δρόμος

From the study of 2 Timothy 4:7

Range of meaning

A running or race; the racecourse or track; by extension the course of a life, a career or a mission.

Against the English

"Race" (BSB, NIV) can suggest competing to beat others. "Course" (KJV, WEB, NASB) better captures the set track a runner must complete. Both are defensible, and "course" fits the verb "finished" well.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Acts it is used of John the Baptist finishing his course (13:25). Paul tells the Ephesian elders, "if only I may finish my course" (20:24). The 2 Timothy line reads like the fulfilment of that earlier hope. Footrace imagery also appears in 1 Cor 9:24–27 and Phil 3:12–14.

From the study of Acts 20:24

Range of meaning

A running or race; the racecourse or track itself; by extension a course of life or activity with a set end. From the root of 'to run' (compare 'hippodrome').

Against the English

KJV, ESV and NASB say 'course', which today suggests a direction or route ('course of action', 'change course'), or even a class. WEB and NIV ('race') keep the athletic picture.

How it drifted

'Course' was a natural word for a racetrack in older English ('racecourse'), but on its own today it has lost the running image.

Used elsewhere in the period

Standard Greek for a race or racetrack. In the New Testament only in Paul's mouth or about him: Acts 13:25 (John the Baptist 'finishing his course'), here, and 2 Timothy 4:7 ('I have finished the race', τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα). Jewish writers of the period also used the games for faithful endurance: 4 Maccabees 17:11–16 pictures the martyrs as athletes in a contest. Paul's letters use the same imagery (1 Cor 9:24–27; Gal 2:2; Phil 3:12–14).

From the study of Acts 13:25

Range of meaning

A running, a race; the track or course where a race is run; by extension the course of a life or a mission someone is assigned to complete.

Against the English

KJV, ESV, NASB and BSB keep 'course', which works if the reader hears 'racecourse'. NIV ('his work') and NLT ('his ministry') explain the meaning but lose the picture of a runner with a set distance.

How it drifted

In modern English 'course' usually suggests a course of study, a ship's course or 'the course of events'. The athletic picture is mostly gone.

Used elsewhere in the period

In classical and Hellenistic Greek it is used for footraces and for the stadium track. In the Septuagint, Jeremiah 8:6 and 23:10 use it for a people's headlong 'running'. In the New Testament it appears only three times, all in Lukan or Pauline settings: here, Acts 20:24 (Paul: 'if only I may finish my course') and 2 Timothy 4:7 ('I have finished the race'). Paul also uses race imagery with other words (1 Cor 9:24–26; Phil 3:12–14).