ἄμμος G0285
Sand; fine granular material found on shores and deserts, often used as a figure for innumerable quantity.
A straightforward noun denoting sand as a physical substance, ammos takes on rich figurative life in both Testaments. Jesus contrasts building on sand with building on rock (Matt 7:26), making it a symbol of unstable foundation. Paul echoes Isaiah's imagery of Israel's descendants being as numerous as the sand of the sea (Rom 9:27), and Hebrews similarly uses it for Abraham's innumerable offspring (Heb 11:12). In Revelation, the dragon stands on the sand of the sea (Rev 12:17). Spanish 'arena' and French 'sable' both denote ordinary sand.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Sand, the fine granular material found along shores and in deserts, employed both literally and as a stock metaphor for uncountable multitude. Jesus uses it literally for a foolish builder's unstable foundation (Matt 7:26). Paul and Hebrews invoke the OT trope of sand-of-the-sea for the numberless descendants of Abraham and Israel (Rom 9:27, Heb 11:12). In Revelation, the dragon takes its stand on the seashore sand (Rev 12:17, 20:8). The consistent multilingual rendering—English 'sand,' Spanish 'arena,' French 'sable,' German 'Sand'—confirms a single concrete referent across all passages. 5×
AR["رَملِ", "رَمْل", "رَمْلِ"]·ben["বালি", "বালির"]·DE["Sand", "ἄμμον"]·EN["sand"]·FR["sable"]·heb["חוֹל"]·HI["बालू", "रेत", "रेत-पर"]·ID["pasir"]·IT["ammon", "ammos", "sabbia"]·jav["pasir", "wedhi", "wédhi"]·KO["모래", "모래가"]·PT["areia"]·RU["песке", "песок"]·ES["arena"]·SW["mchanga", "mchanga."]·TR["kum", "kumu", "kumun", "kumunda"]·urd["ریت"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἄμμος, or ἅμμος (compare ὕφ-αμμος), ἡ, __A sand, Refs 5th c.BC+ __A.II sandy ground, racecourse, Refs 5th c.BC+