ἀνατολή G0395
Rising, sunrise; the east — the direction or place of the sun's rising, also used figuratively
The noun ἀνατολή derives from ἀνατέλλω ('to rise, spring up') and names the place where the sun rises — the east. In its dominant geographical sense, it orients the reader: the Magi come 'from the east' (Matt 2:1), the righteous will gather 'from east and west' at the messianic banquet (Matt 8:11), and lightning flashes 'from the east' (Matt 24:27). But Luke and Revelation preserve a richer, more luminous sense tied to the word's etymology: Zechariah prophesies that 'the sunrise from on high shall visit us' (Luke 1:78), using ἀνατολή as a messianic title evoking Malachi's 'sun of righteousness.' Revelation's angel ascending 'from the rising of the sun' (Rev 7:2) retains the same cosmic imagery.
1. east — The east as a cardinal direction or geographical region — the quarter of the sunrise. Matthew uses it repeatedly for the Magi's origin and journey (Matt 2:1, 2, 9), for eschatological gathering from east to west (Matt 8:11; 24:27), and in the apocalyptic imagery of Revelation (Rev 16:12; 21:13). Spanish 'oriente,' French 'orient,' and German 'Osten' uniformly render it as a simple directional term, confirming its geographical function as the dominant sense across eight of eleven occurrences. 8×
AR["الشَّرْقِ","المَشارِقِ","المَشَارِقِ","المَشْرِقِ","الْمَشْرِقِ"]·ben["পূর্ব","পূর্ব-দিকের","পূর্বদিক","পূর্বদিকে,","পূর্বের"]·DE["Osten"]·EN["east"]·FR["orient"]·heb["מִזְרָח"]·HI["पूरव-से","पूर्व","पूर्व-में","पूर्व-से"]·ID["timur","timur,"]·IT["anatolēs","oriente"]·jav["wetan","wétan","wétan,"]·KO["동방","동방-에서","동쪽","동쪽에서"]·PT["oriente"]·RU["востока","востоке"]·ES["el-oriente","oriente","oriente,","orientes"]·SW["mashariki","mashariki,","na"]·TR["doğu","doğuda","doğudan"]·urd["مشرق","پورب"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. rising — The act or phenomenon of rising — specifically the rising of a celestial body or a dawn-like appearing, often carrying messianic or cosmic significance. In Luke 1:78, Zechariah's Benedictus declares that 'the ἀνατολή from on high shall visit us,' where the word evokes the 'Branch' or 'Dayspring' — a title loaded with prophetic resonance from Jeremiah 23:5 and Zechariah 3:8 (LXX). Revelation 7:2 describes an angel ascending 'from the rising of the sun,' preserving the dynamic, luminous quality of the sunrise event rather than the static compass point. Spanish 'aurora' ('dawn') and 'salida' ('rising, going forth') in these passages distinguish this sense from the purely directional one. 3×
AR["مَشرِقِ","مُشْرِقٌ"]·ben["উদয়"]·DE["Osten"]·EN["rising"]·FR["orient"]·heb["זְרִיחָה","מִזְרַח"]·HI["उदय"]·ID["fajar","terbit"]·IT["anatolēs","oriente"]·jav["plethek","sang-srengéngé-nalika-mlethèk","wetan"]·KO["돋는-곳","돋는-해-가","떠오름"]·PT["aurora","nascente","oriente"]·RU["Восход","восхода"]·ES["aurora","salida"]·SW["alfajiri","mashariki","mashariki-ya"]·TR["doğusundan","doğusunun","gündoğumu"]·urd["طلوع","مشرق"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀνατολή, poetry ἀντ-, (ἀνατέλλω) rising above the horizon, of any heavenly body, e.g. the sun, frequently in plural, ἀντολαὶ ἠελίοιοRefs 8th c.BC+; distinct from ἐπιτολή (which see), Refs 1st c.BC+ __2 ={ἐπιτολή}, Refs 4th c.BC+ __3 the quarter of sunrise, east, opposed to δύσις, frequently in plural, ἀπὸ ἡλίου ἀνατολέωνNT+5th c.BC+ __3.b the ascendant, i.e. the point where the eastern horizon…