Greek word · G5436
Φύγελλος
phygellos
Phygelus
Two personal names. Hermogenes was a common name. Phygelus is rare, and some have linked it to Phygela, a town near Ephesus.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
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 2 Timothy 1:15
- Range of meaning
Two personal names. Hermogenes was a common name. Phygelus is rare, and some have linked it to Phygela, a town near Ephesus.
- Against the English
NLT says 'even Phygelus and Hermogenes', which implies surprise. Other versions say 'among whom are' or 'including', which is closer to the neutral Greek 'of whom are'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Neither man is mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament. In the second-century Acts of Paul and Thecla, Demas and 'Hermogenes the coppersmith' are false friends of Paul. This is probably a legend that grew from 2 Timothy (compare 'Alexander the coppersmith', 4:14).
Where it appears
2 Timothy · 1
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2 Timothy 1:15 Φύγελος Phygelus
You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
Here: A man known nowhere else. Naming him suggests he was someone Timothy knew and whose turning was notable, perhaps because more was expected of him.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.