Empty
κενόςStrong’s G2756kenos
Appears in 16 verses of the New Testament
In short
Kenos is the Greek word usually translated “vain”, “empty-handed” and “void”. It appears in 16 verses of the New Testament.
“And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.”
Meaning
Usually translated “vain”, “empty-handed” and “void”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- vain 5
- empty-handed 3
- void 3
- empty 2
- in vain 2
- vain things 1
- with empty 1
- foolish 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Luke 3
- 1 Corinthians 3
- 1 Thessalonians 2
- Mark 1
- Acts 1
- 2 Corinthians 1
11 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Luke 1:53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
- Luke 20:10And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
- Luke 20:11And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
- Acts 4:25Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
- 1 Corinthians 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
- 1 Corinthians 15:14And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Greek dictionary
κενός kenos · empty
κενός, -ή, -όν [in LXX chiefly for רִיק and cognate forms ;] empty (Gen.37:24, Jdg.7:16). Metaphorical, (a) empty, vain: λόγοι, Eph.5:6; ἀπάτη, Col.2:8; κήρυγμα, πίστις, 1Co.15:14; (b) vain, fruitless: ἡ χάρις, 1Co.15:10; κόπος, 1Co.15:50; ἡ εἴσοδος, 1Th.2:1; κενά, Act.4:25 (LXX); εἰς κενόν, in vain, to no purpose (Diod., LXX; cl. διὰ κενῆς), 2Co.6:1, Gal.2:2, Php.2:16, 1Th.3:5; (with) of persons, empty-handed: Mrk.12:3, Luk.1:53 20:10-11; vain, Jas.2:20.† SYN.: μάταιος, of the aim or effect of an action, κ. of its quality (Lft. on Cl. Rom., 1Co., § 7; Tr., Syn., xlix) (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “empty” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
EMP'TY, adjective
- Containing nothing, or nothing but air; as an empty chest; empty space; an empty purse is a serious evil.
- Evacuated; not filled; as empty shackles.
- Unfurnished; as an empty room.
- Void; devoid.
All definitions and other forms of “empty”
- Void; destitute of solid matter; as empty air.
- Destitute of force or effect; as empty words.
- Unsubstantial; unsatisfactory; not able to fill the mind or the desires.
- Not supplied; having nothing to carry.“They beat him, and sent him away empty” Mark 12:3
- Hungry.
- Unfurnished with intellect or knowledge; vacant of head; ignorant; as an empty coxcomb.
- Unfruitful; producing nothing.“Seven empty ears blasted with the east wind” Genesis 41:27
- Wanting substance; wanting solidity; as empty dreams.
- Destitute; waste; desolate.
- Without effect.“The sword of Saul returned not empty” 2 Samuel 1:22
- Without a cargo; in ballast; as, the ship returned empty
EMP'TY, verb transitive
To exhaust; to make void or destitute; to deprive of the contents; as, to empty a vessel; to empty a well or a cistern.
- To pour out the contents.“The clouds empty themselves on the earth” Ecclesiastes 11:3
- To waste; to make desolate. Jeremiah 51:2
EMP'TY, verb intransitive
To pour out or discharge its contents.
- To become empty
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.