Greek word · G3590
ὄγδοος
ogdoos
eighth
The ordinal number 'eighth'. When used of a person in a group it is a fixed Greek way of saying 'one of eight', 'with seven others', where the named person leads or stands out from the group.
Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ὄγδοος, -η, -ον
the eighth. Luke 1:59, Acts 7:3" (LXX), Revelation 17:11 21:20; one of eight, with seven others (usually, in this sense, with αὐτός added, but cf. Plat., Legg., iii, 695 with; Plut., Pelop., 13; 2Ma.5:27): 2 Peter 2:5.†
(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
The ordinal number 'eighth'. When used of a person in a group it is a fixed Greek way of saying 'one of eight', 'with seven others', where the named person leads or stands out from the group.
- Against the English
KJV's 'the eighth person' keeps the word but loses the idiom; an English reader may hear 'eighth in a sequence'. BSB 'among the eight', WEB 'with seven others', and NIV, ESV and NASB (all with forms of 'seven others') give the real sense.
- How it drifted
Rendering the idiom word for word in 1611 left a puzzle in English. Some readers have since guessed at a sequence (eighth generation, eighth preacher). In fact Noah is tenth from Adam in Genesis 5. Others build number symbolism on it.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Classical Greek writes this idiom with autos, e.g. 'tenth himself' for 'with nine others'. Second Temple Greek can leave autos out: 2 Maccabees 5:27 says Judas Maccabeus withdrew 'being about the tenth', meaning with about nine companions. BDAG s.v. ὄγδοος lists 2 Pet 2:5 under this usage. 1 Peter 3:20 states it plainly: 'eight souls were brought safely through water.'
- Range of meaning
'Eighth.' Here it is the eighth day of life, the day the Law fixed for circumcision.
- Against the English
English renders it correctly. A modern reader may miss that the day was required by law, not chosen by the family.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Genesis 17:12 and Leviticus 12:3 in the Greek Old Testament. Luke's wording 'the day, the eighth' (τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ) echoes Leviticus 12:3 word for word. Philippians 3:5: Paul calls himself 'circumcised on the eighth day' as proof of a lawful Jewish upbringing.
Where it appears
Luke · 1
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Luke 1:59 ὀγδόῃ eighth
On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
Here: The day the Law set for circumcision (Gen 17:12; Lev 12:3). Counted inclusively from the birth, so a week after it. Hearers would take it as a sign that the parents kept the Law exactly (compare Luke 1:6).
Acts · 1
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Acts 7:8 ὀγδόῃ, eighth,
Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
Here: 'Eighth.' This is the exact day set by Genesis 17:12 and Leviticus 12:3. Stephen shows that Abraham kept the rule to the day.
2 Peter · 1
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2 Peter 2:5 ὄγδοον one of eight
if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;
Here: A Greek idiom: a person called 'eighth' is one of a group of eight, 'Noah with seven others' (compare 2 Maccabees 5:27, where Judas is 'about the tenth', i.e. with nine others). It points to the eight in the ark (Gen 7:13; 1 Pet 3:20), not to Noah being eighth in a family line or a list.
Revelation · 2
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Revelation 17:11 ὄγδοός an eighth
The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction.
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Revelation 21:20 ὄγδοος eighth
the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
Here: Eighth foundation layer.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.