εἰκῆeikē
idly, i.e. without reason (or effect)
Greek (New Testament) · G1500
Meanings
1. without cause or reason: Matthew 5:22 (E, margin), Colossians 2:18 (ICC).
2. vainly, fruitlessly, to no purpose: Romans 13:4, 1 Corinthians 15:2, Galatians 3:4, Galatians 4:11, Colossians 2:18.
Same root
Where it appears
Appears 6 times in the Bible.
- Romans 13:4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.
- 1 Corinthians 15:2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
- Galatians 3:4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?
- Galatians 4:11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.
- Colossians 2:18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,
Source: G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), public domain.