Greek word · G5491

χεῖλος

cheilos

lip

Cheilos: lip, and by extension speech or language (also the shore or edge of something). Heteros: other, another of a different kind.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

χεῖλος, -ους, τό, genitive pl., -εων (see Bl., § 8, 4; Thackeray, Gr., I, 151),

[in LXX chiefly for שָׂפָה ;]

a lip (as in Heb., of the lip as the organ of speech): Matthew 15:8, Mark 7:6, Romans 3:13, 1 Corinthians 14:21, Hebrews 13:15, 1 Peter 3:10" (LXX) . Metaphorical, of things, an edge, brink, etc. (Hom., Hdt., al.): of the sea­shore, Hebrews 11:12.†

(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 14:21

Range of meaning

Cheilos: lip, and by extension speech or language (also the shore or edge of something). Heteros: other, another of a different kind.

Against the English

BSB "foreign lips", WEB "lips of strangers", KJV "other lips". All are fair. "Foreign" captures the outsider sense of heterōn best.

Used elsewhere in the period

Using "lip" for language is Hebrew idiom (śāpâ in Genesis 11:1, 6–9, the Babel story, where "one lip" means one language). The Hebrew of Isaiah 28:11 has la'ag, which BDB and HALOT render "stammering" or "mocking". It is speech that sounds like jeering babble.

From the study of Matthew 15:8

Range of meaning

Lip; also the edge or shore of something. With people it often stands for speech, as Hebrew śāpāh does: the organ of praise, oaths, vows, teaching and lies.

Against the English

'Lips' is accurate. Readers just need to know it stands for spoken worship and vows, not for kissing or appearance.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 6:5 has 'a man of unclean lips'. Psalm 51:15 prays 'O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise'. Hosea 14:2 speaks of 'the calves (or fruit) of our lips', meaning praise offered in place of sacrifices.

From the study of Hebrews 11:12

Range of meaning

Basically 'lip' (Heb 13:15, 'fruit of lips'). By extension it means the rim or edge of something: a cup, a river, the sea.

Against the English

Every English version says 'shore' or 'seashore'. That is accurate but loses the vivid Hebrew picture of the sea's 'lip'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Genesis 22:17 (τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης) translates the Hebrew sefat ha-yam, 'lip of the sea'. The same idiom appears in Exodus 14:30 and 1 Kings 4:29 (Greek 5:9).

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 15:8 χείλεσίν lips

    ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

    Here: The lips are what speaks, so they stand for speech: prayers, praise, blessings and vows. The honour is real as far as words go, and no further.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 7:6 χείλεσίν lips

    Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

    Here: 'With the lips' (instrumental dative): their honoring happens in speech, in prayers, blessings and confessions said aloud.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 3:13 χείλη lips

    “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”

    Here: The lips, the outer edge of the mouth, where speech is shaped and often made to sound pleasant. In Hebrew idiom 'lips' commonly stands for speech.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 14:21 χείλεσιν lips

    It is written in the Law: “By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.”

    Here: "Lips" stands for speech or language, a common Hebrew idiom ("lip" = language, as in Genesis 11:1).

Hebrews · 2

  1. Hebrews 11:12 χεῖλος shore

    And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

    Here: Literally 'lip'. 'The lip of the sea' copies the Hebrew idiom sefat ha-yam (Gen 22:17) through the Greek Old Testament. It means the shoreline.

  2. Hebrews 13:15 χειλέων of [the] lips

    Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.

    Here: 'Of lips.' The offering is spoken: lips produce it, not the herd or the field.

1 Peter · 1

  1. 1 Peter 3:10 χείλη lips

    For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

    Here: Lips as the place speech comes out. It matches "tongue", the normal Hebrew poetic pairing.

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