εὐώνυμ-ος G2176
Left, on the left side — a euphemistic term originally meaning 'of good name,' used in the NT exclusively for spatial position.
Euonymos is one of the great euphemisms of the Greek language. Literally meaning 'of good name' or 'well-named,' it was used to avoid the ill omen of saying 'left' directly, since the left side was considered unlucky in Greek culture. By NT times, the euphemistic origin had faded, and the word simply meant 'left' as opposed to right. Its nine occurrences cluster around two vivid scenes: the request for seats of honor beside Jesus (Matt 20:21,23; Mark 10:37,40) and the separation of sheep from goats at the final judgment, where those on the left are condemned (Matt 25:33,41). It also marks the position of the criminals crucified alongside Jesus (Matt 27:38; Mark 15:27).
Senses
1. left (side) — Pertaining to the left side or left hand, used as the spatial opposite of right (dexios). All nine NT occurrences employ the word in positional contexts — seating arrangements in the kingdom (Matt 20:21,23; Mark 10:37,40), the placement of the condemned at the last judgment (Matt 25:33,41), and the location of those crucified with Jesus (Matt 27:38; Mark 15:27). The multilingual glosses ('izquierda' in Spanish, 'gauche' in French, 'linke' in German) uniformly confirm a straightforward spatial sense, with no residual trace of the original euphemistic 'well-named' meaning surviving into NT usage. 9×
AR["اليُسرى", "الْيَسَارِ", "عَنْ-يَسَارِنَا", "يَساري", "يَسارِكَ", "يَسَارِهِ", "يَسَارِي"]·ben["বাম", "বামদিকে", "বামদিকের-দের", "বামে"]·DE["linke"]·EN["left", "on-left", "the-left"]·FR["gauche"]·heb["לִשְׂמֹאל", "שְׂמֹאל", "שְׂמֹאלְךָ", "שְׂמֹאלִי", "שְׂמֹאלוֹ"]·HI["बअयेएन-ओर", "बाईं-ओर", "बाएँ", "बाएं", "बायां"]·ID["di-kiri", "kiri", "kiri-Ku", "sebelah-kiri"]·IT["euonumon", "euōnumon", "sinistro"]·jav["kiwa", "kiwa,", "kiwa."]·KO["왼쏨에", "왼줁", "왼쪽", "왼쪽에", "왼쪽을"]·PT["esquerda", "esquerda,", "esquerdo", "à-esquerda,"]·RU["левую", "левую-руку", "левую-руку,", "левую-сторону", "слева,"]·ES["a-la-izquierda", "izquierda", "izquierdo", "su-izquierda"]·SW["kushoto", "kwako", "si", "upande-wa-kushoto", "wa-kushoto"]·TR["sol-tarafta", "solumda", "solunda", "solundakilere", "solundan", "solunu"]·urd["بائیں", "بائیں-طرف", "بائیں-پر"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
εὐώνυμ-ος, ον, (ὄνομα) __A of good name, honoured, Refs 8th c.BC+; εὐ. χάρις the honour of a good name, Refs; δίκη.. μὴ εὐ. not creditable, Refs 5th c.BC+ __A.2 expressed in well-chosen terms, λόγος Refs 2nd c.AD+ __A.II having an auspicious name or sound, ἀριστοκρατία Refs 5th c.BC+ __A.II.2 prosperous, fortunate, δίκα, πόδες, Refs 5th c.BC+ __A.II.3 epithet of Artemis, Ἀρχ. Ἐφ. Refs 4th c.BC+…