Greek word · G3038
λιθόστρωτος
lithostrōtos
pavement
An adjective, 'stone-strewn' or 'paved with stone' (lithos 'stone' + strōnnymi 'to spread'). Used as a noun it means a pavement of stone slabs or a mosaic or inlaid floor.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament.
What it means
λιθό-στρωτος, -ον
(στρώννυμι), [in LXX: 2 Chronicles 7:3, Esther 1:6, Song of Songs 3:10 (רִצְפָּה, רָצַף)* ;]
paved with stones, esp. of tessallated work (Ca, i.e.); as subst., τὸ λ., a tessallated pavement: John 19:13 (cf. Γαββαθᾶ).†
(AS)
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
An adjective, 'stone-strewn' or 'paved with stone' (lithos 'stone' + strōnnymi 'to spread'). Used as a noun it means a pavement of stone slabs or a mosaic or inlaid floor.
- Against the English
'The Pavement' (KJV, WEB) and 'the Stone Pavement' (BSB) are both accurate. Capitalizing it rightly treats it as a place name, not just a description.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) it describes the stone-paved court of Solomon's temple (2 Chr 7:3), the inlaid interior of a royal litter (Song 3:10), and the mosaic floor of the Persian king's palace (Esth 1:6). Josephus describes the temple courts as paved in the same way. Latin borrowed the word: Pliny the Elder (Natural History 36.184) speaks of lithostrota as decorated pavements, a mark of wealth.
Similar words
Where it appears
John · 1
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John 19:13 Λιθόστρωτον, [the] Stone Pavement,
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrew is Gabbatha.
Here: Literally 'stone-spread': a surface laid with stone slabs or mosaic. This is the Greek name of the spot, describing what you would stand on.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.