Greek word · G3065

Λουκᾶς

loukas

Luke

A short, familiar Greek form of a Latin name, most likely Lucius or Lucanus. Inscriptions from Asia Minor seem to use Loukas and Lucius for the same person.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Λουκᾶς, -ᾶ, ὁ

(prob. an abbreviation of Λουκανός; see Lft., Col., 240; ICC, Lk., xviii; Bl., § 29; accusative to Ramsay, Exp., Dec., 1912, pp. 502 ff., a by-form of Λούκιος, from Lat. Lucius),

Luke: Lk, tit., Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, Phm 24.†

(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 Philemon 1:24

Range of meaning

A short, familiar Greek form of a Latin name, most likely Lucius or Lucanus. Inscriptions from Asia Minor seem to use Loukas and Lucius for the same person.

Against the English

KJV 'Lucas' and YLT 'Lukas' keep the Latin/Greek form.

Used elsewhere in the period

Col 4:14 ('the beloved physician'); 2 Tim 4:11 ('only Luke is with me'). From the late 2nd century (Irenaeus, the Muratorian Fragment), tradition names this Luke as the author of the Third Gospel and Acts. The 'we' passages in Acts (e.g. 16:10–17; 27:1–28:16) are often linked with him.

From the study of Colossians 4:14

Range of meaning

A personal name, Luke. It is a Greek form, probably a short form of a Latin name (Lucanus or Lucius). The form is found in Greek inscriptions of the Roman period.

Against the English

No translation difficulty. The question is who this Luke was.

Used elsewhere in the period

New Testament: here, Philemon 24 ('my fellow workers'), 2 Timothy 4:11 ('only Luke is with me'). Second-century tradition (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1 and 3.14.1; the Muratorian Fragment, which calls him 'Luke the physician') names this companion of Paul as the author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts. The 'we' passages of Acts (16:10–17; 20:5–21:18; 27:1–28:16) are often linked to him.

Where it appears

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 4:14 Λουκᾶς Luke

    Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.

    Here: A Greek form of a Latin name, probably a short or pet form of Lucanus or Lucius. He is named only three times in the New Testament (here, Philemon 24, 2 Timothy 4:11). This is the only place that tells us his trade.

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 4:11 Λουκᾶς Luke

    Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the ministry.

    Here: Paul's long-time companion, called 'the beloved physician' in Colossians 4:14. His name comes first in the Greek, which puts weight on him: of everyone who might have been there, it is Luke.

Philemon · 1

  1. Philemon 1:24 Λουκᾶς, [and] Luke,

    as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

    Here: A short, familiar form of a Latin name, probably Lucius or Lucanus. Colossians 4:14 calls him 'the beloved physician', and 2 Timothy 4:11 says he stayed with Paul to the end.

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