Greek word · G3688

ὄνος

onos

donkey

Donkey, ass, either male or female (the article shows gender; ἡ ὄνος = she-donkey). The common working animal of the Near East for riding and carrying loads. Royal and noble people also rode one in Israel's early history.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὄνος, -ου, ὁ, ἡ

[in LXX chiefly for חֲמוֹר, also for אָתוֹן, etc. ;]

an ass: Matthew 21:2, 5" (LXX), Luke 14:5, John 12:15" (LXX) ; ὁ, Luke 13:15; ἡ, Matthew 21:7 .†

(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 John 12:15

Range of meaning

Donkey, ass, either male or female (the article shows gender; ἡ ὄνος = she-donkey). The common working animal of the Near East for riding and carrying loads. Royal and noble people also rode one in Israel's early history.

Against the English

KJV "ass" was the standard English word for the animal; modern versions say "donkey."

How it drifted

"Ass" became a crude word and an insult in modern English, which is why modern versions avoid it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Royal donkey/mule riding: Judg 5:10 (nobles "who ride on tawny donkeys"); 2 Sam 16:2 (donkeys "for the king's household to ride"); 1 Kgs 1:33–44 (Solomon rides David's own mule to be anointed). In a letter from 18th-century BC Mari (ARM 6.76), a court official advises King Zimri-Lim to ride a chariot or a mule rather than a horse, to honor his royal dignity. Zech 9:10 sets the donkey-riding king against "chariot," "war-horse" and "battle bow."

From the study of Matthew 21:2

Range of meaning

Donkey, ass, of either sex. The grammatical gender (shown by the article, participle or pronoun) marks the sex. Here δεδεμένην and αὐτῆς are feminine: a she-donkey.

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'ass' is accurate older English, simply 'donkey.' Modern versions say 'donkey.' The BSB/NIV-style 'her colt' brings out the feminine well.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Old Testament, donkeys are ridden by people of standing: judges and their households (Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14), and above all Solomon on David's own mule at his enthronement (1 Kings 1:33–38). Genesis 49:11 joins the donkey and its foal to the royal tribe of Judah. Zechariah 9:9 combines these into a picture of the king.

From the study of Matthew 21:7

Range of meaning

Donkey, either male or female. Here the feminine article marks it as a jenny (she-donkey), the foal's mother.

Against the English

The KJV's "ass" was the normal English word for the animal. Today it sounds crude or comic, which the Greek never does. "Donkey" (BSB, WEB, modern versions) is accurate.

How it drifted

In modern English "ass" has become mainly a slang word for buttocks, influenced by "arse," and an insult for a fool. This happened long after 1611.

Used elsewhere in the period

The donkey was the standard riding animal in Israel. Men of rank rode them (Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14; 2 Samuel 19:26). David's royal mule carries Solomon to his anointing (1 Kings 1:33–38). The Hebrew of Zechariah 9:9 reads ʿal-ḥămôr wĕʿal-ʿayir ben-ʾătōnôt, "on a donkey, on a male donkey, the foal of she-donkeys." Later rabbinic writings tie this verse to the Messiah (b. Sanhedrin 98a; Genesis Rabbah 98:9, linked with Genesis 49:11).

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

  1. Matthew 21:2 ὄνον a donkey

    saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.

    Here: A donkey, and the feminine participle and pronoun that follow show it is a female: a she-donkey, the mother.

  2. Matthew 21:5 ὄνον a donkey

    “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

    Here: The form is feminine here (compare verse 2, 'a donkey tied'), so it is a she-donkey, the colt's mother. In Israel the donkey was an ordinary working animal, but it was also the traditional mount of judges and kings in peacetime.

  3. Matthew 21:7 ὄνον donkey

    They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

    Here: A she-donkey, the mother of the foal. In Israel the donkey was the ordinary animal for riding and carrying. It was not shameful, and judges and notable men rode them (Judges 5:10; 10:4).

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 13:15 ὄνον donkey

    “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?

    Here: The ordinary pack and riding animal. 'Ox and donkey' is the stock biblical pair for a household's working animals (Exod 20:17; 23:12; Deut 5:14; Isa 1:3).

John · 1

  1. John 12:15 ὄνου. of a donkey.

    “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion. See, your King is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey.”

    Here: "Of a donkey." The supplied data tags it feminine, "of a she-donkey," which fits Zechariah's Hebrew "son of she-donkeys" and the Greek of Genesis 49:11. The form itself could be either gender.

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