Greek word · G1695
Ἐμμαούς
emmaous
Emmaus
A place name. The usual explanation links it to Hebrew/Aramaic ḥammat / ḥammata, 'hot (warm) springs', a name that could fit more than one location. Other Greek spellings include Ἀμμαοῦς (Josephus, 1 Maccabees).
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
A place name. The usual explanation links it to Hebrew/Aramaic ḥammat / ḥammata, 'hot (warm) springs', a name that could fit more than one location. Other Greek spellings include Ἀμμαοῦς (Josephus, 1 Maccabees).
- Against the English
All versions transliterate it as 'Emmaus'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
1 Maccabees 3:40, 57; 4:3 (Judas Maccabeus defeats the Seleucid general Gorgias near Emmaus, about 165 BC): this is Emmaus in the Shephelah foothills, modern Amwas, later Nicopolis. Josephus, Jewish War 7.217: after AD 70 Vespasian settles 800 veterans at a place 'called Ammaous', 30 stadia from Jerusalem, usually identified with Motza/Qalunya ('Colonia'). Eusebius' Onomasticon (4th century) identifies Luke's Emmaus with Nicopolis. Rabbinic texts also mention an Emmaus.
Where it appears
Luke · 1
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Luke 24:13 Ἐμμαοῦς. Emmaus.
That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
Here: A place name that probably comes from Hebrew/Aramaic ḥammat, 'warm spring(s)'. Several sites have been proposed, and none is certain.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.