ὁδός
hodós · G3598 · Greek · 101 occurrences
Thing
Meanings
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road, highway, street, way
A general term for a thoroughfare, either within a population center or between two such centers
ExamplesMatthew 2:12 And after being warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Matthew 3:3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’”
Matthew 4:15 THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—
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to travel, to be on a journey, journey
To be in the process of travelling, presumably for some distance
ExamplesMatthew 5:25 Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison.
Matthew 10:10 or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is deserving of his support.
Matthew 15:32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”
-
way of life, way to live
(A figurative extension of meaning of ὁδός ‘road,’) A customary manner of life or behavior, with probably some implication of goal or purpose
ExamplesMatthew 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him.
Matthew 22:16 And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone.
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Way, Christian way of life
(A figurative extension of meaning of ὁδός ‘road, way,’) Behavior in accordance with Christian principles and practices
ExamplesJohn 1:23 He said, “I am THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE THE WAY OF THE LORD STRAIGHT,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Acts 9:2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem.
Acts 18:25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John;
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right way, correct manner of life, just way of life
(An idiom, literally: a straight road) The right or correct pattern of behavior
ExamplesActs 13:10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
2 Peter 2:15 abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of unrighteousness;
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to make ready for, to prepare for, to prepare the way for
(An idiom, literally: to prepare the road) To cause circumstances to be ready or propitious for some event
ExamplesMatthew 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’
Luke 7:27 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’
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half a mile, one kilometer, Sabbath journey
(An idiom, literally: a Sabbath’s road) A Sabbath day’s journey, somewhat over half a mile and about one kilometer
ExamplesActs 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
39 occurrences in 18 groups
- αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 7
- κύριοςLord 6
- θεόςGod 4
- σύyou 4
- ἐγώI, we 3
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
8 occurrences in 8 groups
- ἐκεῖνοςthat, that one, there 2
- ἕτεροςother, another, different 1
- εὐθύςimmediately, straight 1
- ζάωto be alive, to live, to come back to life 1
- ἄλλοςother, another 1
- λεῖοςsmooth 1
Named alongside itApposition
8 occurrences in 7 groups
- ἀπάγωto lead off 2
- ἔρχομαιto come 1
- εὐθύςimmediately, straight 1
- καταβαίνωto come down, to go down 1
- λέγωto say 1
- σπείρωto sow 1
What it doesIt is the subject
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- ἑτοιμάζωto prepare, to make ready 1
- φανερόωto reveal, to make known, to appear 1
- βλασφημέωto blaspheme, to revile 1
What is done to itIt is the object
32 occurrences in 22 groups
- ἑτοιμάζωto prepare, to make ready 4
- διδάσκωto teach, teaching 3
- εἴδωto know 3
- κατασκευάζωto prepare 3
- Other words · 18 groups that occur once or twice (19) 19
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ἀναμιμνήσκωto remind 1
What it is said to bePredicate
6 occurrences in 7 groups
- δίκαιοςrighteous 1
- ἀκούωto hear 1
- εὐρύχωροςspacious 1
- ἀληθινόςtrue, genuine 1
- θλίβωto be afflicted, to afflict 1
- οὗτοςthis 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
2 occurrences in 3 groups
- ἐγώI, we 1
- σύντριμμαruin 1
- ταλαιπωρίαhardship 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
53 occurrences in 8 groups
- ἐνin 39
- εἰςto 18
- παράfrom, with, beside 17
- κατάaccording to, against, down 10
- διάthrough 4
- ἐπίon 3
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- διέξοδοςan outlet through 1
- πλάνηerror, deception 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 3 words
- דֶּרֶךְ derek · H1870 · road, way, path
- Hebrew דֶּרֶךְ serves as the direct source and primary translation equivalent for Greek ὁδός in Septuagint renderings, sharing the full semantic range from a literal roadway to a figurative 'way' or manner of life, reflecting genuine translation equivalence across both concrete and metaphorical uses.
- מְסִלָּה mᵉçillâh · H4546 · highway, way (of life)
- מְסִלָּה (mᵉçillâh, H4546) emphasizes a constructed or raised roadway (causeway, highway) with connotations of permanence and infrastructure, while ὁδός (hodós, G3598) is the general term for any road or way, literal or figurative, without necessarily implying construction quality or elevation.
- אֹרַח ʼôrach · H734 · path, road, course
- Hebrew אֹרַח and Greek ὁδός both denote a physical path or road and extend to figurative journey/way-of-life meanings; the Hebrew term carries additional nuances of caravan/traveler usage, while the Greek more strongly emphasizes methodological mode/means, but core path semantics align directly across both languages.
Semantic domains 8 entries
- Road, highway, street, way1.99
- Citing Isaiah, Matthew 3:3 states “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT,” where “WAY” renders this noun in its concrete sense of a physical road or path.
- To travel, to be on a journey, journey15.19
- Instructing the Twelve, Mark 6:8 states He commanded them to take nothing “for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt,” where “journey” renders this same noun, here naming the act of traveling rather than the physical road.
- To beg33.173
- Warning of Israel's condition, Romans 3:16 cites “DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,” where a related idiom built on this noun describes a life of ruin, its association with begging and want drawn from the same picture of a road leading only to destitution.
- Way of life, way to live41.16
- Describing the early church, Acts 9:2 states Saul sought those “belonging to the Way,” where “the Way” renders this same noun used as a name for the whole manner of life the early believers followed.
- Way, Christian way of life41.35
- Recommending charity, 1 Corinthians 12:31 states “But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And yet, I am going to show you a far better way,” where “a far better way” renders this same noun, here of a manner of conduct — love — set above all others.
- To make ready for, to prepare for, to prepare the way for77.7
- Citing Isaiah concerning John the Baptist, Matthew 11:10 states “BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU,” where “YOUR WAY” renders this noun as the object of preparation, the road made ready ahead of the one who is coming.
- Half a mile, one kilometer, Sabbath journey81.28
- Describing the distance from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, Acts 1:12 states it was “a Sabbath day’s journey away,” where “journey” renders this noun as part of the fixed idiom for the specific short distance permitted to be traveled on the Sabbath.
- Right way, correct manner of life, just way of life88.18
- Describing false teachers, 2 Peter 2:15 states “abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam,” where “the right way” renders this same noun, here of the morally correct path of conduct that was forsaken.
Word family 18 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Also from the root ὁδός
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon ὁδοῦ, ἡ (apparently from the root, ἘΔ, to go (Latinadire, accedere), allied with…
1. properly,
a. a travelled way, road: Mt 2:12; Mt 7:13; Mt 13:4, Mt 13:19; Mk 4:4, Mk 4:15; Mk 10:46; Lk 8:5, Lk 8:12; Lk 10:31; Lk 18:35; Lk 19:36; Acts 8:26; Acts 9:17; Jas 2:25, etc.; κατά τήν ὁδόν (as ye pass along the way (see κατά, II. 1 a.)) by the way, on the way, Lk 10:4; Acts 8:36; Acts 25:3; Acts 26:13; σαββάτου ὁδός (A. V. a sabbath-day's journey) the distance that one is allowed to travel on the sabbath, Acts 1:12 (see σάββατον, 1 a.). ἡ ὁδός with a genitive of the object, the way leading to a place (the Hebrew דֶּרֶך also is construed with a genitive, cf. Geseuius, Lehrgeb., p. 676 (Gr. § 112, 2; cf. Winer's Grammar, § 30, 2)): ἐθνῶν, Mt 10:5; τῶν ἁγίων into the holy place, Heb 9:8, cf. 10:20, where the grace of God is symbolized by a way, cf. ζάω, II.
b. (τοῦ ξύλου, Gcn. 3:24; Αἰγύπτου... Ἀσσυρίων, Jer 2:18; γῆς Φιλιστιειμ, Ex 13:17; τοῦ Σινᾶ, Judith 5:14; Latinvia mortis, Tibull. 1, 10, 4; cf. Kühner, ii., p. 286, 4). in imitation of the Hebrew דֶּרֶך, the accusative of which takes on almost the nature of a preposition, in the way to, toward (cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus, i., p. 352{a}), we find ὁδόν θαλάσσης in Mt 4:15 from Isaiah 8:23 (Isa 9:1) (so ὁδόν (τῆς θαλάσσης, 1 Kgs 18:43); γῆς αὐτῶν, 1 Kgs 8:48; 2 Chr 6:38; ὁδόν δυσμῶν ἡλίου, Deut 11:30; moreover, once with the accusative, ὁδόν θάλασσαν ἐρυθράν, Num 14:25; (Deut 2:1); cf. Thiersch, De Alex. Pentateuchi versione, p. 145f; (Buttmann, § 131, 12)), with a genitive of the subject, the way in which one walks: ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, Rom 3:16; ἑτοιμάζειν τήν ὁδόν τῶν βασιλέων, Rev 16:12; in metaphorical phrases, κατευθένειν τήν ὁδόν τίνος, to remove the hindrances to the journey, 1 Thess 3:11; ἑτοιμάζειν (and ἐυθύνειν, Jn 1:23; κατασκευάζειν, Mt 11:10; Mk 1:2; Lk 7:27) τήν ὁδόν τοῦ κυρίου, see ἑτοιμάζω.
b. a traveller's way, journey, travelling: ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, on the journey, on the road, Mt 5:25; Mt 15:32; Mt 20:17; Mk 8:27; Mk 9:33; Mk 10:32, Mk 10:52; Lk 12:58; Lk 24:32, Lk 24:35; Acts 9:27; ἐξ ὁδοῦ, from a journey, Lk 11:6; αἴρειν or κτᾶσθαι τί εἰς ὁδόν, Mt 10:10; Mk 6:8, and εἰς τήν ὁδόν, Lk 9:3; πορεύομαι τήν ὁδόν, to make a journey (Xenophon, Cyril 5, 2, 22), with αὐτοῦ added (A. V. to go on one's way), to continue the journey undertaken, Acts 8:39; ὁδός ἡμέρας, a journey requiring a (single) day for its completion, used also, like our a day's journey, as a measure of distance, Lk 2:41 (Gen 30:36; Gen 31:23; Ex 3:18; Judith 2:21; 1 Macc. 5:24 1 Macc. 7:45; ἀοπέχειν παμπολλων ἡμερῶν ὁδόν, Xenophon, Cyril 1, 1, 3, cf. Herodotus 4, 101 (Winer's Grammar, 188 (177))); on the phrase ὁδόν ποιεῖν, Mk 2:23 see ποιέω, I. 1 a. and c.
2. Metaphorically,
a. according to the familiar figure of speech, especially frequent in Hebrew (cf. Winers Grammar, 32) and not unknown to the Greeks, by which an action is spoken of as a proceeding (cf. the German Wandel), ὁδός denotes a course of conduct, a way (i. e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding: a person is said ὁδόν δεικνύναι τίνι, who shows him how to obtain a thing, what helps he must use, 1 Cor 12:31; with a genitive of the object, i. e. of the thing to be obtained, εἰρήνης, Rom 3:17; ζωῆς, Acts 2:28; σωτηρίας, Acts 16:17; with a genitive of the subjunctive, τῆς δικαιοσύνης, the way which ἡ δικαιοσύνη points out and which is accustomed to characterize ἡ δικαιοσύνη, so in Mt 21:32 (on which see δικαιοσύνη, 1 b., p. 149{a} bottom); used of the Christian religion, 2 Pet 2:21; likewise τῆς ἀληθείας, 2 Pet 2:2; with the genitive of the person deciding and acting, Jas 5:20; τοῦ Κάϊν, Jude 1:11; τοῦ Βαλαάμ, 2 Pet 2:15; ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ, in all his purposes and actions, Jas 1:8; τάς ὁδούς μου ἐν Χριστῷ, the methods which I as Christ's minister and apostle follow in the discharge of my office, 1 Cor 4:17; those are said πορεύεσθαι ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν (to walk in their own ways) who take the course which pleases them, even though it be a perverse one, Acts 14:16 (on the dative see πορεύω, under the end); αἱ ὁδοί τοῦ Θεοῦ or κυρίου, the purposes and ordinances of God, his ways of dealing with men, Acts 13:10; Rom 11:33; Rev 15:3 (Hos 14:9; Ps 94:10; Ps 144:17> (); Sir. 39:24; Tobit 3:2, etc.). ἡ ὁδός τοῦ Θεοῦ, the course of thought, feeling, action, prescribed and approved by God: Mt 22:16; Mk 12:14; Lk 20:21; used of the Christian religion, Acts 18:26; also ἡ ὁδός τοῦ κυρίου, Acts 18:25; ὁδός used generally of a method of knowing and worshipping God, Acts 22:4; Acts 24:14; ἡ ὁδός simply, of the Christian religion (cf. Buttmann, 163 (142)), Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23; Acts 24:22.
b. in the saying of Christ, ἐγώ εἰμί ἡ ὁδός I am the way by which one passes, i. e. with whom all who seek approach to God must enter into closest fellowship, Jn 14:6. (On the omission of ὁδός in certain formulas and phrases (Lk 5:19; Lk 19:4), see Winers Grammar, 590f (549f); Buttmann, § 123, 8; Bos, Ellipses etc. (edited by Schaefer), p. 331f.)
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 7 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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