κάμινος
a furnace
Definition
The Greek word κάμινος refers to a furnace, oven, or kiln used for high-temperature processes. In the New Testament, it consistently denotes a fiery furnace used for punishment or judgment. In the parables of Jesus (Matthew 13:42, 50), it symbolizes the place of eternal punishment for the wicked. In Revelation, it describes the feet of Christ glowing like refined metal (Revelation 1:15) and the smoke from a great furnace during a plague of judgment (Revelation 9:2).
Biblical Usage
This word appears four times, exclusively in contexts of divine judgment. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus uses it twice in the parables of the weeds and the net to describe the 'fiery furnace' of final punishment. In Revelation, it is used metaphorically for Christ's glorious, purified appearance and literally for the smoke of torment from the Abyss. All instances convey intense, destructive heat associated with God's wrath.
Etymology
Derived from the ancient Greek κάμινος (kaminos), meaning a furnace, oven, or kiln. It is a primary word with no clear earlier root, used in classical Greek for various types of furnaces (e.g., for baking, smelting, or lime-burning). The term passed directly into Koine Greek with the same core meaning.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as a vivid metaphor for divine judgment and purification. It underscores the reality and severity of eternal punishment for the unrighteous in Jesus' teaching. In Revelation 1:15, its use for Christ's feet connects his glorious, refined nature with judgment, symbolizing his authority to judge. Understanding this term enriches reading by emphasizing the concrete, fearsome imagery the biblical authors chose for eschatological warning and description.
In the first-century world, a κάμινος was a common industrial or domestic tool for baking, pottery, metalworking, or lime production. These furnaces reached extremely high temperatures and were dangerous. This cultural familiarity made the metaphor powerfully evocative for Jesus' audience, conveying the inescapable intensity and transformative (or destructive) power of God's final judgment, much more potent than a simple modern oven.
πῦρ (pyr, G4442) — A more general term for 'fire'; κάμινος is a specific structure or container for fire, often for a sustained, intense blaze.
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.
Full methodology & sources →