Greek word · G4591

σημαίνω

sēmainō

to signify

From sēma/sēmeion, 'sign'. To give a sign, indicate, make known, especially by hint, symbol or prophecy rather than plain statement. In John's Gospel it is used when Jesus speaks in a figure that 'signifies what kind of death he would die' (John 12:33; 18:32; 21:19).

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

What it means

σημαίνω

(σῆμα, a sign), [in LXX for רוּעַ hi., תָּקַע, etc. ;]

to give a sign, signify, indicate: with accusative of thing(s), Acts 25:27, Revelation 1:1 (cf. MM, xxii); with accusative and inf., Acts 11:28; before quæst. indir., John 12:33 18:32 21:19.†

(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 Revelation 1:1

Range of meaning

From sēma/sēmeion, 'sign'. To give a sign, indicate, make known, especially by hint, symbol or prophecy rather than plain statement. In John's Gospel it is used when Jesus speaks in a figure that 'signifies what kind of death he would die' (John 12:33; 18:32; 21:19). In Acts 11:28 Agabus 'signified through the Spirit' a coming famine.

Against the English

KJV 'signified' (in 1611 'signify' still meant 'show by a sign'; today it means 'mean'). BSB, NIV and ESV 'made it known'; NASB 'communicated'. These are clear, but they lose the hint that the message comes in signs.

How it drifted

In modern English 'signify' means 'to mean' or 'to express'. Modern translations moved to 'made known', which is accurate but flatter.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Daniel (Old Greek 2:45) says 'the great God signified (esēmane) to the king what will be at the end of days', right in the passage John is echoing. Heraclitus (fragment 93) said of the oracle at Delphi that the god 'neither speaks plainly nor hides, but gives a sign' (sēmainei).

From the study of John 12:33

Range of meaning

To give a sign or signal; to indicate, make known, or point to something, often in an indirect, coded or symbolic way rather than by plain statement. It can also mean simply to report or declare.

Against the English

BSB and NASB have "indicate", NIV and ESV "show", KJV, WEB and YLT "signifying". "Show" makes it sound as if Jesus said it plainly. "Signifying" and "indicate" keep more of the idea that he hinted at his death through an image.

Used elsewhere in the period

In classical Greek this is the typical verb for how oracles communicate. Heraclitus (fragment 93) says the god at Delphi "neither speaks nor conceals, but gives a sign" (sēmainei). Elsewhere in the New Testament it is used for prophetic disclosure: Agabus "signified" a famine by the Spirit (Acts 11:28), and God "signified" the revelation to John (Revelation 1:1). In John it appears only three times, and each time for a veiled prediction of a death: 12:33 and 18:32 (Jesus), 21:19 (Peter).

From the study of John 21:19

Range of meaning

To give a sign (sēma, sēmeion), to indicate, make known, often indirectly or in a coded way; to report or announce (Acts 25:27); to foretell, especially of prophetic or oracular speech.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and NASB use 'signifying'. BSB and NIV use 'to indicate'. ESV has 'showing'. All are accurate. What they miss is that the word suggests a hint or riddle that only becomes clear later, rather than a plain statement.

Used elsewhere in the period

Heraclitus (fragment 93) says of Apollo's oracle at Delphi that it 'neither speaks plainly nor hides, but sēmainei', it gives signs. Acts 11:28 uses it of Agabus foretelling a famine 'by the Spirit', and Revelation 1:1 of God revealing the visions 'by signs'. In John it occurs only for veiled predictions of a death: 12:33 and 18:32 (Jesus' own) and here (Peter's).

Where it appears

John · 3

  1. John 12:33 σημαίνων signifying

    He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

    Here: "Signifying." Jesus did not state the manner of his death outright. He pointed to it with a picture-word ("lifted up") that the reader has to work out. The verb belongs to the same family as John's word for Jesus' "signs" (sēmeion).

  2. John 18:32 σημαίνων signifying

    This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

    Here: 'Signifying, hinting at'. It comes from the same root as σημεῖον, 'sign'. It means pointing to something indirectly, through a figure that needs decoding. Jesus did not say 'I will be crucified'. He said 'lifted up', and that word carried the hint.

  3. John 21:19 σημαίνων signifying

    Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And after He had said this, He told him, “Follow Me.”

    Here: Means 'pointing to it with a sign', speaking in a veiled way that becomes clear later. John uses the same word for Jesus hinting at his own crucifixion (12:33; 18:32).

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 11:28 ἐσήμανεν he signified

    One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep across the whole world. (This happened under Claudius.)

    Here: He 'made known' or 'indicated' what was coming. The verb was standard for oracles and divine signs that point to a future event, sometimes in veiled or symbolic form. Here it amounts to a prediction.

  2. Acts 25:27 σημᾶναι.¶ to specify.

    For it seems unreasonable to me to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 1:1 ἐσήμανεν He signified [it]

    This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,

    Here: Made known through signs and symbols rather than in plain words. This fits a book of beasts, lampstands, a Lamb and numbers. The subject is probably Jesus (cf. 22:16), possibly God (cf. 22:6).

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