Greek word · G850
αὐχμηρός
auchmēros
dingy
From αὐχμός, 'drought'. The basic sense is dry, parched, dusty. From there it means squalid, unkempt or dirty (of hair, clothing, people in mourning), and finally dim, murky or gloomy (of places and colors).
Appears once in 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 2 Peter 1:19
- Range of meaning
From αὐχμός, 'drought'. The basic sense is dry, parched, dusty. From there it means squalid, unkempt or dirty (of hair, clothing, people in mourning), and finally dim, murky or gloomy (of places and colors).
- Against the English
Every major English version has 'dark place'. That is correct but flat. The Greek adds grime and dreariness: a murky, dingy hole, not merely a room with the lights off.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Classical writers use it for parched land and for people looking squalid or unkempt, as in mourning. Aristotle uses it for dull, lusterless color. The Vulgate translates caliginoso, 'misty, murky'.
Where it appears
2 Peter · 1
-
2 Peter 1:19 αὐχμηρῷ [a] dark
We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Here: Used only here in the New Testament. It starts from 'parched, dusty' and moves toward 'grimy, gloomy, murky'. The place is not just unlit but dingy and unpleasant, a picture of the present world before the Day.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.