βλέμμα
look, the faculty of looking
Definition
βλέμμα refers to the act or faculty of looking, a glance, or gaze. In its sole New Testament occurrence in 2 Peter 2:8, it describes the righteous Lot's daily experience in Sodom—he was 'tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.' Here, βλέμμα (what he saw) is paired with ἀκοή (what he heard), emphasizing the full sensory assault of the city's wickedness on his conscience. While the word can denote a simple, neutral look in broader Greek literature, the biblical context loads it with moral and spiritual weight, portraying sight as a conduit for profound spiritual distress.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 2:8. Its usage is highly specific and contextual, paired with 'hearing' to comprehensively describe the sensory experience of a righteous person surrounded by pervasive evil. It is not used for casual observation but for a sustained, distressing gaze upon sinful actions.
Etymology
Derived from the verb βλέπω (blepō, G991), meaning 'to see, look, perceive.' βλέμμα is a noun formed from this root, concretizing the action into 'a look' or 'the thing seen.' It belongs to a family of sight-related words, emphasizing the act or faculty of visual perception.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, βλέμμα is theologically significant in 2 Peter 2:8. It highlights the reality that believers can and should be spiritually affected by the sin they witness in the world. Lot's 'look' was not passive but actively tormenting, illustrating the conflict between a godly conscience and a corrupt culture. Understanding this Greek term enriches reading by showing that biblical righteousness is not merely about personal purity but involves a visceral, grieving awareness of evil.
In the ancient Greco-Roman world, sight was often considered the primary and most reliable sense for gaining knowledge. The pairing of 'sight and hearing' in 2 Peter 2:8 would have been a natural way to express receiving full information or evidence. For Lot, a resident alien, his daily 'look' at Sodom's culture was unavoidable and constituted a form of witness and evidence against it.
ὄψις (opsis, G3799) — more general term for appearance or sight; often the thing seen. ὅραμα (horama, G3705) — a vision, something divinely shown. ὀφθαλμός (ophthalmos, G3788) — the physical eye, the organ of sight.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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