, under the control of its appetites, fleshly, carnal, sensual (but including more than mere sensuality; cf. Hort, 1Pe., 133): 1 Corinthians 3:3, 2 Corinthians 1:12 10:4, 1 Peter 2:11.†

SYN.: σάρκινος (which see), ψυχικός; cf. Tr., Syn., §§ LXXi, LXXii; Lft., Notes, 184 f.; Vau. on Romans 7:14 (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 Corinthians 10:4

Range of meaning: Belonging to the realm of 'flesh' (sarx). In Paul that can mean (1) physical or material (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11), or (2) characterised by ordinary human existence apart from God's Spirit: human, worldly, self-reliant (1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 1:12, 'fleshly wisdom').
Against the English: KJV has 'carnal' and YLT 'fleshly'. ESV/WEB have 'of the flesh', NIV and NLT 'of the world' and 'worldly'. BSB expands it to 'the weapons of the flesh'.
How it drifted: Modern English 'carnal' almost always suggests sex or bodily appetite ('carnal desire', 'carnal knowledge'). In Paul's usage sarkikos is much wider. It means what is merely human, the ways people operate without God, and includes pride, rhetoric and power-seeking as much as appetite.
Used elsewhere in the period: In 2 Corinthians 1:12 Paul contrasts 'fleshly wisdom' with 'the grace of God'. In 1 Corinthians 3:3 jealousy and strife show the Corinthians are 'fleshly'. Neither passage is sexual. Greek writers outside the Bible use sarkikos rarely, so its sense here comes mainly from Paul's own flesh/Spirit contrast.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 3:3

Range of meaning: An adjective from sarx, 'flesh'. Adjectives ending in -ikos usually mean 'having the character of' or 'belonging to the sphere of'. So it means 'fleshly': marked by flesh. In Paul, 'flesh' can mean the physical body, human descent, or (most loaded) human existence in its weakness, mortality and independence from God. Flesh in that last sense belongs to 'this age' and is opposed to the Spirit of the age to come (Gal 5:16–25; Rom 8:4–9). In 1 Corinthians 2–3 Paul sets up three kinds of person: the psychikos (2:14, the 'natural' person without the Spirit), the pneumatikos (2:15, the 'spiritual' person shaped by the Spirit), and the sarkinos/sarkikos (3:1, 3), believers who have the Spirit but behave as if they did not.
Against the English: KJV 'carnal' (from Latin carnalis, 'of the flesh'); NIV and BSB 'worldly'; ESV 'of the flesh'; NASB and WEB 'fleshly'; NLT 'controlled by your sinful nature'. 'Fleshly' and 'of the flesh' keep Paul's contrast with 'Spirit' in view. 'Carnal' now sounds sexual or sensual in English. 'Worldly' sounds like materialism or sophistication. 'Sinful nature' suggests a separate component inside a person, which is more than the word says.
How it drifted: English 'carnal' narrowed over centuries toward 'sexual' ('carnal knowledge', 'carnal desires'). In church use, 'flesh' came to be heard mainly as bodily appetite. Paul's sense is broader: humanity operating on its own resources. Here the 'fleshly' behaviours he names are jealousy and quarrelling, which are social and religious sins, not bodily ones.
Used elsewhere in the period: In Greek outside the New Testament it is rare and mostly literal ('belonging to the body'). Paul uses it in Rom 15:27 (material goods), 1 Cor 9:11, 2 Cor 1:12 ('fleshly wisdom'), and 2 Cor 10:4 ('fleshly weapons'). 1 Peter 2:11 speaks of 'fleshly desires'. BDAG notes that copyists often confused σαρκικός and σάρκινος. Paul's flesh/Spirit contrast echoes the Hebrew Bible's 'flesh' (basar) as frail humanity set against God's spirit (Isa 31:3; Gen 6:3), and similar flesh/spirit language in the Dead Sea Scrolls (e.g. 1QS 11).

From the study of 1 Peter 2:11

Range of meaning: 'Belonging to, or characterized by, flesh (sarx)'. In biblical usage 'flesh' is human existence as weak, mortal and, in moral contexts, oriented away from God. It can mean bodily or physical (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11 'material things'). In ethical contexts it means 'merely human, unspiritual' (1 Cor 3:3, where jealousy and strife make people 'fleshly'; 2 Cor 1:12 'fleshly wisdom').
Against the English: 'Fleshly' (KJV, WEB, YLT) and 'of the flesh' (BSB, ESV) keep the Greek image but invite readers to think of the body as the problem. NIV 'sinful desires' and NLT 'worldly desires' state the moral sense directly but lose the contrast with God's Spirit and with the 'soul'.
How it drifted: Later readers often take 'flesh' as simply 'the body', which supports a body-versus-spirit split. In Paul and Peter, the realm of 'flesh' includes attitudes such as envy and strife, not only physical appetites.
Used elsewhere in the period: Paul: 1 Cor 3:1–3; Rom 7:14; 2 Cor 10:4 ('the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly'). The Hebrew background is basar, flesh as frail humanity (Isa 40:6–8, which Peter quotes in 1 Pet 1:24: 'all flesh is like grass'). Dead Sea Scrolls texts speak of 'flesh of iniquity' (1QS 11:9), meaning humanity as prone to sin.

Where it appears

Romans · 1

Romans 15:27 σαρκικοῖς material things

They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings.

Here: Material goods: money, food, what keeps a body alive. It is neutral here, with no hint of sin. It is simply the opposite pole to 'spiritual'.

1 Corinthians · 3

1 Corinthians 3:3 σαρκικοί σαρκικοί fleshly

for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

Here: Marked by 'flesh', meaning merely human life cut off from God's Spirit, run on ordinary human motives. It stands in deliberate contrast to 'spiritual' (pneumatikos) in 2:15 and 3:1. Here it describes how they behave, not what their bodies want.
1 Corinthians 9:11 σαρκικὰ material things

If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?

2 Corinthians · 2

2 Corinthians 1:12 σαρκικῇ fleshly

For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.

Here: "Fleshly": belonging to the level of ordinary human resources and self-interest, apart from God. It has nothing to do with sexuality or the body as such.
2 Corinthians 10:4 σαρκικὰ fleshly

The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Here: Weapons that belong to ordinary human life cut off from God: rhetorical showmanship, an impressive presence, self-promotion, pressure, patronage. In this verse it means human rather than divine in source and kind. It does not mean sensual or sexual.

1 Peter · 1

1 Peter 2:11 σαρκικῶν from fleshly

Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

Here: 'Of the flesh' in the biblical sense: belonging to ordinary human life lived without God, weak and self-directed. Bodily appetites are included, but it is not limited to the body or to sex.

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