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G876 · Greek · New Testament
ἀφρός
Aphros
Noun, masculine
Foam, froth

Definition

The Greek noun aphros means foam or froth. It appears only once in the New Testament (Luke 9:39), in the account of the demon-possessed boy: "a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth." Jude 13 uses the related imagery of "wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame" to describe false teachers.

Usage & Theological Significance

The aphros of demonic affliction and the aphros of false teaching share a common quality: both are dramatic, attention-grabbing, and empty. Foam has no substance — it is agitated surface with no depth. Jude's "foaming waves" describes people who produce noise and spectacle but leave behind nothing but shame. True spiritual substance, by contrast, is the quiet depth of the Spirit's fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).

Key Bible Verses

Luke 9:39 "A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth."
Jude 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
James 3:8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

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