GREEK BIBLICAL WORDS

 

1.   Qeovs (theh-OSS) Theos—The word used for God (can also be used for false gods, see Acts & Galatians)

 

2.   Pathvr (pah-Tear) Pater--- The word means Father, we usually think of God the Father.

 

3.   Kuvrios (Koor-ee-oss) Kurios---The word means “lord” or “master,” it could be referring to almost any authority.

 

4.   jIsous  (Ee-ay-soos) Iesous--- It is the Greek way of saying, Jesus; His names reflects His earthly ministry and His eternal saving power.

 

5.   Crstovs (Cree-Soss) Christos---means “savior” or “deliverer”; this word is equivalent to the Hebrew word “Messiah.”

 

6.   Pneuma (New-ma) Pheuma--- Translated “spirit” and can also mean “wind” or “breath”—we get our English word pneumonia.

 

7.   Kovsmos (KOSS-moss) Kosmos---In general this word usually means the planet Earth and everything in it---remotely it is used to mean the entire universe (Cosmos).

 

8.   jAUUelos (ON-geh-loss) Angelos--- Means “angel” or “messenger”—note* it can also be translated “demon” when referring to the fallen angels of Satan.

 

9.   [Anqrwpos (AN-throw-poss) Anthropos---Means “man” or “mankind” (anthropology).

10///.    Amartiva (ha-mar-TEE-ah) Hamartia---The Greek word meaning “sin” or anything associated with sin.

 

11.   Qavnatos (THA-nah-toss) Thanatos---Means “death”-a literal or spiritual meaning.

 

12.   jAUavph (ah-GAH-pay) Agape---This word did not exist before the New Testament; it means “love”; it is the type of love that comes from God.

13.   Ai\ma (Hay-mah) Haima--- It means “blood.” There has always been attached to blood a deep meaning; physical blood, sacrifices, atoning blood of Jesus.

 

14.   Diaqhvkth (dee-ah-THAY-kay) Diatheke--- The words means “contract,” “testament” or “covenant.” The two parts of the Bible: Old Diatheke, New Diatheke.

 

15.   Grafhv (gra-FAY) Graphe---Means “writing” (autograph, photograph, graphic) ---Scriptures are God’s graph.

 

16.   Swthriva (so-tay-REE-ah) Soteria---Means “salvation”---to keep or prevent someone from being harmed (soteriology).

 

17.   EuvaUUevlion (yoo-on-GELL-ee-on) Euangelion---The word means “gospel” or “good news”—God’s good news to mankind; (“evangelize” or “evangelist”).

 

18.   Pivstis (PEACE-teace) Pistis---Means “faith” or “faithful” or “trust”—Pistis is indispensable when trying to acquire God’s favor (Hebrews 11:6).

 

19.   Proseuvcomai (pros-YOO-kah-my) Proseuchomai---Means “to pray.”

 

20.   Nikavw (nee-kah-oh) Nikao--- Means “to overcome,” “to be victorious” (interestingly enough it where “Nike” get its name nikao).

 

21.   Ekklhsiva (ek-clay-SEE-ah) Ekklesia---Mean “assembly,” “congregation” or church”—ekklesia literally means the “called out.”

• The New Testament was originally written in Greek. Not in Hebrew or Aramaic, but in Greek. The Old Testament, on the other hand, was originally written in Hebrew though the following portions of the OT were originally in Aramaic: Genesis 31:47 (2 words), Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:4-7:28, & Ezra 4:8-6:18, 7:12-26. 
  
• All Hebrew & Aramaic words that appear in the Greek New Testament were written in Greek letters, but they preserve the approximate sounds of the original Hebrew or Aramaic words, (i.e., they’re transliterated).

• There is uncertainty on whether some of these transliterated words reflect an Aramaic or a Hebrew origin. This is common for languages in the same family.

• The use of Hebrew & Aramaic words in the original Greek of the New Testament reflects normal practice in multicultural, multilingual contexts. For example, Paul is recorded as seamlessly switching from Greek to Aramaic in Acts 21:37-22:2, depending on the audience he is addressing. The entire episode is written in Greek, but it refers to the normal code-switching practices of bilingual people. 

• Within the transliterated Hebrew and Aramaic in the Greek New Testament, some of the words are loan-words (Luke 22:41), while others reflect moments of code-switching between languages (e.g., 1 Cor 1:12).

ARAMAIC WORDS IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT

“empty headed”	ῥακά	Matt 5:22
“zealot” (Aram. kan’an)	Καναναῖος	Matt 10:4; Mark 3:18.
“Save now” (Aram. Hosanna)	ὡσαννὰ	Matt 21:9 (2x), 15; Mark 11:9; John 12:13
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”	ελωι ελωι λεμα σαβαχθανι	Mark 15:34
“…why have you forsaken me?”	λεμα σαβαχθανι	Matt 27:46
“Little girl, rise.”	ταλιθα κουμ	Mark 5:41. The parallel in Matt 9:24 and Luke 8:54 omit this phrase.
“Be opened”	εφφαθα	Mark 7:32
“Rabbi” (Aram. rabbouni)	ῥαββουνί	Mark 10:51; John 20:16
“Father/Dad” (Aram. abba)	αββα	Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6

*Arranged according to their first occurrence in the canonical order of the NT. Compiled by searching “[ANY Aram]” in Accordance 13. Additional words were added based on the results from the transliterated Hebrew word search in the GNT, described below.

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HEBREW WORDS IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT

“Accuser/Satan” (Heb. satan)	σατανᾶς	Matt 4:10; 12:26 (2x); 16:23; Mark 1:13; 3:23 (2x); 26; 4:15; 8:33; Luke 10:18; 11:18; 13:16; 22:3, 31; John 13:27; Acts 5:3; 26:18; Rom 16:20; 1 Cor 5:5, 2 Cor 2:11; 11:14; 12:7; 1 Thess 2:18; 2 Thess 2:9; 1 Tim 1:20; 5:15; Rev 2:9, 13 (2x), 24; 3:9 ; 12:9; 20:2, 7
“Truly, Amen”	ἀμὴν	Matt 5:18, 26; 6:2, 5, 16; 8:10; 10:15, 23, 42; 11:11; 13:17; 16:28; 17:20; 18:3, 13, 18, 19, 23, 28; 21:21, 31; 23:36; 24:2, 34, 47; 25:12, 40, 45; 26:13, 21, 34; Mark 3:28; 8:12; 9:1; 9:41; 10:15, 29; 11:23; 12:43; 13:30; 15:9, 18, 25, 30; [16:8b]; Luke 4:24, 37; 18:17, 29; 21:32, 43; John 1:51; 3:2 (2x), 5 (2x), 11 (2x); 5:19 (2x), 24 (2x); 6:26 (2x), 32 (2x), 47 (2x), 53 (2x); 8:34 (2x), 51 (2x), 58 (2x); 10:1 (2x), 7 (2x); 12:24 (2x); 13:16 (2x); 20 (2x), 21 (2x), 21 (2x), 38 (2x); 14:12 (2x); 16:20 (2x), 23 (2x); 21:18 (2x); Rom 1:25; 9:5; 11:36; 15:22; 16:27; 1 Cor 14:16; 2 Cor 1:20; Gal 1:5; 6:18; Eph 3:21; Phil 4:20; 1 Thess 3:13; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tim 4:18; Heb 13:21; 1 Peter 4:11; 5:11; [2 Pet 3:18]; Jude 25; Rev 1:6, 7; 3:14; 5:14; 7:12; Rev 19:4; Rev 22:20
“Gehenna”	γέεννα	Matt 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; Jas 3:6
“moth”	σής	Matt 6:19, 20; Luke 12:33
“wealth” (Heb. mammon)	μαμωνᾶς	Matt 6:24; Luke 16:9, 11, 13
“sack cloth” (Heb. sak)	σάκκος	Matt 11:21; Luke 10:13; Rev 6:12; 11:3
“Sabbath”	σαββάτου	Matt 12:1, 2, 5 (2x), 8, 10, 11, 12; 24:20; 28:1 (2x); Mark 1:21; 2:23, 24, 27 (2x), 28; 3:2, 4; 6:2; 16:1, 2, [9]; Luke 4:16, 31; 6:1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9; 13:10, 14 (2x), 15, 16; 14:1, 3, 5; 18:12; 23:54, 56; 24:1; John 5:9, 10, 16, 18; 7:22, 23 (2x); 9:14, 16; 19:21 (2x); 20:1, 19; Acts 1:12; 13:14, 27, 42, 44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4; 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2; Col 2:16
A measure of quantity (Heb. sata)	σάτον	Matt 13:33; Luke 13:21
“Rabbi”	ῥαββί	Matt 23:7, 8; 26:25; Mark 9:5; 11:21; 14:45; John 1:38, 49; 3:2; 26; 4:31; 6:25; 9:2; 11:8
“Passover” (Heb. pesach)	πάσχα	Matt 26:2, 17, 18, 19; Mark 14:1, 12 (2x), 14, 16; Luke 2:41; 22:1, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15; John 2:13, 23; 6:4; 11:55; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14; Acts 12:4; 1 Cor 5:7; Heb 11:28
“My God, my God…”	ηλι ηλι	Matt 27:46. The rest of this line is Aramaic.
Proper name “Boanerges” (Heb. “sons of thunder/earthquake/noise)	βοανηργές	Mark 3:17
(Heb. “man from Kyriot”[?])	Ἰσκαριώθ	Mark 3:19; 14:10; Luke 6:16. The more Greek version Iskariot is in Matt 10:4; 26:14; Luke 22:3; John 6:71; 12:4; 13:2, 26; 14:22.
“Offering”	κορβᾶν	Mark 7:11
“Beer” (Heb. shik’ra)	σίκερα	Luke 1:15
A liquid measure	βάτος	Luke 16:6
A measure of quantity	κόρος	Luke 16:7
“Fine linen”	βύσσος	Luke 16:19
Mulberry tree	συκάμινος	Luke 17:6
A unit of coinage (Heb. Mina)	μνᾶς	Luke 19:13, 16 (2x), 18 (2x), 20, 24 (2x), 25
“Rock” (Heb. Kepha)	Κηφᾶς	John 1:42; 1 Cor 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Gal 1:18; 2:9, 11, 14
“Manna”	μάννα	John 6:31, 49; Heb 9:4; Rev 2:17
“Hyssop” (Heb. ayzov”)	ὕσσωπος	John 19:29
“of hosts”	σαβαὼθ	Rom 9:29; Jas 5:4
“Our Lord come!”	μαράνα θά	1 Cor 16:22. The same phrase in Revelation 22:21 has been translated into Greek.
Pledge/Down Payment (Heb. erabon)	ἀρραβών	2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; Eph 1:14
“basket” (Heb sarag)	σαργάνη	2 Cor 11:33
“Hallelujah”	ἁλληλουϊά	Rev 19:1, 3, 4, 6

*Arranged according to their first occurrence in the canonical order of the NT. Compiled by searching “[ANY Heb]” in the GNT in Accordance 13, and then comparing those results to the lists of Jeff A. Benner, “Hebrew Words in the Greek New Testament,” Ancient Hebrew Research Center. https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/semitic-origins/hebrew-words-in-the-greek-new-testament.htm; David N. Bivin and Joshua N. Tilton, “LOY Excursus: Greek Transliterations of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Hebrew/Aramaic Words in the Synoptic Gospels,” Jerusalem Perspective (2014).https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/12404/; and Walter Bauer, “An Introduction to the Lexicon of the Greek New Testament,” BDAG, xxii. Finally, each occurrence of each word word from the resultant list was independently verified to be in the GNT.

As a Christian, you will come across many Greek words at church, during Bible study, sermons or in conversation. Here are some common Koine (Biblical) Greek words worth knowing.

Kerygma (Proclamation of God’s Word)

Kerygma (from the Greek word κήρυγμα kérugma), a Greek word used in the New Testament for “preaching” (see Luke 4:18-19, Romans 10:14, Matthew 3:1). It is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω kērússō, literally meaning “to cry or proclaim as a herald” and being used in the sense of “to proclaim, announce, preach”.

Koinonia (Christian fellowship)

Koinonia is a transliterated form of the Greek word, κοινωνία, which means communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, etc. It identifies the idealized state of fellowship and unity that should exist within the Christian church, the Body of Christ.

Diakonia (Service)

Diakonia, (διακονία, Greek transliteration diakonia) means service, to serve, to render selfless service unto. Can refer to helps and service of various kinds which can range in meaning from spiritual biblical teaching (Ac 6:4) to the practical giving of provisions, supplies, support, and finances to those in need (2 Corinthians 9:12.)

Kenosis (Self-emptying)

In Christian theology, kenosis (Greek: κένωσις, kénōsis, lit. emptiness) is the ‘self-emptying’ of one’s own will and becoming entirely receptive to God’s divine will.

Logos (Word of God)

Logos (λόγος) is the Word of God, or principle of divine reason and creative order, identified in the Gospel of John with the second person of the Trinity incarnate in Jesus Christ.

Agape (Selfless love)

Agape (ἀγάπη) is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.

Ecclesia (Assembly)

Ecclesia/Ekklesia (ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ) is an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers “called out” from the world to God.

By Bible Portal Staff

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