Greek word · G3382
μηρός
mēros
thigh
Thigh, upper leg. In Hebrew Scripture the thigh (yarek) is where the sword hangs (Exodus 32:27; Judges 3:16; Psalm 45:3), where oaths are sworn (Genesis 24:2; 47:29), and a place connected with descendants (Genesis 46:26).
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
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 Revelation 19:16
- Range of meaning
Thigh, upper leg. In Hebrew Scripture the thigh (yarek) is where the sword hangs (Exodus 32:27; Judges 3:16; Psalm 45:3), where oaths are sworn (Genesis 24:2; 47:29), and a place connected with descendants (Genesis 46:26).
- Against the English
'Thigh' is accurate. Modern readers may picture skin markings, but nothing in the word or the scene says how the writing is applied.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The Greek Psalm 44:4 (Hebrew 45:3), a royal wedding and war psalm, reads περίζωσαι τὴν ῥομφαίαν σου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν σου, 'gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one'. It uses the same words for 'sword' (ῥομφαία, compare 19:15) and 'thigh' as Revelation. Cicero (Against Verres 2.4.93) describes a statue of Apollo with its sculptor's name inlaid in small silver letters on the thigh, which shows that writing on a figure's thigh was a known practice.
Where it appears
Revelation · 1
-
Revelation 19:16 μηρὸν thigh
And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Here: The upper leg. This is where a warrior's sword hung (Psalm 45:3), and on a mounted rider it is the most visible part of the body. The word is used only here in the New Testament.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.