Greek word · G4421

πτηνός

ptēnos

bird

An adjective, 'winged, feathered, able to fly'. Used as a noun, it means 'birds, winged creatures'. It is common in classical and later Greek.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πτηνός, -ή, -όν

(πέτομαι), [in Aq.: Job 5:7 * ;]

winged; as subst., π., birds: 1 Corinthians 15:39.†

(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 1 Corinthians 15:39

Range of meaning

An adjective, 'winged, feathered, able to fly'. Used as a noun, it means 'birds, winged creatures'. It is common in classical and later Greek.

Against the English

All versions say 'birds'. That is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

This is its only New Testament use. Genesis 1 in the Septuagint uses a different word for birds (peteina), so Paul's echo of the creation account here is a matter of concept, not exact wording. Some cautious commentators note this.

Where it appears

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:39 πτηνῶν, of birds

    Not all flesh is the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another.

    Here: 'Of winged creatures', meaning birds. This is the only place the word appears in the New Testament. It is ordinary Greek for flying creatures.

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