πτέρυξ G4420
Wing; the wing of a bird or winged creature, used literally and figuratively for divine protection and shelter.
A noun meaning wing, derived from πτερόν (feather). In the NT it appears in two vivid contexts. Jesus laments over Jerusalem: 'How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings' (Matt 23:37; Luke 13:34) — an image of tender, protective sheltering drawn from the Hebrew Bible's 'wings of God' motif. In Revelation, wings appear on the four living creatures (4:8, each with six wings) and on the great eagle whose wings carry the woman to safety (12:14). The Spanish 'alas,' French 'aile,' and German 'Flügel' all denote the literal wing, though the protective-shelter metaphor is distinctly Semitic.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A wing — the limb of a bird or winged creature, carrying both literal and figurative force. The two Gospel uses (Matt 23:37; Luke 13:34) draw on the rich OT image of divine wings as shelter (cf. Ps 91:4, Ruth 2:12): Jesus pictures himself as a mother bird gathering chicks under protective wings. In Revelation, wings signal the awesome otherness of heavenly beings — the four living creatures have six wings each (Rev 4:8, echoing Isaiah's seraphim), and the flying locusts' wings roar like chariots (Rev 9:9). Revelation 12:14 gives the persecuted woman 'the two wings of a great eagle' for escape, recalling Exod 19:4. The Spanish 'alas' and French 'aile' are straightforward, while the German 'Flügel' also serves for piano keys and building annexes — a reminder of how metaphorical wing-language is across cultures. 5×
AR["-ال", "أَجْنِحَةً", "أَجْنِحَتِهَا", "جَناحَيها", "جَنَاحَيْهَا"]·ben["ডানা", "ডানাগুলির", "ডানার"]·DE["Fluegel", "πτέρυγας"]·EN["wings"]·FR["aile"]·heb["כְּנָפֶיהָ", "כְּנָפַיִם", "כַּנְפֵי", "כַּנְפֵיהֶם"]·HI["पंख", "पंखों"]·ID["sayap", "sayap-sayap", "sayap-sayapnya"]·IT["pterugas", "pteruges", "pterugōn"]·jav["swiwi", "swiwinipun"]·KO["날개들", "날개들-을", "날개들-의", "날개들이"]·PT["asas"]·RU["крыла", "крыльев", "крылья"]·ES["alas"]·SW["mabawa", "na"]·TR["altı", "kanatları", "kanatlarının"]·urd["پر", "پروں"]
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
πτέρυξ (πτερύξ Refs 3rd c.BC+, ῠγος, ἡ: Epic dialect dative plural πτερύγεσσι: (πτερόν):—wing of a bird, Refs 8th c.BC+; λευκὴ πτεροῖσι, πλὴν.. ἄκρων τῶν πτερύγων white in its plumage, save.. the tips of the wings, of the ibis, Refs 5th c.BC+; of Eros and Nike, Refs 4th c.BC+ 'trying your wings', Refs 4th c.AD+ __2 winged creature, bird, Refs 4th c.AD+ __3 flight, augury, omen, ποίων (i.e.…