Vol 02 - New Testament Words Explained

New Testament Words Explained

Crown. The Greek words stephanos and diadeema both mean crown, but the former refers exclusively to the crown of leaves or flowers awarded to a victor in the old Grecian games, and to this the apostle Paul alludes in 1Co 9:24-26, 2Ti 2:5, &c.; while the latter refers to the kingly crown which in ancient times consisted simply of a fillet or band of silk or linen, and is used in Rev 12:3; Rev 13:1. The fact of these being mere bands and not head-coverings explains how there could be many crowns on one person, as in Rev 19:12. In Mat 27:29 the word used is stephanos, and not diadeema, for although the crown that was put upon the Lord’s head might seem to be a kingly one, its shape and construction resembled the former and not the latter.

Defile. The Greek word moluno, thus translated, means literally to smear or daub with mud, and occurs in 1Co 8:7; Rev 3:4; Rev 14:4. The word miaino is also translated defile (John 18:28; Tit 1:15; Heb 12:15; Jude 1:8), but means to dye or stain with color, and hence has not literally the meaning of defilement although frequently so used.

Evil.

Besides the common word kakos two words, poneeros and phaulos, are thus translated. The former of these means evil’ in its positive aspect, the latter in its negative, implying the absence of good, or as we say, good-for-nothing.

Poneeros is applied to Satan in Mat 6:13, and Eph 6:1-24 (see also Luk 7:2; Luk 1:1-80Acts 19:12), he being actively wicked, while phaulos in many cases means worthless rather than wicked. It occurs John 5:29; Tit 2:8; Jas 3:16, etc Fear.

Three words are thus translated-deilia used in a bad sense, eulabeia used in a good sense, and phobos used in both. Deilia we find in 2Ti 1:7, and its derivatives in Mat 8:26; Mark 4:40; John 14:27; Rev 21:8 : it may be translated cowardice. Eulabeia occurs only in Heb 5:7; Heb 12:28. Phobos is used in a bad sense in Rom 8:15; 1Jn 4:18; and in a good sense in Acts 9:31; Rom 3:18; Eph 6:5; 1Pe 1:17. It thus occupies a middle place between the other two words.

Garment, raiment, robe.

Nine Greek words are thus indifferently translated, which we may briefly distinguish. Himation (Mat 9:16; Mat 11:8; Mat 14:36; Mat 26:65, &c.) is the general word, meaning men’s or women’s clothes. It is however also specially used to mean the large outer garment which was worn over the close-fitting under-vest or kiton. We thus often find the two words together, as in Mat 5:40; Luk 6:29; John 19:23; Acts 9:39. In Mat 5:40, they are thus distinguished by the Lord-" If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat (kiton), let him have thy cloak (himation) also:" that is to say, the less valuable article first, and the more valuable cloak after. In Luk 6:29, where the person is supposed to have forcibly (not legally) taken away the cloak, himation naturally comes first. Peter, when he was naked, (John 21:7) still hail on his kiton, having merely laid aside his fisher’s coat, while engaged in his work. Himatismos, a third word, is generally only used of splendid and costly garments (often rendered vesture) Luk 7:25; 1Ti 2:9; Mat 27:35; John 19:24. In these two latter passages it is applied to the Lord’s kiton, or vest, which was probably therefore beautiful and costly; not that it was worn for display, being always covered by the himation, or outer garment.

Chlamuse is the word used in Mat 27:28; Mat 27:31, for the purple robe, and means an official dress; it was probably the cast-off robe of some Roman officer.

Stolee is any stately robe (stole), applied often to woman’s dress sweeping on the ground, also to the garments worn by the Scribes (Mark 12:38; Luk 20:46). It occurs also in Mark 16:5, Luk 15:2; Luk 2:1-52Rev 6:11; Rev 7:9, &c.

Podeerees means emphatically a garment reaching to the feet, and hence is very like stolee. The three other words, esthees, (Luk 23:1), estheesis (Luk 24:4) and enduma (Mat 22:1-2) have no very distinctive meaning.

Godhead.

There are two words thus translated, which are perceptibly different in meaning,--theotes or divinity, and thektes, or deity; the former used only in Col 2:9, the latter only in Rom 1:20. In Colossians, where the Apostle is showing that Christ really revealed God Himself, the higher word theotes is used, in Romans on the contrary, where he shows how much of God may be revealed in nature, the word theiotes is used, not signifying God Himself, who can only be known in the Son, but His divine attributes and power. The word theiotes is common in Greek among the heathen writers, though only used in the above passage in scripture, whereas theotes is only found once in classical Greek, as it is also found once in scripture. The latter is the word always used by the early Fathers to express the Godhead, never the former. The distinction between these two words is of great importance to the Christian reader, in showing that God as such is only revealed in Christ, not in nature.