Greek word · G4125

πλευρά

pleura

side

Side or flank of a body, the rib area. In the plural it can mean 'ribs'.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

πλευρά, -ᾶς, ἡ

[in LXX (frequently pl. as in Hom.) chiefly for צֵלָע ;]

the side: Matthew 27:49 ([[WH]] R, mg.), John 19:34 20:20, 25 20:27 Acts 12:7.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Range of meaning: Side or flank of a body, the rib area. In the plural it can mean 'ribs'.
Against the English: 'Side' is accurate. English readers do not hear the link to 'rib' that a reader of the Greek Old Testament might hear.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), Genesis 2:21–22 uses πλευρά for the 'rib' (Hebrew tsela') taken from Adam's side to make the woman. In John it appears only here and in 20:20, 25, 27, the scenes where the risen Jesus shows his wounds.

Range of meaning: Side, flank, the ribs of a body.
Against the English: 'Side' is accurate. Readers may miss that the word points back to one particular earlier scene.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the New Testament it appears only in John's Gospel (19:34; 20:20, 25, 27) and Acts 12:7. In the Greek of Gen 2:21–22 (LXX) it is the 'rib/side' taken from Adam, an echo some interpreters draw on and others think is too distant.

Range of meaning: Side, flank, the rib area of the body. In the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) it also renders Hebrew tsela', the 'rib' or 'side' from which the woman was formed (Gen 2:21–22).
Against the English: 'Side' is accurate. Modern readers may not catch that this is the specific spear wound from 19:34, which only John reports.
Used elsewhere in the period: John 19:34: 'one of the soldiers pierced his side (pleuran) with a spear, and at once blood and water came out'. The narrator adds a strong claim of eyewitness testimony (19:35). In John 20:25, 27 Thomas demands to put his hand into the side. Gen 2:21–22 in the Septuagint uses the same noun.

John · 4

John 19:34 πλευρὰν side

Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

Here: The flank of the chest, over the ribs. John does not say which side. The same word comes back in 20:20, 25, 27, where the risen Jesus shows his side and Thomas is invited to put his hand into it.
John 20:20 πλευρὰν side

After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Here: The flank or rib area of the body that the soldier's spear had pierced (19:34), releasing blood and water. Only John reports this wound, and here it becomes part of how Jesus is identified.
John 20:25 πλευρὰν side

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

Here: The side pierced by the soldier's spear, from which blood and water flowed (19:34). The word ties this scene directly to the cross.
John 20:27 πλευράν side

Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Here: The side the soldier pierced with a spear, from which blood and water came out (19:34).

Acts · 1

Acts 12:7 πλευρὰν side

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

Here: Peter's side or ribs, where he was hit. It is the ordinary word for the side of the body, used of Jesus' pierced side in John 19:34.

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