μέτωπ-ον G3359
The forehead, the front part of the head above the eyes; in the NT used exclusively for the site of divine or beastly marks.
Derived from meta (between) and ops (eye), metopon denotes the forehead — literally, the space between the eyes. In the New Testament, every occurrence appears in Revelation, where the forehead becomes the most contested real estate in the apocalypse: it is where God's servants receive the divine seal (Rev 7:3, 14:1) and where the beast's followers bear his mark (Rev 13:16, 17:5). The Spanish 'frente' and German 'Stirn' both preserve the straightforward anatomical sense, while the theological freight is carried entirely by context.
Senses
1. forehead (front of the head) — The front surface of the human head above the eyes, used in Revelation as the site where seals, marks, or names are inscribed. All eight NT occurrences cluster in Revelation, where the forehead serves as a visible marker of allegiance — either to God (Rev 7:3, 14:1) or to the beast (Rev 13:16, 14:9, 17:5). The consistent rendering across languages (Spanish 'frente,' German 'Stirn,' French 'front') confirms the literal anatomical reference, with symbolic weight supplied by the apocalyptic context rather than any shift in the word's meaning. 8×
AR["جِباهِهِم", "جِباهِهِمْ", "جِبهَتِها", "جِبهَتِهِ", "جِبَاهِهِمْ"]·ben["কপালগুলিতে", "কপালে", "কপালে।", "কপালের"]·DE["Stirn"]·EN["forehead", "foreheads"]·FR["Stirn"]·heb["מִצְחָהּ", "מִצְחָם", "מִצְחוֹ", "מִצְחוֹת", "מִצְחוֹתֵיהֶם"]·HI["माथे", "माथों", "माथों।"]·ID["dahi", "dahi-dahi", "dahi-dahi."]·IT["fronte"]·jav["bathuk", "bathuk-bathukipun", "bathukipun", "palarapan"]·KO["이마", "이마들"]·PT["frontes", "testa", "testas"]·RU["лбах", "лбу", "лоб", "челах", "челах.", "чело"]·ES["frente", "frente,", "frentes"]·SW["paji-la-uso", "paji-la-uso,", "vipaji-vya-nyuso", "vipaji-vya-nyuso."]·TR["alnını", "alnının", "alınlarında", "alınlarının"]·urd["ماتھوں", "پیشانی", "پیشانی-کے", "پیشانیوں"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
μέτωπ-ον, τό, also μέτωπ-ος, ὴ, Refs: (μετά, ὤψ):—properly the space between the eyes Refs 4th c.BC+, brow, forehead, ὁ δὲ προσιόντα [ἤλασεν] μέτωπον ῥινὸς ὑπὲρ πυμάτης Refs 8th c.BC+; χαλάσας τὸ μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; mostly of men, but of a horse in Refs 8th c.BC+; of a boar, Refs 5th c.BC+; of a dog, Refs: in plural, of a single person, Refs 8th c.BC+ __2 metaphorically, γαίας μ., of Etna, Refs…