Greek word · G2859

κόλπος

kolpos

bosom

The front of the body between the arms: chest or lap. Also the fold of a garment above the belt used as a pocket, and a bay or gulf of the sea. As an image: closest intimacy, protective care, a place of honour.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

κόλπος, -ου, ὁ

[in LXX chiefly for חֵיק ;]

1. prop., the bosom: John 13:23; fig., of close association, ἐν (εἰς τὸν) τοῖς κ. Ἀβραάμ, Luke 16:22-23 (cf. 4Ma.13:16); ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κ. τ. πατρός, John 1:18

2. The bosom or fold of a loose garment falling over a girdle, used as a pocket, hence figuratively, εἰς τὸν κ. Isaiah 65:6, Jeremiah 32:18 : Luke 6:38

3. A bosom-like hollow, as a bay or gulf: Acts 27:39.†

(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 John 1:18

Range of meaning: The front of the body between the arms: chest or lap. Also the fold of a garment above the belt used as a pocket, and a bay or gulf of the sea. As an image: closest intimacy, protective care, a place of honour.
Against the English: KJV, WEB and NASB keep "bosom" (YLT: "on the bosom"). BSB and ESV have "at the Father's side", NIV "in closest relationship with the Father", NLT and NRSV "near/close to the Father's heart". The modern versions give the meaning but lose the physical picture, which John uses again later.
How it drifted: In current English "bosom" mostly means a woman's breasts or survives in set phrases ("bosom buddy"). Both obscure the plain physical picture of being held close or leaning back against someone at table.
Used elsewhere in the period: Numbers 11:12, Moses asks whether he must carry Israel "in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child." Ruth 4:16, Naomi lays the child in her bosom. Luke 16:22–23, Lazarus "in Abraham's bosom", the place of honour at the banquet of the righteous. John 13:23, the disciple Jesus loved reclines "in the bosom of Jesus" at the Last Supper (en tō kolpō), which mirrors this verse.

From the study of John 13:23

Range of meaning: Bosom, chest, lap. Also the fold formed by a loose garment over the chest, used as a pocket, and in other contexts a bay or gulf. Figuratively it is the place where someone is held close, cared for and kept safe: a child at its nurse's breast, a wife 'of one's bosom', a guest beside the host.
Against the English: KJV/YLT 'bosom' keeps the word but to modern ears sounds archaic or specifically female. BSB/ESV/NIV 'at his side' or 'next to him' give the seating correctly but lose the word's warmth and its link to John 1:18. WEB 'chest' is accurate anatomy, but with 'leaning against' it overstates the contact.
How it drifted: In English, 'bosom' narrowed over time to mean mainly a woman's breasts and became old-fashioned, so it now sounds either odd or more intimate than it did. The Greek word applies to men and women alike and is ordinary.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Greek Old Testament (LXX) it stands for Hebrew ḥêq: the poor man's ewe lamb 'lay in his bosom' (2 Sam 12:3); Moses complains, 'Did I conceive this people... that you should say, Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child?' (Num 11:12); 'the wife of your bosom' (Deut 13:6); Naomi lays Ruth's child 'in her bosom' (Ruth 4:16). In the New Testament, Lazarus is carried to 'Abraham's bosom' (Luke 16:22–23), which pictures him beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. Most important for this verse: John 1:18, 'the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.'

From the study of Luke 16:23

Range of meaning: Bosom, chest, lap. The fold of a garment over the chest, used like a pocket (Luke 6:38, 'into your lap'). A bay or gulf. In idioms, being 'in someone's bosom' means intimate closeness: a child held by a parent, a wife (Deut 13:6, 'the wife of your bosom'), or the guest reclining next to the host at a meal.
Against the English: KJV, YLT 'in his bosom'; WEB 'at his bosom'. BSB, NIV, ESV and NLT say 'by/at his side', which is clear but flattens the image. 'Side' could mean a seat nearby. 'Bosom' means being held, or lying against someone's chest at table.
How it drifted: 'Bosom' sounds old-fashioned and slightly odd in modern English, so translators swap in 'side'. That avoids confusion but loses the picture of a banquet and a family embrace.
Used elsewhere in the period: John 13:23: the beloved disciple reclines 'in the bosom of Jesus' at the Last Supper. John 1:18: the Son is 'in the bosom of the Father'. 4 Maccabees 13:17: the martyrs expect that 'Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will receive us'. A later rabbinic text (b. Qiddushin 72b) says of a man who has died that 'today he sits in the lap of Abraham'. Jesus himself speaks of the faithful reclining at the banquet with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom (Luke 13:28–29; Matt 8:11).

Where it appears

Luke · 3

Luke 6:38 κόλπον lap

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Here: The pouch formed by the loose outer robe pulled up over the belt, used as a carrying pocket. In the Greek Old Testament, “repaying into someone's bosom” is an idiom for God's recompense.
Luke 16:22 κόλπον bosom

One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried.

Here: The front of the chest, where a parent holds a child, or where a guest lying at a meal rests against the person next to him. Being in Abraham's kolpos means close fellowship and the place of honor beside him.
Luke 16:23 κόλποις bosom

In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

Here: The front of the body where one holds a child or a loved one. At a meal it also meant the place of the guest reclining next to the host. Lazarus, who once longed for scraps from a rich table, now has the place of honour and affection beside Abraham. The plural is ordinary Greek for this word and means the same as the singular.

John · 2

John 1:18 κόλπον bosom

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

Here: The front of the upper body: the place where a child is held, or where a guest leans at a meal. It is a picture of the closest possible intimacy and favour.
John 13:23 κόλπῳ bosom

One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side.

Here: The front of the upper body, the hollow of chest and lap. At a reclining meal the man on your right lay with his head near your chest, so 'in the bosom of' someone was the spot right beside him. The word also carries a sense of closeness and trust, and it deliberately echoes John 1:18.

Acts · 1

Acts 27:39 κόλπον a bay

When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

Here: A bay, an inlet where the coastline curves inward like the fold of a garment or the hollow of an embrace. It is the same word used for 'Abraham's bosom' (Luke 16:22), but here it is only a geographical term.

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