Greek word · G3135

μαργαρίτης

margaritēs

pearl

Pearl. In the Greco-Roman world pearls (mostly from the Persian Gulf and Red Sea) were luxury items of the highest rank. They were also an image of supreme value, and later of precious teaching.

Appears 9 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

μαργαρίτης, -ου, ὁ

a pearl: Matthew 13:45-46, 1 Timothy 2:9, Revelation 17:4 18:12, 16 21:21 (-ῖται, WH); proverbially, Matthew 7:6.†

(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 Matthew 7:6

Range of meaning: Pearl. In the Greco-Roman world pearls (mostly from the Persian Gulf and Red Sea) were luxury items of the highest rank. They were also an image of supreme value, and later of precious teaching.
Against the English: 'Pearls' is accurate. What modern readers may miss is how extreme the value was: not costume jewellery but the most expensive object a person could own.
Used elsewhere in the period: Pliny the Elder (Natural History 9.106) puts pearls at the very top of all valuables. Cleopatra's legendary pearls were said to be worth millions of sesterces. In Matthew 13:45–46 a merchant sells everything for one pearl of great price. 1 Timothy 2:9 and Revelation 17:4; 18:12, 16 treat pearls as luxury. Rabbinic texts use 'pearl' for a precious saying or teaching.

From the study of Matthew 13:45

Range of meaning: Pearl. Probably a loanword from an Eastern language, reaching Greek after Alexander's campaigns opened the Indian Ocean trade.
Against the English: 'Pearls' is accurate. What modern readers lack is a sense of scale: in the first-century Mediterranean, pearls were the most valued luxury of all, ranked above gold and gemstones.
Used elsewhere in the period: Pliny the Elder (Natural History 9.106) says pearls hold 'the first place and the highest rank among all valuables'. He tells of Cleopatra's pearl valued at 10 million sesterces (9.119-121). Suetonius (Julius 50) says Caesar gave Servilia a pearl worth 6 million sesterces. The Hebrew Bible has no clear word for pearl; Wisdom is called more precious than peninim (Prov 3:15; 8:11; Job 28:18), possibly coral or pearls. In the NT see Matt 7:6, 1 Tim 2:9 and Rev 18:12; 21:21.

From the study of Matthew 13:46

Range of meaning: A pearl, the gem formed inside certain oysters. It was the standard symbol of the most precious thing there is. It could also stand figuratively for something sacred or of supreme value (Matt 7:6, 'do not throw your pearls before pigs').
Against the English: English 'pearl' names the right object. But today pearls are relatively affordable, many of them cultured, so a modern reader may picture a pretty but modest jewel. To first-century hearers a great pearl ranked above diamonds and emeralds as the most expensive object in the world.
How it drifted: Cultured pearls arrived in the twentieth century and made pearls common, which shrank the picture. The word did not change; what the object is worth did.
Used elsewhere in the period: Theophrastus (On Stones 36) knows the pearl as a gem from the Indian sea. Pliny the Elder writes that 'pearls hold the very first place among all things of value' (Natural History 9.106) and tells how Cleopatra dissolved a single pearl worth ten million sesterces (9.119–121). Suetonius (Julius 50) reports Caesar buying Servilia a pearl for six million sesterces. In the NT: Matt 7:6; 1 Tim 2:9 and Rev 17:4; 18:12, 16 (luxury goods); Rev 21:21 (each gate of the New Jerusalem a single pearl). The Hebrew Bible has no certain word for pearl, but Job 28:18 and Prov 3:15; 8:11 say wisdom is worth more than peninim (precious stones, perhaps coral or pearls).

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

Matthew 7:6 μαργαρίτας pearls

Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Here: Pearls were among the most costly objects in the ancient world, often worth more than gold. The picture is of throwing away something of the very highest value.
Matthew 13:45 μαργαρίτας. pearls.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

Here: Plural: he deals in many fine pearls. That sets up the shock of verse 46, where he finds one pearl that outweighs everything he owns.
Matthew 13:46 μαργαρίτην, pearl,

When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.

Here: 'Pearl.' In the Roman world the pearl was the most prized luxury item there was. Most came from the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and India, and the finest single pearls sold for fortunes. Hearers would picture something rare and imported, the sort of thing owned by queens and senators.

1 Timothy · 1

1 Timothy 2:9 μαργαρίταις with pearls

Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,

Here: Pearls were among the most expensive objects in the Roman world, a clear sign of great wealth.

Revelation · 5

Revelation 17:4 μαργαρίταις, with pearls,

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

Here: Pearls were imported from the Persian Gulf and India. Roman writers ranked them as the costliest of all luxuries. The New Jerusalem's gates are pearls (21:21).
Revelation 18:12 μαργαριτῶν of pearls

cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;

Here: Pearls from the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and India. Romans counted them the most valuable of all luxuries.
Revelation 18:16 μαργαρίτῃ, with pearl!

saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!

Here: Singular used for a whole class: “pearl(s)”. Pearls were imported from the Persian Gulf and India and ranked by Roman writers as the most valuable of all luxuries.
Revelation 21:21 μαργαρῖται. μαργαρίτου.¶ pearls., pearl.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

Here: Pearls were the most expensive luxury of the Roman world. There is no verb ('were' is understood): the gates simply *are* pearls.

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