ψυχρός describes what is cold. It appears in a concrete act of kindness (“a cup of cold water”) and in an evaluative contrast (“neither cold nor hot”) that frames a warning about being “lukewarm.”
Root and Related Words
ψυχρός is related to psychos (ψῦχος), “cold” (Strong’s G5592).
Occurrences
“Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)
Here ψυχρός modifies “water” and places the adjective in an everyday setting: a cup given “to drink.” The coldness functions as a specific, tangible quality of what is offered—something immediately felt and recognized. Within the sentence, that simple gift is framed as intentional (“in the name of a disciple”) and consequential (“he will in no way lose his reward”), so the adjective helps keep the example grounded in ordinary material provision rather than grand gestures. The scene depends on something small enough to be “just a cup,” yet real enough to meet a basic need in the moment; ψυχρός gives that concreteness sensory weight.
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot.” (Revelation 3:15)
In this statement, ψυχρός is paired with its opposite in a strict either/or: “neither cold nor hot.” The adjective is no longer about an object like water but about the condition being addressed: “your works.” Cold becomes one pole in a scale of temperature imagery used to evaluate what is observed. The line “I wish you were cold or hot” intensifies the contrast: the speaker expresses preference for clarity at either extreme over the muddled middle implied by “neither.” ψυχρός thus contributes to a sharp diagnostic metaphor—coldness is a definable state that can be named without ambiguity, set side-by-side with hotness as a clean alternative to the in-between.
“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)
This verse continues the same temperature framework and makes the implicit middle explicit: “lukewarm.” ψυχρός appears again in the phrase “neither hot nor cold,” now explaining what “lukewarm” means in practice—an absence of both extremes. The result is expressed in vivid physical language (“I will vomit you out of my mouth”), which draws the temperature imagery into the realm of taste and bodily reaction. In that setting, “cold” functions as one of the two clear temperature states that, if present, would avoid the disgust associated with lukewarmness. The repetition of “neither hot nor cold” links verse 16 directly to verse 15, while the introduction of “lukewarm” clarifies that the critique is aimed at a tepid condition rather than coldness itself.
Sense and Usage
Across these passages, ψυχρός operates in two related ways: as a straightforward descriptor of a physical item and as a temperature term pressed into service as an evaluative contrast. In Matthew 10:42, coldness is a property of what is handed to another person—something offered “to drink.” The adjective lends specificity and realism to the act: the gift is not abstract generosity but a concrete, sensory provision. The verse’s focus stays on the meaningfulness of a small act; ψυχρός helps the reader picture a simple cup of water with a noticeable temperature.
In Revelation 3:15–16, coldness becomes part of a triad of temperature states: cold, hot, and the stated alternative, lukewarm. Within this rhetoric, cold is not presented as the problem; the problem is being “neither.” The wording treats coldness as a distinct and identifiable condition that can stand as a stable endpoint in contrast with the unsatisfactory middle. The repetition of “neither hot nor cold” shows that ψυχρός is integral to the metaphor’s logic: to name the middle, the text names both extremes and denies them. The metaphor also shifts from mere description to response: the language of “mouth” and “vomit” ties temperature to the body’s acceptance or rejection, suggesting that temperature here has immediate experiential consequences rather than being a neutral observation.
Read together, these uses show how a simple adjective can carry both literal and figurative force without changing its basic sense. The cold water in Matthew is a concrete gift; the coldness in Revelation is a clear state contrasted with other temperature states to make an assessment. In both settings, ψυχρός gains its rhetorical power from recognizability: cold is something people can readily imagine and feel, whether in a cup offered to drink or in an image of temperature that provokes reaction.
Imagery
The passages pair ψυχρός with strikingly physical scenes. Matthew places it in the hand-to-mouth simplicity of drinking water given to “one of these little ones.” Revelation places it in the sensory register of taste and bodily recoil: the temperature imagery culminates in being rejected “out of my mouth.” In both, coldness is not theoretical; it is an immediately perceptible quality that helps the text speak in concrete, bodily terms about what is offered and what is judged.
Sources:
Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).
