Greek word · G1671

Ἑλλάς

hellas

Greece

"Hellas", the Greeks' own name for their homeland. In the Roman period it was used mainly for Greece proper, the southern mainland and the Peloponnese, as distinct from Macedonia to the north. It roughly matches the Roman province of Achaia, organized separately from Macedonia in 27 BC.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. · Updated November 07, 2026

What it means

Ἑλλάς, -άδος, ἡ

[in LXX: Isaiah 66:19, Ezekiel 27:13 (יָוָן), 1Ma.1:1 1Mac 8:9 * ;]

with varying usage as to geographical limits; in NT = 'Αχαία (cf. Acts 18:12),

Greece: Acts 20:2.†

(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 Acts 20:2

Range of meaning: "Hellas", the Greeks' own name for their homeland. In the Roman period it was used mainly for Greece proper, the southern mainland and the Peloponnese, as distinct from Macedonia to the north. It roughly matches the Roman province of Achaia, organized separately from Macedonia in 27 BC.
Against the English: Every English version says "Greece". That is correct, but a modern reader pictures the modern country, which includes Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. Luke separates Macedonia (v. 1, v. 3) from Hellas (v. 2), so he is describing a move from one region to another.
How it drifted: Modern Greece took in Macedonian territory in 1912–13. As a result the modern name covers more ground than Luke's "Hellas".
Used elsewhere in the period: This is its only New Testament occurrence. Elsewhere Luke uses the Roman provincial name Achaia (Acts 18:12, 18:27, 19:21). The Septuagint uses Hellas for the far-off Greek world (e.g. Isa 66:19), and 1 Maccabees 8:9 uses it for Greece proper. It was standard in Greek writers of the period.

Where it appears

Acts · 1

Acts 20:2 Ἑλλάδα· Greece;

After traveling through that area and speaking many words of encouragement, he arrived in Greece,

Here: "Greece" in the old, native sense of Greece proper, south of Macedonia. Roman administrators called it the province of Achaia. Corinth was its capital, and in practice Paul's destination. This is the only place in the New Testament where the word appears.

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