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Elements

Concise Bible Dictionary:

στοιχεῖον, “rudiments, first steps.”

1. Applied to children at the “commencement” of their training; and to the law as the “early” way of God’s dealing with Israel; but now called “beggarly” because it has lost its glory through the failure of man, and the introduction of Christ Himself (Gal. 4:3,9³Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: (Galatians 4:3)
⁹But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? (Galatians 4:9)). The word, with a similar meaning, is translated “rudiments” in Colossians 2:8,20⁸Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
²⁰Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Colossians 2:20), and “principles” in Hebrews 5:12¹²For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (Hebrews 5:12).

2. The material elements of the universe, which will be melted with great heat in the day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:10,12¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)
¹²Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (2 Peter 3:12)).