πίναξ G4094
Platter, dish; a flat serving vessel, notably the dish on which John the Baptist's head was presented.
A noun meaning platter or dish — a flat serving vessel used for presenting food. In the NT, it carries dark associations: four of its five occurrences relate to the grisly request for John the Baptist's head 'on a platter' (Matt 14:8, 11; Mark 6:25, 28). This macabre image transforms an ordinary banquet item into a symbol of Herod's reckless oath and Herodias's vengeful cruelty. Luke 11:39 uses it in Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees, who clean the outside of the 'dish' while neglecting inner righteousness. The Spanish 'bandeja/plato' and French 'plat' all denote a flat serving dish.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A platter or large flat dish used for serving food. The lexicon traces it from Homeric trenchers to decorated serving plates, but its NT usage is dominated by one harrowing scene: Salome's request for the head of John the Baptist 'on a platter' (ἐπὶ πίνακι, Matt 14:8, 11; Mark 6:25, 28). What should be an ordinary banquet utensil becomes an instrument of horror, underscoring Herod's moral collapse. The fifth occurrence (Luke 11:39) shifts to Jesus' parable of hypocrisy: Pharisees scour the outside of the πίναξ and cup while leaving their inner selves full of greed. The Spanish 'bandeja' (tray) and 'plato' (plate), French 'plat,' and German 'Schüssel' (bowl/dish) all confirm the domestic, tableware sense. 5×
AR["الصَّحْنِ", "طَبَقٍ"]·ben["থালায়", "থালার"]·DE["Schuessel", "πίνακι", "πίνακος"]·EN["a-platter", "dish", "platter"]·FR["plat"]·heb["מַגָּשׁ", "צַלַּחַת", "קְעָרָה"]·HI["और", "का", "थलि", "थाली"]·ID["pinggan", "piring"]·IT["piatto"]·jav["piring", "talam,", "tampah", "tampah,"]·KO["쟁반에", "접시", "접시,", "접시의"]·PT["um-prato"]·RU["блюда", "блюде"]·ES["bandeja", "plato"]·SW["sahani", "sinia"]·TR["tabağın", "tepsi", "tepside"]·urd["تھال-میں", "تھالی"]
Related Senses
H2719 1. sword, weapon of war (410×)H4196 1. altar (place of sacrifice) (403×)H7393 1. chariot, chariotry (117×)H7198 1. bow (weapon) (72×)H7979 1. table (71×)H7782 1. ram's horn trumpet (69×)H4294 2. staff, rod, scepter (63×)H4043 1. shield, defensive weapon (60×)H0646 1. ephod (priestly garment) (49×)H8504 1. blue (violet-blue yarn/fabric) (49×)H2595 1. spear, lance (48×)H2671 1. arrow, projectile weapon (46×)H4818 1. chariot, war-chariot (44×)H3658 1. lyre, harp (stringed instrument) (42×)H1537 1. Gilgal (place name) (41×)H0713 1. purple (fabric/dye) (38×)H0905 3. poles, staves (37×)H7392 1. Qal participle: rider, charioteer (37×)H4501 1. cultic lampstand (menorah) (36×)H0212 1. wheel (35×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πίναξ [ῐ], ᾰκος, ὁ, board, plank, πίνακάς τε νεῶν Refs 8th c.BC+, compare πινακηδό; πίνακος κουρά sawdust, Refs 5th c.AD+ __1 drawing- or writing-tablet, ={δέλτος}, γράψας ἐν π. πτυκτῷ Refs 8th c.BC+; of a votive tablet hung on the image of a god, Refs 4th c.BC+; Πίνακες tables or catalogues of authors, name of a work by Callimachus, Refs 2nd c.AD+; lists of philosophers, Refs 1st c.BC+ __2…