Greek word · G4731

στερεός

stereos

strong

Solid, hard, firm, rigid. Used of rock, solid ground, foundations, and solid food as opposed to milk. Used of people, it means steadfast and unbending.

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

What it means

στερεός, -ά, -όν

[in LXX: Numbers 8:4 (מִקְשָׁה); σ. πέτρα, Isaiah 5:28 (צַר), etc. ;]

hard, firm, solid: τροψή, Hebrews 5:12, 14; θεμέλιος, figuratively, 2 Timothy 2:19. Metaphorical,

(a) in bad sense, hard, cruel (Hom., al.);

(b) in good sense, steadfast, firm: τ. πίστει, 1 Peter 5:9.†

(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 Peter 5:9

Range of meaning

Solid, hard, firm, rigid. Used of rock, solid ground, foundations, and solid food as opposed to milk. Used of people, it means steadfast and unbending.

Against the English

"Steadfast" (KJV, WEB) and "firm" are good. The BSB's "standing firm" merges it into the verb. All of them lose the physical picture of hardness, the quality of rock.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint, Isaiah 50:7 has the servant saying "I set my face like a solid rock (stereān petrān)" against those who strike him. In the New Testament: "God's firm foundation stands" (2 Tim 2:19), and "solid food" (Heb 5:12, 14). The related verb is used for churches being "strengthened in the faith" (Acts 16:5).

From the study of Hebrews 5:12

Range of meaning

στερεός means firm, solid, hard (of rock or foundations; 2 Tim 2:19 'firm foundation'; 1 Pet 5:9 'firm in faith'). τροφή is food or nourishment in general. Together: solid food, the food of grown people.

Against the English

KJV 'strong meat' drifts for modern readers. In 1611 'meat' meant any food, and 'strong' rendered 'solid'. Modern ears hear a heavy steak or 'meaty' content. BSB, ESV, NIV and WEB 'solid food' is exact.

How it drifted

English 'meat' narrowed from 'food' in general (still heard in 'meat and drink', 'sweetmeat') to 'animal flesh' after the KJV era.

Used elsewhere in the period

Epictetus 2.16.39 (τροφῆς στερεωτέρας, 'more solid food'). The same contrast appears in Philo. In Heb 5:14 solid food belongs to 'the mature, who because of practice have their faculties trained to distinguish good from evil'.

Similar words

Where it appears

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 2:19 στερεὸς the firm

    Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”

    Here: Solid like rock or packed earth. Its placement stresses that this foundation is solid, unlike the faith of some that has just been knocked over.

Hebrews · 2

  1. Hebrews 5:12 στερεᾶς of solid

    Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!

    Here: 'Solid', as opposed to liquid. It is food you have to chew, which needs a grown body to handle it.

  2. Hebrews 5:14 στερεὰ solid

    But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.

    Here: Food that has to be chewed, not drunk. It picks up the 'solid food' of verse 12. The word means firm or hard, not 'meat' as opposed to vegetables.

1 Peter · 1

  1. 1 Peter 5:9 στερεοὶ firm

    Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

    Here: Solid, like rock or a foundation. It is plural, so it describes the community standing solid together. It tells the reader how to resist: by being immovable, not by doing something clever.

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