Greek word · G946

βδέλυγμα

bdelygma

abomination

Something detestable or loathsome. In the Greek Old Testament it mainly translates Hebrew tô'ēbâ and šiqqûṣ, and very often means idols, idol-worship and practices tied to foreign gods (e.g. Deut 7:25–26; 1 Kgs 11:5–7; 2 Kgs 23:13).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

βδέλυγμα, -τος, τό

(βδελύσσω), [in LXX chiefly for שֶׁקֶץ ,תּוֹעֵבָה ;]

an abomination, a detestable thing: Luke 16:15, Revelation 17:4, 5 21:27; τὸ β. τ. ἐρημώσεως (Dan LXX 12:11, cf . 1Ma.1:54; DB, i, 12f.; DCG, i, 6f.), Mark 13:14, Matthew 24:15 (Cremer, 138).†

(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 Revelation 17:4

Range of meaning: Something detestable or loathsome. In the Greek Old Testament it mainly translates Hebrew tô'ēbâ and šiqqûṣ, and very often means idols, idol-worship and practices tied to foreign gods (e.g. Deut 7:25–26; 1 Kgs 11:5–7; 2 Kgs 23:13). It also appears in 'the abomination of desolation' (Dan 9:27; 11:31; Mark 13:14), the pagan defilement of the temple. It can be used more broadly for things God hates (Prov 11:1, false scales).
Against the English: Modern 'abomination' sounds like a general word for anything morally disgusting, and today it is often linked to particular sexual debates. In biblical use its centre of gravity is religious: what offends God's holiness, above all false worship.
How it drifted: English 'abomination' became a general word of moral outrage, cut loose from its Old Testament setting in worship and holiness.
Used elsewhere in the period: BDAG s.v. βδέλυγμα: 'that which is detestable to God', especially in connection with idolatry. The Dead Sea Scrolls use the Hebrew equivalents for idolatrous defilement. Revelation uses the word again in 17:5 ('mother of abominations') and 21:27 (no one practising abomination enters the city).

From the study of Matthew 24:15

Range of meaning: Something that causes disgust or revulsion (from βδελύσσομαι, 'to feel nausea, loathe'). In Jewish Greek it is concentrated on worship: an idol, a pagan cult object, or a practice that profanes God's worship and makes God recoil. It translates Hebrew shiqquts ('detestable thing', regularly meaning an idol), to'evah ('abhorrent practice') and sheqets.
Against the English: Modern English 'abomination' has become a general word for anything awful ('the new building is an abomination'), or a moral label in debates. Neither picture captures the first-century hearing, which was specifically an idolatrous object or act polluting the place where God is worshipped.
How it drifted: From the King James era English 'abomination' kept a religious edge, but everyday usage has since widened it to 'something very bad or ugly'. Its specific link to idols and worship has faded.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Deuteronomy 7:25–26 (carved images are a bdelygma to the LORD); 1 Kings 11:5–7 (Milcom and Chemosh, 'the bdelygma of the Ammonites/Moabites'); Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 (Greek versions). 1 Maccabees 1:54: in 167 BC Antiochus IV's men 'built a bdelygma erēmōseōs on the altar' of the temple. NT: Luke 16:15; Revelation 17:4–5; 21:27.

From the study of Revelation 17:5

Range of meaning: Something that causes disgust or revulsion, from bdelyssomai, "to feel loathing." In the Greek Old Testament it most often translates Hebrew tôʿēbāh (practices detestable to God, very often idolatry) and šiqqûṣ (a detestable thing, almost always an idol). Hence "the abomination of desolation" (Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; 1 Macc 1:54; Matt 24:15), the pagan altar or image set up in the temple.
Against the English: English "abomination" or NLT's "obscenities" suggest anything shocking or disgusting, especially sexual. The biblical term is mainly about worship: idols and idolatrous acts that are revolting to God.
How it drifted: In everyday modern English "abomination" became a general word for anything hateful. Its specific link to idolatry in the Old Testament faded.
Used elsewhere in the period: Deut 7:25–26; 27:15 ("the man who makes a carved image, an abomination to the LORD"); 1 Kgs 11:5–7 (Milcom and Chemosh as "abominations"); Dan 9:27; 1 Macc 1:54; Matt 24:15; Luke 16:15; Rev 17:4; 21:27.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

Matthew 24:15 βδέλυγμα abomination

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

Here: In Jewish Greek this is the standard word for an idol or pagan cult object that God finds disgusting. It is a religious term, not a word for something merely terrible.

Mark · 1

Mark 13:14 βδέλυγμα abomination

So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Here: In the Greek Old Testament this is the regular word for an idol or a cultic outrage that God finds revolting. The point is that the holy place has been defiled, not just that something terrible has happened.

Luke · 1

Luke 16:15 βδέλυγμα an abomination

So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

Here: Something God finds repulsive. In the Greek Old Testament it is a strong word, often used of idols and practices that defile worship.

Revelation · 3

Revelation 17:4 βδελυγμάτων of abominations

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

Here: 'Abominations': in the Greek Old Testament, mostly a word for idols and idol-worship, things God finds detestable. Here it names the cup's main content.
Revelation 17:5 βδελυγμάτων abominations

And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Here: In the Greek Old Testament, mostly idols and idolatrous practices that God finds detestable. It picks up the golden cup "full of abominations" in 17:4.
Revelation 21:27 βδέλυγμα abomination

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Here: The Septuagint's standard word for what God finds detestable, above all idols and idolatrous practice. In Revelation it points straight back to Babylon, "mother of … abominations" (17:4–5).

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