Bible Word Study
ὄζω
ozō · I stink, am offensive
ὄζω
I stink, am offensive
Definition
The verb ὄζω (ozō) means 'to stink' or 'to emit a foul odor.' In its single New Testament occurrence, it describes the literal, physical stench of a decomposing body (John 11:39). While its core meaning is straightforward, in broader Greek literature it could also carry a figurative sense of being morally offensive or corrupt. However, the biblical usage focuses solely on the physical reality of death's odor.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in John 11:39. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, objects to Jesus's command to open the tomb, stating, 'Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.' The usage is entirely literal, emphasizing the tangible, repulsive reality of death, which heightens the miraculous power displayed in Jesus's subsequent raising of Lazarus.
Etymology
Derived from the ancient Greek verb ὄζω, meaning 'to smell' (either good or bad), though in Koine Greek it typically denotes a bad smell. It is related to the noun ὀσμή (osmē, G3744), meaning 'odor' or 'fragrance,' showing how the root can contextually imply either a pleasant or unpleasant scent.
Semantic Range
Though used literally, this word holds significant theological weight in its context. The mention of the stench (ὄζω) in John 11:39 starkly underscores the finality and corruption of death, making Jesus's act of raising Lazarus not just a healing but a conquest over decay and a powerful sign pointing to His own resurrection and authority as 'the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25). In the first-century Jewish context, a body decomposing for four days was considered unequivocally dead, with the soul believed to have departed. The specific mention of the odor culturally confirmed the irreversible state of death, making Jesus's miracle all the more astonishing and undeniable to the witnesses. ὀσμή (osmē, G3744) — A noun meaning 'odor' or 'fragrance,' which can be neutral, pleasant, or unpleasant, whereas ὄζω is specifically a verb for emitting a bad smell.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]