Quick Definition
οὐρανός, οῦ, ὁ n.m. the sky, the heaven
Strong's Definition
perhaps from the same as 3735 (through the idea of elevation); the sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of God); by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel (Christianity)
KJV Usage: air, heaven(-ly), sky
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m. | -οῦ | ἐπουράνιος · μεσουράνημα · οὐράνιος · οὐρανόθεν
1.5 · Geographical Objects and Features · Regions Above the Earth
sky space above the earth, including the vault arching high over the earth from one horizon to another, as well as the sun, moon, and stars In ACT 2:5 the expression ‘under the sky’ is better translated in a number of languages as ‘on earth,’ and in HEB 11:12 ‘the stars of the sky’ is effectively rendered in many instances as ‘the stars up above,’ though in many languages ‘up above’ is not only redundant, but misleading, since it might suggest stars that would not be ‘up above.’ The area described by the phrase ἀπ’ ἄκρων οὐρανῶν ἕως τῶν ἄκρων αὐτῶν in MAT 24:31 refers to the limits of the horizon regarded as the limits of the sky, but in many languages the equivalent is an expression dealing with the limits of the earth.
In some contexts οὐρανός[a] ‘sky’ designates areas which in other languages are referred to by terms specifying only a part of the area above the earth. For example, a literal translation of ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ‘look at the birds of the sky’ (MAT 6:26) would in some languages refer only to those birds which fly particularly high in the sky, for example, eagles, vultures, and falcons. The Greek expression τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ simply designates wild birds in contrast with domestic fowl, such as chickens. Therefore, in translating ‘the birds of the sky,’ one may wish to use a general designation for all wild birds. See also 4.41.
The sky (οὐρανός[a]) is also represented in the Scriptures as a dwelling place of certain supernatural beings, for the various stars and constellations were associated with supernatural forces (see στρατιὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, literally ‘the army of heaven,’ in ACT 7:42: ὁ θεὸς ... παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς λατρεύειν τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ‘God ... gave them over to worship the stars of the heaven’). In some languages, however, there is a problem with the rendering ‘stars of heaven,’ since such an expression might imply that there are types of stars which do not exist in the sky. Therefore, it is often more appropriate to translate στρατιὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ as simply ‘the stars.’ At the same time it is often advisable to introduce a marginal note to indicate that the stars were regarded as symbols of supernatural beings. One may also translate στρατιὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ as ‘supernatural beings in the sky’ or ‘powers that dwell in the sky’ (see 12.45).
The semantic equivalent of οὐρανός[a] is in some instances merely an adverb meaning ‘up’ or ‘above.’ In other languages the various areas referred to by ούρανός[a] must be designated by more specific terms or phrases, for example, ‘the region of the stars,’ ‘the place of the clouds,’ or ‘where the wind blows,’ as a way of designating at least three different areas which may be significant in certain types of contexts.
MAT 11:23 · MAT 16:2 · MAT 16:3 · MAT 16:3 · MAT 24:29 · MAT 24:29 · MAT 24:30 · MAT 24:31 · MAT 26:64 · MRK 7:34 · MRK 13:25 · MRK 13:25 · MRK 13:27 · MRK 14:62 · LUK 4:25 · LUK 9:54 · LUK 10:15 · LUK 10:18 · LUK 12:56 · LUK 17:24 · LUK 17:24 · LUK 17:29 · LUK 18:13 · LUK 21:11 · LUK 21:26 · ACT 2:5 · ACT 2:19 · ACT 7:42 · ACT 9:3 · ACT 10:11 · ACT 10:16 · ACT 11:5 · ACT 11:9 · ACT 11:10 · ACT 17:24 · ACT 22:6 · COL 1:16 · COL 1:20 · HEB 1:10 · HEB 7:26 · HEB 11:12 · HEB 12:26 · JAS 5:18 · 2PE 1:18 · 2PE 3:5 · 2PE 3:7 · 2PE 3:10 · 2PE 3:12 · 2PE 3:13 · REV 5:13 · REV 6:13 · REV 6:14 · REV 8:10 · REV 9:1 · REV 10:5 · REV 10:6 · REV 11:6 · REV 12:1 · REV 12:3 · REV 12:4 · REV 15:1 · REV 16:21 · REV 21:1 · REV 21:1
1.11 · Geographical Objects and Features · Regions Above the Earth
heaven the supernatural dwelling place of God and other heavenly beings (οὐρανός[b] also contains a component denoting that which is above or in the sky, but the element of abode is evidently more significant than location above the earth) In a number of languages precisely the same term is used to designate both ‘sky’ and ‘heaven’ (as the abode of God). But in many instances a completely separate term must be employed in speaking of the dwelling place of God, for example, ‘where God lives’ or ‘where God is’ or ‘from where God governs.’ In some languages the term referring to ‘heaven’ is simply ‘the home above,’ and in one instance a designation of heaven refers primarily to a state, for example, ‘the life above.’
The phrase τρίτος οὐρανός ‘the third heaven’ is a fixed phrase referring to the abode of God (ἁρπαγέντα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ ‘(a man) who was caught up as far as the third heaven’ 2CO 12:2), but in a number of languages it is extremely difficult to speak of ‘the third heaven,’ especially if one uses a term for ‘heaven’ which is ‘the abode of God.’ Therefore, in many instances τρίτος οὐρανός is translated as ‘heaven’ or ‘the abode of God,’ and if necessary, a footnote may be added in order to indicate the literal meaning of the Greek expression. If a literal rendering is employed, it is usually equivalent to ‘the third sky’ or ‘above two degrees of sky.’
MAT 3:16 · MAT 3:17 · MAT 5:12 · MAT 5:16 · MAT 5:34 · MAT 5:45 · MAT 6:1 · MAT 6:9 · MAT 6:10 · MAT 6:20 · MAT 7:11 · MAT 7:21 · MAT 10:32 · MAT 10:33 · MAT 12:50 · MAT 14:19 · MAT 18:10 · MAT 18:10 · MAT 18:14 · MAT 18:18 · MAT 18:18 · MAT 18:19 · MAT 19:21 · MAT 22:30 · MAT 24:30 · MAT 24:36 · MAT 28:2 · MAT 28:18 · MRK 1:10 · MRK 1:11 · MRK 6:41 · MRK 8:11 · MRK 10:21 · MRK 11:25 · MRK 11:30 · MRK 11:31 · MRK 12:25 · MRK 13:32 · MRK 16:19 · LUK 2:15 · LUK 3:21 · LUK 3:22 · LUK 6:23 · LUK 9:16 · LUK 10:20 · LUK 11:13 · LUK 11:16 · LUK 12:33 · LUK 15:7 · LUK 18:22 · LUK 19:38 · LUK 20:4 · LUK 20:5 · LUK 22:43 · LUK 24:51 · JHN 1:32 · JHN 1:51 · JHN 3:13 · JHN 3:13 · JHN 3:31 · JHN 6:31 · JHN 6:32 · JHN 6:32 · JHN 6:33 · JHN 6:38 · JHN 6:41 · JHN 6:42 · JHN 6:50 · JHN 6:51 · JHN 6:58 · JHN 12:28 · JHN 17:1 · ACT 1:10 · ACT 1:11 · ACT 1:11 · ACT 1:11 · ACT 2:2 · ACT 2:34 · ACT 3:21 · ACT 7:49 · ACT 7:55 · ACT 7:56 · ACT 9:3 · ACT 10:11 · ACT 10:16 · ACT 11:5 · ACT 11:9 · ACT 11:10 · ACT 14:15 · ACT 22:6 · ROM 1:18 · ROM 10:6 · 1CO 8:5 · 1CO 15:47 · 2CO 5:1 · 2CO 12:2 · GAL 1:8 · EPH 1:10 · EPH 3:15 · EPH 4:10 · EPH 6:9 · PHP 3:20 · COL 1:5 · COL 4:1 · 1TH 1:10 · 1TH 4:16 · 2TH 1:7 · HEB 4:14 · HEB 8:1 · HEB 9:23 · HEB 9:24 · HEB 12:23 · HEB 12:25 · JAS 5:12 · 1PE 1:4 · 1PE 1:12 · 1PE 3:22 · REV 3:12 · REV 4:1 · REV 4:2 · REV 5:3 · REV 8:1 · REV 10:1 · REV 10:4 · REV 10:8 · REV 11:12 · REV 11:12 · REV 11:13 · REV 11:15 · REV 11:19 · REV 12:7 · REV 12:8 · REV 12:10 · REV 12:12 · REV 13:6 · REV 13:13 · REV 14:2 · REV 14:13 · REV 14:17 · REV 15:5 · REV 16:11 · REV 18:1 · REV 18:4 · REV 18:5 · REV 18:20 · REV 19:1 · REV 19:11 · REV 19:14 · REV 20:1 · REV 20:9 · REV 21:2 · REV 21:10
12.16 · Supernatural Beings and Powers · Supernatural Beings
God (a figurative extension of meaning of οὐρανός[b] ‘heaven,’ 1.11) a reference to God based on the Jewish tendency to avoid using a name or direct term for God A translation such as ‘I have sinned against God’ would seem to be so much simpler than ‘I have sinned against heaven,’ but in reality it is not easy to find a satisfactory expression for ‘sinning against God.’ It is, of course, possible to speak of ‘fighting against a person,’ but ‘to sin against a person’ involves a very complex relationship which often needs to be more clearly explained, for example, ‘I have sinned against what God has said’ or ‘I have sinned by doing what displeases God.’ In some languages a strictly literal rendering of ‘I have sinned against God’ might be understood in the sense of committing some kind of sin with God.
MAT 3:2 · MAT 4:17 · MAT 5:3 · MAT 5:10 · MAT 5:19 · MAT 5:19 · MAT 5:20 · MAT 7:21 · MAT 8:11 · MAT 10:7 · MAT 11:11 · MAT 11:12 · MAT 13:11 · MAT 13:24 · MAT 13:31 · MAT 13:33 · MAT 13:44 · MAT 13:45 · MAT 13:47 · MAT 13:52 · MAT 16:1 · MAT 16:17 · MAT 16:19 · MAT 16:19 · MAT 16:19 · MAT 18:1 · MAT 18:3 · MAT 18:4 · MAT 18:23 · MAT 19:12 · MAT 19:14 · MAT 19:23 · MAT 20:1 · MAT 21:25 · MAT 21:25 · MAT 22:2 · MAT 23:13 · MAT 23:22 · MAT 25:1 · LUK 15:18 · LUK 15:21 · JHN 3:27 · 2CO 5:2
1.3 · Geographical Objects and Features · Universe, Creation
Collocation: ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ
heaven and earth, universe a more or less fixed phrase: the heavens and the earth, equivalent to a single lexical item: the totality of God’s creation There may be certain complications involved in rendering ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ as ‘heaven and earth,’ since ‘heaven’ might be interpreted in some languages as referring only to the dwelling place of God himself. The referents in this passage are ‘the sky and the earth,’ in other words, all of physical existence, but not the dwelling place of God, for the latter would not be included in what is destined to pass away.
MAT 5:18 · MAT 11:25 · MAT 24:35 · MRK 13:31 · LUK 10:21 · LUK 16:17 · LUK 21:33 · ACT 4:24 · REV 14:7 · REV 20:11
4.41 · Animals · Birds
Collocation: πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ
birds, wild birds (an idiom, literally: birds of the sky) wild birds in contrast with domesticated birds such as chickens A literal rendering of πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, either as ‘birds of the air’ or ‘birds of the sky,’ may be misleading, since ‘birds of the air’ might imply that these are birds made out of air, and ‘birds of the sky’ might suggest they are birds which remain always in the sky. In some languages the equivalent expression is ‘birds of the trees’ or ‘birds of the winds.’
MAT 6:26 · MAT 8:20 · MAT 13:32 · MRK 4:32 · LUK 8:5 · LUK 9:58 · LUK 13:19 · ACT 10:12 · ACT 11:6
12.45 · Supernatural Beings and Powers · Supernatural Powers
Collocation: στρατιὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ
the stars of heaven (an idiom, literally: army of heaven) the stars of heaven as symbols of various supernatural powers Since ‘the stars of heaven’ serve primarily as symbols of certain heavenly supernatural powers, it may be appropriate in some languages to speak of ‘the spirits of the stars in the sky.’ See also 1.5.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
οὐρανός, -ov, ὁ, [fr.a root meaning ‘ to cover,’ ‘ encompass’; οἵ. Vanicek p. 895; Curtius § 509], heaven; and, in imitation of the Hebr. Οὐ (i.e. prop. the heights above, the upper regions), οὐρανοί, τῶν, οἱ, the heavens [W. § 27, 3; B. 24 (21)], (on the use and the omission of the art. ef. W. 121 (115)), i. 6. 1. the vaulted expanse of the sky with all the things visible in it; a. generally: as opp. to the earth, Heb. i. 10; 2 Pet. iii. 5, 10, 12; 6 ovp. x. ἡ γῆ, [heaven and earth] i. q. the universe, the world, (ace. to the primitive Hebrew manner of speaking, inasmuch as they had neither the conception nor the name of the universe, Gen. i. 1; xiv. 19; Tob. vii. 17 (18); 1 Mace. ii. 37, ete.) : Mt. v.18; xi. 25; xxiv. 35; Mk. xiii. 81; Lk. x. 21; xvi. 17; xxi. 33; Actsiv. 24; xiv. 15; xvii. 24; Rev. x.6; xiv. 7; xx.11. The ancients conceived of the expanded sky as an arch or yault the outmost edge of which touched the extreme limits of the earth [see B. D. s. v. Firmament, ef. Heaven]; hence such expressions as an’ ἄκρων οὐρανῶν ἕως ἄκρων αὐτῶν, Mt. xxiv. 31; ἀπ᾽ ἄκρου γῆς ἕως ἄκρου οὐρανοῦ, Mk. xiii. 27; ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν (Daw NNN, Eccl. i. 13; ii. 3, ete.), under heaven, i. e. on earth, Acts ii. 5; iv.12; Col. i. 23; ἐκ τῆς (se. χώρας, cf. W. 591 (550) ; [B. 82 (71 sq.) ]) ὑπ’ [here L T Tr WH ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρ.] οὐρανὸν εἰς τὴν ὑπ᾽ οὐρανόν, vut of the one part under the heaven unto the other part under heaven i.e. from one quarter of the earth to the other, Lk. xvii. 24; as by this form of expression the greatest longitudinal distance is described, so to one looking up from the earth heaven stands as the extreme measure of altitude; hence, κολλᾶσθαι ἄχρι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, Rey. xviii. 5 [L T Tr WH] (on which see κολλάω) ; ὑψωθῆναι ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, metaph. of a city that has reached the acme, zenith, of glory and prosperity, Mt. xi. 23; Lk. x. 15, (κλέος οὐρανὸν ἵκει, Hom. Il. 8, 192; Od. 19, 108; πρὸς οὐρανὸν βιβάζειν τινά, Soph. O. C. 382 (381); exx. of similar expressions fr. other writ. are given in Kypke, Observy. i. p. 62); καινοὶ οὐρανοί (καὶ γῆ καινή). better heavens which will take the place of the present after the renovation of all things, 2 Pet. iii. 13; Rey. xxi. 1; of viv οὐρανοί, the heavens which now are, and which will one day be burnt up, 2 Pet. iii. 7; also ὁ πρῶτος οὐρανός, Rev. xxi. 1, cf. Heb. xii. 26. But the heavens are also likened in poetic speech to an expanded curtain or canopy (Ps. ciii. (civ.) 2; Is. xl. 22), and to an unrolled scroll ; hence, ἑλίσσειν [Τ᾿ Tr mrg. ἀλλάσσειν] τοὺς ovp. ὡς περιβόλαιον, Heb. i. 12 (fr. Sept. of Ps. ci. (cii.) 26 cod. Alex.) ; καὶ 6 ovp. ἀπεχωρίσθη ὡς βιβλίον ἑλισσόμενον [or εἵἷλισσ.], Rev. vi. 14. b. the aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds and tempests gather, and where thunder and lightning are produced: ὁ ovp. πυρράζει, Mt. xvi. 2 [T br. WH reject the pass.]4
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
οὐρανός ouranos 273x
heaven, the heavens, the visible heavens and all their phenomena, Mt. 5:18; 16:1; 24:29, et al. freq.; the air, atmosphere, in which the clouds and tempests gather, the birds fly, etc., Mt. 6:26; 16:2, 3; heaven as the peculiar seat and abode of God, of angels, of glorified spirits, etc., Mt. 5:34, 45, 48; 6:1, 9, 10; 12:50; Jn. 3:13, 31; 6:32, 38, 41, 42, 50, 51, 58; in NT heaven as a term expressive of the Divine Being, His administration, etc., Mt. 19:14; 21:25; Lk. 20:4, 5; Jn. 3:27
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
οὐρανός, -οῦ, ὁ,
[in LXX chiefly for שָׁמַיִם (hence, often pl., οἱ οὐ., v. infr.);]
heaven; of the vault or firmament of heaven, the sky and the aerial regions above the earth: opp. to ἡ γῆ, He 1:10, II Pe 3:5, 10; ὁ οὐ. καὶ ἡ γῆ, i.e. the world, the universe, Mt 5:18, Mk 13:31, Lk 10:21, Ac 4:24, Re 10:6, al.; ἀπ’ ἄκρων οὐ. ἕως ἄ. αὐτῶν (on the absence of art. aft. prep., v. Bl., § 46, 5), Mt 24:31; ὑπὸ τὸν οὐ., Ac 2:5, Col 1:23; ὑψωθῆναι ἕως τοῦ οὐ., fig., Mt 11:23, Lk 10:15; σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐ., Mt 16:1, Mk 8:11, al.; αἱ νεφέλαι, Mt 24:30, al.; τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐ., Mt 6:26, Mk 4:32, al.; οἱ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐ., Re 6:13, al.; pl. (οἱ) οὐ. (Bl., § 32, 5), Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10, Jo 1:32, II Pe 3:7, 13 al.
Of the abode of God and other blessed beings: of angels, Mt 24:36, Mk 12:25, Ga 1:8, Re 10:1, al.; of Christ glorified, Mk 16:[19], Lk 24:51, Ac 3:21, Ro 10:6, al.; of God, Mt 5:34, Ro 1:18, al.; ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐ. (Dalman, Words, 184 ff.), Mt 5:16 6:1, al.; θησαυρὸς ἐν οὐ., Mt 6:20, Mk 10:21, al.
By meton., of the inhabitants of heaven: Re 18:20 (cf. Re 12:12, Jb 15:15, Is 44:23);
as an evasive reference to God, characteristic of later Judaism (Dalman, Words, 204 ff.): Mt 21:25, Mk 11:30, Lk 15:18, Jo 3:27, al.; ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐ. (= τοῦ Θεοῦ; v.s. βασιλεία).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
οὐρανός. For οὐρανός in the wide sense of ‘‘sky,’’ ‘‘heaven,” as opposed to γῆ, “earth,” cf. P Leid G1 (p.c. 181-145) (=I. p. 42), a prayer to the gods that they would grant to Ptolemy Philometor and Berenice—kvprelay τῶν [ὑ]πὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν χώρωϊν, ‘‘dominationem terrestrium regionum ” (Ed.), and the magic P Lond 1217 (iii/a.p.) (=I. p. 93) πρὶν γενέσθε (/. γενέσθαι) οὐρανὸν ἢ γῆν ἢ θάλασσαν κτλ. The thought of a series of heavens, as in 2 Cor 12%, may be illustrated from PSI I. 29? (iv/a.p. ἢ) ἐπικαλοῦμέί( = al) σε τὸν καθήμενον ἐν TO πρώτῳ οὐρανῷ .. . ἐν τῷ β οὐρανῷ ... ἐν τῷ Ὑ οὐρανῷ κτλ. Ρ Heid 65 (iv/a.p.) (= Se/ections, p. 126) πιστεύομεν γὰρ τὴν πολιτίαϊν σῆου ἐνν οὐρανῷ is evidently a reminiscence of Phil 4293. On the use of the plur. οὐρανοί in the NT, see Blass Gr. p. 83, and the statistics in Hawkins Hor. Syx.* p. 52f. A new subst. οὐρανουσία occurs in P Lond 1218 (iii/a.p.) (= 1. p- 110).
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
οὐρανός (ouranos) — heaven. οὐρᾰνός, ὁ, Doric dialect and Boeotian dialect ὠρανός [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect ὄρανος (ὀράνω [Refs 7th c.BC+]
I. heaven: in [Refs 8th c.BC+]
I.1. vault or firmament of heaven, sky, γαῖα.. ἐγείνατο ἶσον ἑαυτῇ οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα, ἵνα μιν περὶ πάντα καλύπτοι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; wrapped in clouds, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; above the aether, [Refs 8th c.BC+] continued to regard it as solid (στερέμνιον), [Refs]; defined as αἰθέρος τὸ ἔσχατον by [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἠέλιος δὲ οὐρανοῦ ἐξαπόλωλε, of an eclipse, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
I.2. heaven, as the seat of the gods, outside or above this skyey vault, the portion of Zeus (see. Ὄλυμπος),[Refs 8th c.BC+]; πύλαι οὐρανοῦ [Refs]; so, later, οἱ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ the gods of heaven, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; οἱ ἐν οὐρανῷ θεοί (viz. Sun, etc.) [Refs 8th c.BC+]; νὴ τὸν οὐ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.3. in common language, sky, οὐδέ τις ἄλλη φαίνετο γαιάων, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ. ἠδὲ θάλασσα [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κλέος οὐρανὸν ἵκει, κλέος οὐ. εὐρὺν ἱκάνει, renown reaches to heaven,[Refs 8th c.BC+]; so ὀρυμαγδός, κνίση, σκόπελος οὐρανὸν ἷκεν or ἱκάνει, [Refs 8th c.BC+] deeds of violence 'cry to heaven', [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρὸς οὐρανὸν βιβάζειν τι to exalt to heaven, [Refs]; πρὸς τὸν οὐ. ἥλλοντο leaped up on high, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.4. in Philos., the heavens, universe, [Refs 5th c.BC+] the heavens, [LXX]
I.5. a region of heaven, climate, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.6. [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II. anything shaped like the vault of heaven, as,
II.1. vaulted roof or ceiling, [Refs 5th c.AD+]
II.2. roof of the mouth, palate, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.3. lid, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.4. tent, pavilion, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
III. proper name, “Uranos”, son of Erebos and Gaia, [Refs 8th c.BC+].; but husband of Gaia, parent of Cronos and the Titans (compare Οὐρανίδης),[Refs 5th c.BC+]