Greek word · G2868

κονιορτός

koniortos

dust

Dust, especially fine dust raised or stirred up, such as road dust or a cloud of dust.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated November 01, 2026

What it means

κονιορτός, -οῦ, ὁ

(κόνις or κονία, dust, ὄρνυμι, to stir up), [in LXX for אָבָק, etc. ;]

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Range of meaning: Dust, especially fine dust raised or stirred up, such as road dust or a cloud of dust.
Against the English: 'Dust' is accurate. The point is what that dust stood for.
Used elsewhere in the period: Acts 13:51 (shaking it off the feet); Acts 22:23 (a crowd throwing dust into the air in rage); in the Greek Old Testament for dust clouds (e.g. Nah 1:3). Luke 10:11 spells out the thought: 'even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you.' The Mishnah treats the soil of Gentile lands as a source of impurity (m. Ohalot 2:3; m. Tohorot 4:5).

Range of meaning: Dust, especially fine dust that rises or is raised (from konis, 'dust', and ornymi, 'to stir up'). Road dust, a cloud of dust.
Against the English: 'Dust' is accurate. What English readers may not know is that the dust stands for the territory itself. It is the last physical bit of a place a traveler carries away.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the LXX it is used for the dust of the land (e.g. Exod 9:9; Deut 28:24). In the NT: Matt 10:14; Luke 9:5; 10:11 ('even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you'); Acts 22:23, where a crowd throws dust into the air in outrage. Later rabbinic texts treat the soil of Gentile lands as conveying ritual impurity (m. Oholot 2:3; m. Tohorot 4:5; b. Shabbat 15a), so a Jewish hearer could link foreign dust with uncleanness.

Range of meaning: Dust, especially dust that is stirred up, blown, or clinging to the feet.
Against the English: All versions say 'dust'. The English is accurate. What gets lost is the link to other uses of the same word.
Used elsewhere in the period: Jesus told his disciples to shake the κονιορτός off their feet against an unwelcoming town as a testimony against it (Luke 9:5; 10:11). Paul and Barnabas did exactly that in Acts 13:51. In the Old Testament, Shimei cursed David by throwing stones and flinging dust at him (2 Sam 16:13). Throwing dust upward or onto the head was also a mourning gesture (Josh 7:6; Job 2:12), though here it goes into the air, not onto heads.

Matthew · 1

Matthew 10:14 κονιορτὸν dust

And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.

Here: The fine dust of the road and the town that clings to sandaled feet. Shaking it off means taking nothing of that place with you (compare Luke 10:11).

Luke · 2

Luke 9:5 κονιορτὸν dust

If anyone does not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town, as a testimony against them.”

Here: Fine powdery dust, the kind that rises from a dry road and settles on sandalled feet. Luke 10:11 spells it out: "the dust of your town that clings to our feet".
Luke 10:11 κονιορτὸν dust

‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’

Here: Fine dust from the road, the kind that coats the feet of anyone walking in sandals. It is put first in the sentence for emphasis.

Acts · 2

Acts 13:51 κονιορτὸν dust

So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.

Here: Fine, powdery dust, the kind kicked up on a road. It is the same word Jesus used when he told the Twelve and the Seventy what to do in towns that refused them (Matt 10:14; Luke 9:5; 10:11).
Acts 22:23 κονιορτὸν dust

As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,

Here: Loose dust from the pavement or ground. It is the same word used for the dust the disciples were to shake off their feet against a town that rejected them (Luke 9:5; Acts 13:51).

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