Greek word · G457

ἄνοιξις

anoixis

opening

An opening, the act of opening. Used here only in the NT. 'The opening of the mouth' echoes a Hebrew idiom for beginning a solemn or authorised speech.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἄνοιξις, -εως, ἡ

(ἀνοίγω),

an opening (in MGr., springtime): ἐν ἀ., as often as I open, Ephesians 6:19.†

(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 Ephesians 6:19

Range of meaning

An opening, the act of opening. Used here only in the NT. 'The opening of the mouth' echoes a Hebrew idiom for beginning a solemn or authorised speech.

Against the English

BSB 'whenever I open my mouth' and NIV 'whenever I speak' turn it into a general time phrase. KJV and ESV attach it to 'boldly', which reads more like 'speaking out freely'. The Greek allows either.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hebrew pitḥôn peh, 'opening of the mouth', in Ezekiel 16:63 and 29:21 ('I will give you opening of the mouth among them'), where God grants the right and ability to speak. Psalm 51:15 ('Lord, open my lips'); Ezekiel 3:27; Matthew 5:2 ('he opened his mouth and taught them'). Colossians 4:3, the parallel to this verse, asks God to 'open a door for the word'.

Where it appears

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 6:19 ἀνοίξει [the] opening

    Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

    Here: This noun appears only here in the New Testament. 'The opening of the mouth' is a biblical idiom for deliberate, weighty speech, the start of a solemn address.

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