Strong's Lexicon
sóma: Body
Original Word:σῶμα
Part of Speech:Noun, Neuter
Transliteration:sóma
Pronunciation:SO-mah
Phonetic Spelling:(so'-mah)
Definition:Body
Meaning:body, flesh; the body of the Church.
Word Origin:Derived from the primary root σώζω (sózó), meaning "to save" or "to preserve."
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: -H1320 בָּשָׂר (basar): Often translated as "flesh," it can refer to the physical body or human nature.
-H1472 גּוּף (guph): Refers to the body or corpse.
Usage:In the New Testament, "sóma" primarily refers to the physical body of a human or animal. It is used both literally and metaphorically. Literally, it denotes the physical structure of a living being. Metaphorically, it can refer to the body of Christ, which is the Church, or to the resurrected body believers will receive. The term is also used to describe the unity and diversity of the Church as the body of Christ, emphasizing the interconnectedness and interdependence of its members.
Cultural and Historical Background:In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of the body was often seen in dualistic terms, with a distinction between the physical and the spiritual. However, the biblical perspective integrates the body as an essential part of human identity, created by God and inherently good. The resurrection of Jesus Christ affirms the value of the physical body, as it is not only the vessel of earthly life but also destined for transformation and eternal life.
HELPS Word-studies
4983sṓma – the physicalbody.4983 (sṓma) is also used figuratively ofthe mystical Body of Christ (= the Church, theone people of God).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain origin
Definitiona body
NASB Translationbodies (11), body (128), personal (1), slaves (1), substance (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4983: σῶμασῶμα,
σώματος,
τό (apparently from
σῶς 'entire' (but cf.
Curtius, § 570; others from the root, ska, sko, 'to cover', cf.
Vanicek, p. 1055;
Curtius, p. 696)), the
Sept. for
בָּשָׂר,
גְּוִיָּה, etc.;
נְבֵלָה (a corpse), also for Chaldean
גֶּשֶׁם;
a body; and:
1.the body both of men and of animals (on the distinction between it andσάρξ seeσάρξ, especially 2 at the beginning; (cf. Dickson, St. Paul's use of 'Flesh' and 'Spirit', p. 247ff));
a. as everywhere inHomer (who calls the living bodyδέμας and not infreqently in subsequently Greek writings, a dead body or corpse: universally,Luke 17:37; of a man,Matthew 14:12RG; (Mark 15:45RG);Acts 9:40; pluralJohn 19:31;τόσῶματίνος,Matthew 27:58;Mark 15:43;Luke 23:52, 55;John 19:38, 40;John 20:12;Jude 1:9; of the body of an animal offered in sacrifice, pluralHebrews 13:11 (Exodus 29:14;Numbers 19:3).
b. as in Greek writings fromHesiod down,the living body: — of animals,James 3:3; — of man:τόσῶμα, absolutely,Luke 11:34;Luke 12:23;1 Corinthians 6:13, etc.;ἐνσώματιεἶναι, of earthly life with its troubles,Hebrews 13:3; distinguished fromτόαἷμα,1 Corinthians 11:27;τόσῶμα andτάμέλη of it,1 Corinthians 12:12, 14-20;James 3:6;τόσῶμα the temple ofτόἅγιονπνεῦμα,1 Corinthians 6:19; the instrument of the soul,τάδιάτοῦσωματου namely,πραχθεντα,2 Corinthians 5:10; it is distinguished — fromτόπνεῦμα, inRomans 8:10;1 Corinthians 5:3;1 Corinthians 6:20Rec.;;James 2:26 (4 Macc. 11:11); — fromἡψυχή, inMatthew 6:25;Matthew 10:28;Luke 12:22 (Wis. 1:4 Wis. 8:19f; 2 Macc. 7:37 2Macc. 14:38; 4 Macc. 1:28, etc.); — fromἡψυχή andτόπνεῦμα together, in1 Thessalonians 5:23 (cf. Song of the Three, 63);σῶμαψυχικόν andσῶμαπνευματικόν are distinguished,1 Corinthians 15:44 (seeπνευματικός, 1 andψυχικός, a.);τόσῶματίνος,Matthew 5:29;Luke 11:34;Romans 4:19;Romans 8:23 (cf.Winer's Grammar, 187 (176)), etc.;ὁναόςτοῦσωματουαὐτοῦ, the temple which was his body,John 2:21; plural,Romans 1:24;1 Corinthians 6:15;Ephesians 5:28; the genitive of the possessor is omitted where it is easily learned from the context, as1 Corinthians 5:3;2 Corinthians 4:10;2 Corinthians 5:8;Hebrews 10:22(23), etc.;τόσῶματῆςταπεινώσεωςἡμῶν, the body of our humiliation (subjective genitive), i. e. which we wear in this servile and lowly human life, opposed toτόσῶματῆςδόξηςαὐτοῦ (i. e.τοῦΧριστοῦ), the body which Christ has in his glorified state with God in heaven,Philippians 3:21;διάτοῦσωματουτοῦΧριστοῦ, through the death of Christ's body,Romans 7:4;διάτῆςπροσφοράςτοῦσωματουἸησοῦΧριστοῦ, through the sacrificial offering of the body of Jesus Christ,Hebrews 10:10;τόσῶματῆςσαρκός,the body consisting of flesh, i. e. the physical body (tacitly opposed to Christ's spiritual body, the church, see 3 below),Colossians 1:22 (differently inColossians 2:11 (see just below));σῶματοῦθανάτου, the body subject to death, given over to it (cf.Winer's Grammar, § 30, 2β.),Romans 7:24; the fact that the body includesἡσάρξ:, and in the flesh also the incentives to sin (seeσάρξ, 4), gives origin to the following phrases:μήβασιλευέτωἡἁμαρτίαἐντῷθνητῷὑμῶνσώματι,Romans 6:12 (cf.Winer's Grammar, 524 (488));αἱπράξειςτοῦσώματος,Romans 8:13. Since the body is the instrument of the soul (2 Corinthians 5:10), and its members the instruments either of righteousness or of iniquity (Romans 6:13, 19), the following expressions are easily intelligible:σῶματῆςἁμαρτίας, the body subject to, the thrall of, sin (cf.Winer's Grammar, § 30, 2β.),Romans 6:6;τόσῶματῆςσαρκός, subject to the incitements of the flesh,Colossians 2:11 (whereRec. hasτόσῶματῶνἁμαρτιῶντῆςσαρκός).δοξάζετετόνΘεόνἐντῷσώματιὑμῶν,1 Corinthians 6:20;μεγαλύνειντόνΧριστόνἐντῷσώματι,εἴτεδιάζωῆς,εἴτεδιάθανάτου,Philippians 1:20;παραστῆσαιτάσώματαθυσίαν ...τῷΘεῷ (i. e. by bodily purity (cf. Meyer at the passage)),Romans 12:1.
c. Since according to ancient law in the ease of slaves the body was the chief thing taken into account, it is a usage of later Greek to call slaves simplyσώματα; once so in the N. T.:Revelation 18:13, where theVulg. correctly translates bymancipia (A. V.slaves) (σώματατοῦοἴκου,Genesis 36:6;σώματακαίκτήνη, Tobit 10:10;Ἰουδαικασώματα, 2 Macc. 8:11; examples from Greek writings are given byLob. ad Phryn., p. 378f (add (fromSophocles Lexicon, under the word),Polybius 1, 29, 7; 4, 38, 4, also 3, 17, 10 bis); the earlier and more elegant Greek writings saidσώματαδοῦλα,ὀικετικα, etc.).
2. The name is transferred to the bodies of plants,1 Corinthians 15:37f, and of stars (cf. our 'heavenly bodies'), hence, Paul distinguishes betweenσώματαἐπουράνια,bodies celestial, i. e. the bodies of the heavenly luminaries and of angels (seeἐπουράνιος, 1), andσώματαἐπίγεια,bodies terrestrial (i. e. bodies of men, animals, and plants),1 Corinthians 15:40 (ἅπανσῶματῆςτῶνὅλωνφύσεως ...τόσῶματοῦκόσμου, diod. 1, 11).
3. tropicallyσῶμα is used of a (large or small) "number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body"; so in the N. T. ofthe church:Romans 12:5;1 Corinthians 10:17;1 Corinthians 12:13;Ephesians 2:16;Ephesians 4:16;Ephesians 5:23;Colossians 1:18;Colossians 2:19 3:15; withτοῦΧριστοῦ added,1 Corinthians 10:16;1 Corinthians 12:27;Ephesians 1:23;Ephesians 4:12;Ephesians 5:30;Colossians 1:24; of which spiritual body Christ; is the head,Ephesians 4:15;Ephesians 5:23;Colossians 1:18;Colossians 2:19, who by the influence of his Spirit works in the church as the soul does in the body.ἕνσῶμακαίἕνπνεῦμα,Ephesians 4:4.
4.ἡσκιά andτόσῶμα are distinguished as the shadow andthe thing itself which casts the shadow:Colossians 2:17;σκιάναἰτησόμενοςβασιλείας,ἧςἥρπασενἑαυτῷτόσῶμα,Josephus,b. j. 2, 2, 5; ((Philo de confus. ling. § 37;Lucian, Hermot. 79)).
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
body
Fromsozo; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively -- bodily, body, slave.
see GREEKsozo
Forms and Transliterations
σωμα σώμα σώμά σῶμα σῶμά σώμασιν σωματα σώματα σωματι σώματι σώματί σωματος σώματος σώματός σωματων σωμάτων soma sôma sômá sōma sō̂ma sō̂má somata sōmata sṓmata somati sōmati sṓmati sṓmatí somaton somáton sōmatōn sōmátōn somatos sōmatos sṓmatos sṓmatós
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