Greek word · G3461

μυριάς

myrias

myriad

Literally a unit of ten thousand. In the plural it was often used loosely for countless multitudes (e.g. Deut 33:2 LXX; Dan 7:10; Luke 12:1; Heb 12:22; Rev 5:11).

Appears 8 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

μυριάς, -άδος, ἡ

(μυρίος), [in LXX chiefly for רְבָבָה ;]

ten thousand, a myriad: pl., Acts 19:19, Revelation 5:11 9:16; hyperb., of vast numbers, Luke 12:1, Acts 21:20, Hebrews 12:12, Jude 1:14.†

(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 Acts 21:20

Range of meaning

Literally a unit of ten thousand. In the plural it was often used loosely for countless multitudes (e.g. Deut 33:2 LXX; Dan 7:10; Luke 12:1; Heb 12:22; Rev 5:11).

Against the English

BSB, KJV, NIV, ESV, NASB and WEB say "thousands", which understates the Greek. YLT's "myriads" keeps the word. "Tens of thousands" is the closest literal English.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 12:1 uses it of a crowd so dense that people trampled one another. Acts 19:19 uses "five myriads" as an exact sum of money. Acts earlier counts about 3,000 (2:41) and about 5,000 men (4:4) in Jerusalem.

From the study of Hebrews 12:22

Range of meaning

Literally ten thousand, the largest named unit in Greek counting. In the plural it means a countless multitude.

Against the English

'Innumerable' (KJV, WEB, ESV) and 'thousands upon thousands' (NIV) give the sense. 'Myriads' (BSB, YLT, NASB) keeps the word and its echo of Old Testament theophany texts, the scenes where God appears.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 33:2 (the LORD came from Sinai 'with myriads of holy ones', angels at his right hand in the Septuagint). Ps 68:17 (the chariots of God are 'myriads… the Lord is among them, Sinai in the holy place'). Dan 7:10 ('myriads of myriads stood before him'). 1 Enoch 1:9, quoted in Jude 14. Rev 5:11.

From the study of Revelation 5:11

Range of meaning

A myriás is literally a unit of ten thousand, the largest number word in everyday Greek. Like English "myriad", it was also commonly used for any huge, uncountable amount (BDAG s.v. μυριάς gives both senses). Chiliás is "a group of a thousand". Doubling a number word with itself ("myriads of myriads") is a Semitic-style way of raising a quantity beyond measure.

Against the English

"Ten thousand times ten thousand" (KJV) turns the phrase into a multiplication sum and suggests a precise 100,000,000. The Greek has two plurals ("tens of thousands of tens of thousands"), which is not a sum at all but an open-ended stacking. "Myriads of myriads" (YLT, BSB, ESV, NASB) keeps the form. "Thousands and millions" (NLT) keeps the sense of vastness but loses the echo of Daniel.

How it drifted

The KJV wording comes from older English renderings of Daniel 7:10. Modern readers, used to counting, read "times" as arithmetic. That has fed popular attempts to calculate how many angels exist.

Used elsewhere in the period

The formula comes from Daniel 7:10, the vision of the Ancient of Days: "a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him" (Aramaic ʾelef ʾalfin… ribbo ribban; Greek versions chiliai chiliades… myriai myriades). It reappears in 1 Enoch for the angels before God's throne (1 Enoch 14:22; 40:1; 60:1; 71:8). Compare also Deuteronomy 33:2 ("myriads of holy ones"), Psalm 68:17, Hebrews 12:22 ("myriads of angels"), Jude 14, and Revelation 9:16 ("twice myriads of myriads" for a demonic cavalry). John reverses Daniel's order, putting the myriads first.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 12:1 μυριάδων myriads

    In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

    Here: Literally 'tens of thousands', but in ordinary speech it meant 'countless'. Luke is not giving a head count. He is painting a huge crowd.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 19:19 μυριάδας myriads

    And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

  2. Acts 21:20 μυριάδες myriads

    When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.

    Here: Literally "ten-thousands", but commonly used for an uncountable multitude. It is stronger than English "thousands".

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:22 μυριάσιν to myriads

    Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels

    Here: Literally 'tens of thousands'. In the plural it means a number past counting. It echoes Daniel 7:10 and Deuteronomy 33:2, where countless holy ones surround God.

Jude · 1

  1. Jude 1:14 μυριάσιν myriads

    Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones

    Here: A myriad is ten thousand. In the plural it means a number too large to count. The picture is of a vast army, as in Deut 33:2 and Dan 7:10.

Revelation · 3

  1. Revelation 5:11 μυριάδες μυριάδων myriads, of myriads

    Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels encircling the throne, and the living creatures and the elders. And their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.

    Here: Plural of "myriad" (a unit of 10,000, and the largest named number in ordinary Greek): "tens of thousands".

  2. Revelation 9:16 μυριάδων· ten thousands;

    And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

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