λευκός G3022
white — the color of purity, glory, and heavenly radiance, applied to garments, hair, horses, and the harvest
Leukos is the Greek adjective for white, appearing 25 times in the New Testament with an overwhelmingly symbolic and theological register. Unlike ordinary color description, nearly every occurrence carries overtones of divine glory, purity, or heavenly origin. At the Transfiguration, Jesus' garments become 'white as light' (Matt 17:2) or 'dazzling white, such as no launderer on earth could bleach them' (Mark 9:3). The angels at the tomb and the Ascension wear white (Matt 28:3; Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10). In Revelation, white dominates the visual palette of heaven: the elders' white garments (Rev 3:4-5, 18; 4:4), the white horse and its rider Faithful and True (Rev 6:2; 19:11, 14), the white robes of the martyrs (Rev 7:9, 13), the great white throne of final judgment (Rev 20:11), and the white stone with a secret name (Rev 2:17). Jesus' own hair is 'white as white wool, as snow' in the opening vision (Rev 1:14). The one mundane usage is Jesus' observation that the harvest fields are already 'white' (John 4:35). Spanish 'blanco,' French 'blanc,' and German 'weiss' are uniform across all occurrences.
Senses
1. white — The color white as a marker of divine glory, heavenly purity, and eschatological radiance in NT usage. Describes the transfigured Jesus' garments (Matt 17:2; Mark 9:3), the angels' robes at the tomb and Ascension (Matt 28:3; Mark 16:5; Acts 1:10), and the overwhelming visual vocabulary of Revelation: white garments of the faithful (Rev 3:4-5; 7:9, 13), white horses of divine warfare (Rev 6:2; 19:11, 14), the Ancient of Days' white hair (Rev 1:14), and the great white throne of judgment (Rev 20:11). The sole non-symbolic use — harvest fields 'white' for reaping (John 4:35) — still carries metaphorical freight. All target languages converge on a single basic color term: Spanish 'blanco,' French 'blanc,' German 'weiss.' 25×
AR["أَبيَضَ", "أَبْيَضَ", "أَبْيَضُ", "بَياضٍ", "بَيضاءُ", "بَيْضاءَ", "بَيْضٍ", "بَيْضَاءَ", "بَيْضَاءُ"]·ben["শুভ্র", "শুভ্র,", "শুভ্র;", "শুভ্রতায়,", "সাদা", "সাদায়"]·DE["weiss", "λευκαῖς", "λευκὰ", "λευκὴν", "λευκὸν", "λευκὸς"]·EN["white"]·FR["blanc"]·heb["לְבָנִים", "לְבָנָה", "לְבָנוֹת", "לָבָן"]·HI["श्वेत", "श्वेत,", "श्वेत;", "श्वेतों-में,", "सफ़ेद", "सफेद", "सफेद,"]·ID["putih", "putih,", "putih;"]·IT["bianco"]·jav["pethak", "pethak,", "putih"]·KO["옷들-안-에", "희게", "희고", "희다", "희었다", "희옷", "희옷들", "흰"]·PT["branca", "brancas", "branco", "brancos"]·RU["белая", "белое,", "белой", "белом", "белую", "белы,", "белые", "белые,", "белые;", "белый", "белый,", "белым", "белыми", "белых", "белых,"]·ES["blanca", "blancas", "blanco", "blanco,", "blancos", "blancos,"]·SW["jeupe", "jeupe,", "mavazi-meupe,", "meupe", "meupe,", "meupe;", "mweupe,", "nyeupe", "nyeupe,", "wamevaa-nyeupe", "weupe,"]·TR["-için", "beyaz", "beyazlarda", "taş", "çünkü"]·urd["سفید", "سفید-میں", "کھیتوں-کو"]
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
λευκός, ή, όν, light, bright, clear (opposed to μέλας in all senses), αἴγλη Refs 8th c.BC+; λευκὸν (variant{λαμπρόν}).. ἠέλιος ὥς Refs 8th c.BC+; of metallic surfaces, λέβης Refs 8th c.BC+; λ. γαλήνη a glassy calm, Refs 8th c.BC+; of water, clear, limpid, Refs 8th c.BC+ __2 metaphorically, clear, distinct, of the voice, Refs 4th c.BC+: in literary sense, clear, λ. στίχος Refs 1st c.AD+, when a…