Greek word · G1424

δυσμή

dysmē

west

Almost always plural. Literally 'the settings' or 'sinkings' (of the sun), from δύω, 'to sink'. Hence 'the west'. Its natural opposite is ἀνατολή (anatolē), 'the rising', which means 'the east'.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

δυσμή, -ῆς, ἡ

(= δύσις, δύνω), [in LXX for בּוֹא, עֲרָבָה, etc. ;]

mostly in pl., opposite to ἀνατολαί;

1. a setting, as of the sun (accusative to Thayer, see word, so perhaps in Luke 12:54).

2. the quarter of sunset, the west: anarth., Matthew 8:11 24:27, Luke 12:54 13:29, Revelation 21:13.†

(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 Luke 12:54

Range of meaning

Almost always plural. Literally 'the settings' or 'sinkings' (of the sun), from δύω, 'to sink'. Hence 'the west'. Its natural opposite is ἀνατολή (anatolē), 'the rising', which means 'the east'.

Against the English

English 'west' is accurate. What it loses is the picture inside the Greek: the place where the sun goes down.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in classical Greek and in the Septuagint, where it often translates Hebrew words for the west. Hebrew itself frequently just calls the west 'the sea' (yam), because for Israel the Mediterranean lay due west. Elsewhere in the NT: Matt 8:11 and Luke 13:29 ('from east and west').

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 8:11 δυσμῶν west

    I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

    Here: Also plural: "the settings", where the sun goes down. "Risings and settings" is a Hebrew-style way of saying "from everywhere" (compare Ps 107:3; Mal 1:11).

  2. Matthew 24:27 δυσμῶν, west,

    For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

    Here: Literally "settings": where the sun goes down. Paired with "risings," it means the whole sky, from one edge of the world to the other.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 12:54 δυσμῶν, [the] west,

    Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens.

    Here: Literally 'the sinkings' or 'settings' of the sun, which is how Greek says 'the west'. For anyone in Galilee or Judea, the west meant the Mediterranean Sea.

  2. Luke 13:29 δυσμῶν west

    People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

    Here: Literally 'settings', the places where the sun goes down. 'From risings and settings' is an old way of saying 'from one end of the world to the other.'

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 21:13 δυσμῶν [the] west

    There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.

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