UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: ghost

Semantic entry: 12.42

Semantic domains: Supernatural Beings and Powers

Subdomains: Supernatural Beings

Definition: an apparition

Notes: Most languages have quite satisfactory terms for ‘ghosts’ or ‘apparitions,’ since the psychological phenomena associated with such appearances are apparently universal. In some languages the equivalent of ‘ghost’ is simply ‘shadow.’ In other instances it may be literally ‘breath.’ In some instances the meaning of ‘ghost’ is incorporated within a verb expression, for example, ‘they saw, as it were, through him.’|The NT contains a number of lexical items (12.43: στοιχεῖον-12.47: βάθος) referring to supernatural powers believed to be active as elemental spirits exercising control over man’s fate. Though these may have certain special features associated with them and though in extrabiblical literature they may represent various grades of supernatural power, there seems to be no way in which they can be clearly distinguished on the basis of their NT usage. Appropriate equivalent expressions in other languages are extremely difficult to find, primarily because other religious systems usually have completely different beliefs relative to supernatural powers. In many languages it is simply not possible to speak of such supernatural powers without in some way identifying them with various kinds of spirits.