Greek word · G3057
λόγχη
lonchē
spear
A spear or lance; originally the iron spear-head, then the whole weapon.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
λόγχη, -ης, ἡ
[in LXX for רֹמַח, etc. ;]
1. a spear-head.
2. a lance, spear: Matthew 27:49 ([WH], R, mg.), John 19:34.†
(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
A spear or lance; originally the iron spear-head, then the whole weapon.
- Against the English
KJV and moderns say 'spear'; a modern reader may picture a long medieval jousting lance, which is not in view.
- Used elsewhere in the period
A common word in classical and Hellenistic Greek, and in the Septuagint (e.g. 1 Samuel 17:7 in some copies; Judith 11:2). In the apocryphal Acts of Pilate (Gospel of Nicodemus, 4th–5th century or earlier), the soldier is named Longinus, a name formed from λόγχη.
Where it appears
John · 1
-
John 19:34 λόγχῃ with a spear
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
Here: The weapon used. The ending means 'with' or 'by means of' a spear. It is the ordinary word for a thrusting spear and occurs only here in the New Testament (apart from the borrowed addition in some copies of Matthew 27:49).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.