νῆσος G3520
Island; a body of land surrounded by water, used in Acts for Mediterranean islands and in Revelation for eschatological upheaval.
The standard Greek word for an island, appearing in the NT primarily in Acts during Paul's Mediterranean voyages and in Revelation's apocalyptic visions. Luke names specific islands -- Cyprus (Acts 13:6), Malta (Acts 28:1) -- as concrete waypoints in the early church's geographical expansion. In Revelation, islands become symbols of cosmic instability: 'every island fled away' (Rev 6:14; 16:20), depicting creation's dissolution before God's judgment. The German and French renderings ('Insel,' 'ile') are straightforwardly geographic.
Senses
1. island — A landmass surrounded by water. In Acts, the term anchors the narrative geographically as Paul sails among Mediterranean islands: the ship must run aground on 'some island' (Acts 27:26), identified as Malta (Acts 28:1), where the chief official Publius hosts them (Acts 28:7). Spanish 'isla,' French 'ile,' and German 'Insel' all render it as a plain geographic feature. In Revelation, however, the word takes on eschatological force: islands flee from God's presence (Rev 6:14; 16:20), signaling that even the most stable features of creation cannot withstand divine judgment. 9×
AR["الجَزيرَةِ", "جَزيرَةٍ", "جَزيرَةُ", "جَزيرَةِ", "جَزِيرَةٍ"]·ben["দ্বীপ", "দ্বীপে", "দ্বীপের"]·DE["Insel", "νήσου", "νήσῳ", "νῆσον", "νῆσος"]·EN["an-island", "island"]·FR["Insel", "île"]·heb["אִי", "הָאִי"]·HI["टापू", "टापू,", "टापूकी,", "द्वीप"]·ID["pulau", "pulau,"]·IT["isola", "nēsos", "nēsō"]·jav["pulo", "pulo,"]·KO["섬", "섬-의", "섬-이", "섬에", "섬에서", "섬을", "섬이"]·PT["ilha", "ilha,"]·RU["остров", "острова,", "острове", "острове,"]·ES["isla"]·SW["kisiwa", "kisiwa,"]·TR["-o", "ada", "adaya", "adayı", "ağırlayarak", "deniliyordu", "olan", "İskenderiyeli"]·urd["جزیرہ", "جزیرے", "جزیرے-میں"]
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
νῆσος, Doric dialect νᾶσος, ἡ, island, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐν τᾷ μεγάλᾳ Δωρίδι νάσῳ Πέλοπος, i.e. the Peloponnese, Refs 5th c.BC+; μακάρων νῆσοι, see at {μάκα; αἱ ν}. the islands of the Archipelago, Refs 5th c.BC+; καὶ πῶς γυνὴ.. νῆσον ἀμφιέννυτα; Refs 4th c.BC+: irregular genitive plural νησάων Refs 3rd c.BC+ __2 land flooded by the Nile, Refs 3rd c.BC+; opposed to ἤπειρος, Refs 2nd c.AD+; νῆσοι ποταμοφόρητοι Refs 2nd c.AD+; so of alluvial land in Refs