Greek word · G4082

πήρα

pēra

bag

A leather or cloth bag slung from the shoulder: a traveller's knapsack or provisions bag, a shepherd's pouch, and the wallet of the wandering Cynic philosopher. It may also have been used as a beggar's collecting bag.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πἡρα, -ας, ἡ

[in LXX: Judith 10:5 * ;]

a leathern pouch for victuals, etc., a wallet (Deiss. thinks an alms-bag, see LAE, 108 ff.): Matthew 10:10, Mark 6:8, Luke 9:3 10:4 22:35-36.†

(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 Luke 9:3

Range of meaning

A leather or cloth bag slung from the shoulder: a traveller's knapsack or provisions bag, a shepherd's pouch, and the wallet of the wandering Cynic philosopher. It may also have been used as a beggar's collecting bag.

Against the English

"Bag" (BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB) is right. NLT's "traveler's bag" is clearer still. The KJV and YLT's "scrip" is correct but obsolete. The WEB's "wallet" was once a fair equivalent but now suggests a pocket billfold, which is not what the word means.

How it drifted

"Scrip" and "wallet" both once meant a traveller's bag. "Scrip" dropped out of common use, and "wallet" narrowed to a small holder for cash and cards.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Judith 10:5 and 13:10 a πήρα is a food bag. Deissmann published an inscription from Roman Syria in which a slave of a Syrian goddess tells of begging journeys, each bringing back seventy bags, which suggests a collecting bag (Light from the Ancient East). The bag was also a recognised part of the Cynic philosopher's outfit (Diogenes Laertius 6.13, 6.22–23).

From the study of Matthew 10:10

Range of meaning

A bag carried over the shoulder: a traveller's or shepherd's bag for bread and other supplies. In the Greco-Roman world it was also the trademark bag of Cynic philosophers (wandering teachers who lived by begging) and of travelling religious collectors.

Against the English

KJV has "scrip", which today sounds like a money substitute or a certificate. Most modern versions have "bag" or "bag for the journey" (BSB, ESV, WEB) or "traveler's bag" (NLT). None of them tells the reader whether it is a food bag or a begging bag.

How it drifted

"Scrip" (a small satchel) dropped out of ordinary English. Its homonym "scrip" (provisional money or a certificate) is what a modern reader now hears.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), David puts his sling-stones in his shepherd's bag (1 Sam 17:40), and Judith carries food in one (Jdt 10:5; 13:10). Diogenes Laertius (book 6) shows Cynics such as Diogenes and Crates with bag, staff and rough cloak. An inscription from Kefr-Hauar in Syria, published by Adolf Deissmann, records a 'slave of the Syrian goddess' who brought back 70 bags on each begging tour, so there the word means a begging bag.

From the study of Luke 10:4

Range of meaning

A shoulder bag or knapsack for travellers or shepherds, used to carry bread and provisions. By extension it was the begging bag of wandering philosophers and of religious collectors.

Against the English

KJV 'scrip' is an old word for a small bag, now opaque to most readers. WEB 'wallet' follows older British usage, where a wallet was a pilgrim's or beggar's bag, but a modern reader pictures a billfold for cards and cash. That turns the word into a second 'purse'. 'Bag' (BSB, NIV) and 'knapsack' (ESV) are clearer.

How it drifted

'Wallet' shifted in the 19th–20th centuries from 'travel bag' to 'pocket billfold'. 'Scrip' simply dropped out of use.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Judith 10:5: Judith gives her maid a bag (pēra) of food for the journey. Cynic philosophers were famous for the cloak, staff and pēra (Diogenes Laertius 6.13, 6.22–23; Crates' poem 'There is a city, Pēra…'). An inscription from Kefr-Hauar in Syria, published by Deissmann, describes a 'slave' of the Syrian goddess who went out on her behalf and brought back many bags each journey, a collecting bag for a religious begging tour.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 10:10 πήραν provision-bag

    Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

    Here: A leather or cloth shoulder bag that travellers used for food. Wandering philosophers and religious beggars used the same kind of bag to collect handouts. Either way, the envoys may not bring their own supplies or gather any.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 6:8 πήραν, bag

    He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—

Luke · 4

  1. Luke 9:3 πήραν bag

    “Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic.

    Here: A shoulder bag or knapsack for food and supplies, and possibly also the bag in which a wandering beggar collected gifts. Either way they have nothing to carry reserves in and nothing to gather them with.

  2. Luke 10:4 πήραν bag

    Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.

    Here: A leather or cloth shoulder bag for food and supplies on a journey. It was also the trademark bag of wandering Cynic philosophers and of begging collectors. Leaving it behind means carrying no food supply and having nothing to collect gifts in.

  3. Luke 22:35 πήρας bag

    Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.

    Here: A shoulder bag, usually leather, for food and supplies on the road; also the bag carried by wandering beggar-philosophers. Without it, they carried no provisions.

  4. Luke 22:36 πήραν· a bag;

    “Now, however,” He told them, “the one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.

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