Greek word · G1131

γυμνός

gymnos

naked

Naked, or lightly clad (stripped to an undergarment); uncovered, bare. Figuratively: without defense or cover, exposed. In the biblical world nakedness often carries shame and vulnerability: Gen 3:10, 'I was afraid because I was naked'; Rev 3:17–18; 2 Cor 5:3.

Appears 15 times in 15 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

γυμνός, -ή, -όν,

[in LXX chiefly for עָרוֹם ;]

naked, without clothing, and sometimes (as frequently in cl.) scantily or poorly clad (Isaiah 20:2ff., Tobit 1:16, 2Ma.11:12): Matthew 25:36, 38 43, 44, Mark 14:52, John 21:7, Acts 19:16, James 2:15, Revelation 3:17 16:15, 17:16; as subst., to γ., the naked body, Mark 14:51. Metaphorical, of things exposed, Hebrews 4:13; of the soul without a body (Plat., Crat., with, 20, and cf. Deiss., LAE, 293), 2 Corinthians 5:3; of seed, bare, 1 Corinthians 15:37 (Cremer, 168).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 4:13

Range of meaning

Naked, or lightly clad (stripped to an undergarment); uncovered, bare. Figuratively: without defense or cover, exposed. In the biblical world nakedness often carries shame and vulnerability: Gen 3:10, 'I was afraid because I was naked'; Rev 3:17–18; 2 Cor 5:3.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, ESV and NLT keep 'naked'. BSB and NIV have 'uncovered', which is accurate but flatter and loses the shame and vulnerability.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) and the New Testament. Job 26:6 LXX: 'Hades is naked before him (gymnos ho hadēs enōpion autou), and destruction has no covering'. This is a close parallel in thought and wording. The gymnasium (from gymnos) was where athletes trained naked, which may link with the wrestling sense of trachēlizō.

From the study of James 2:15

Range of meaning

(1) Fully unclothed. (2) Lightly clothed: wearing only the inner tunic (chitōn) without the outer cloak (himation). (3) Poorly or inadequately dressed, ragged. (4) Figuratively, bare or exposed (Heb 4:13; 2 Cor 5:3).

Against the English

The KJV's 'naked' and the BSB/NIV's 'without clothes' suggest total nudity to a modern reader. The ESV's 'poorly clothed' better captures the usual sense in a case like this one.

How it drifted

In older English, 'naked' could also mean 'insufficiently clothed', so the KJV was not wrong for its day. Modern English has narrowed the word to mean only 'with no clothes on'.

Used elsewhere in the period

BDAG lists 'without an outer garment, in an undergarment only' and 'poorly dressed' alongside 'naked'. When Peter is gymnos while fishing (John 21:7), he is stripped down for work, not nude. In the Greek Old Testament, Isaiah 58:7 ('when you see the gymnos, cover him'), Job 22:6 and Ezekiel 18:7, 16 use the word for the destitute who lack proper covering. Tobit 1:17 and 4:16 list clothing the gymnos alongside feeding the hungry. Jesus' 'I was naked and you clothed me' (Matt 25:36) belongs to the same tradition.

From the study of Revelation 3:17

Range of meaning

Naked, or lightly or inadequately clothed (for example, wearing only an undergarment). In biblical idiom it is closely tied to shame, exposure, poverty, captivity and judgment.

Against the English

'Naked' is accurate, but modern readers may hear only physical or sexual exposure. For an ancient audience the main note was public disgrace and loss of status.

Used elsewhere in the period

Captives led away naked in shame (Isaiah 20:4). Unfaithful Israel stripped and exposed (Ezekiel 16:37–39; Hosea 2:3). The destitute who need clothing (Matthew 25:36). Revelation 16:15 says 'Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, so that he will not walk about naked and be seen exposed.' White garments throughout Revelation stand for faithful, pure standing before God (3:4–5; 7:9, 14; 19:8).

Where it appears

Matthew · 4

  1. Matthew 25:36 γυμνὸς naked

    I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

    Here: Not necessarily fully nude: it covers anyone without proper clothing, especially someone missing the outer cloak that kept a person warm and decent. It stands first with no verb, carrying over 'I was' from verse 35, so the line opens abruptly on the bare condition.

  2. Matthew 25:38 γυμνὸν naked

    When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

    Here: Without enough clothing. It can mean fully naked, but it often means someone with only an undergarment and no cloak, or dressed in rags. Here it describes a person too poor to cover and protect himself properly.

  3. Matthew 25:43 γυμνὸς naked

    I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’

  4. Matthew 25:44 γυμνὸν naked

    And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

    Here: It covers being fully naked and also being badly or barely clothed, for example without an outer cloak. The point is visible destitution and shame.

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 14:51 γυμνοῦ, [his] naked [body],

    One young man who had been following Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold of him,

  2. Mark 14:52 γυμνὸς naked

    but he pulled free of the linen cloth and ran away naked.

John · 1

  1. John 21:7 γυμνός, naked

    Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea.

    Here: The Greek can mean fully nude or stripped down to underclothing. Either fits a man working a net at night, and the text does not settle which.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 19:16 γυμνοὺς naked

    Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:37 γυμνὸν a bare

    And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else.

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 5:3 γυμνοὶ naked

    because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

    Here: Put first in its clause for emphasis. Paul keeps the clothing picture going, so 'naked' most likely means a person existing without any body. Being unclothed also carried a strong sense of shame for ancient readers.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 4:13 γυμνὰ [are] uncovered

    Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

    Here: 'Naked': with no clothing, cover or disguise. Applied to 'all things', it is a vivid picture of total exposure, and in that culture also of vulnerability and shame.

James · 1

  1. James 2:15 γυμνοὶ without clothes

    Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

    Here: Not necessarily fully nude. The word often meant having no outer cloak, or being badly underdressed: wearing only a thin tunic, exposed to the cold. Verse 16's 'keep warm' shows that the problem is exposure.

Revelation · 3

  1. Revelation 3:17 γυμνός, naked,

    You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

    Here: Without clothing, or without proper clothing. In this culture that meant public shame. It is answered in v.18 by 'white garments… so that your shameful nakedness is not exposed'.

  2. Revelation 16:15 γυμνὸς naked

    “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

    Here: Stripped of clothing. It can mean fully naked or without the outer garment, but here the following word shows real exposure.

  3. Revelation 17:16 γυμνὴν naked

    And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

    Here: She is stripped of the purple, scarlet, gold and pearls of 17:4. This echoes the public stripping of an unfaithful wife in Ezekiel 16:37–39 and Hosea 2:3, 10: total shame and the loss of all her wealth.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.