σῐνᾱπ-ῐ G4615
Mustard; the mustard plant (Sinapis), used by Jesus as a parable image of the kingdom's growth from tiny beginnings.
The Greek word for mustard, referring to the Sinapis plant known for its remarkably small seed that grows into a large shrub. Jesus employs it in two memorable teaching contexts: the parable of the mustard seed illustrating the kingdom of heaven's expansive growth from humble origins (Matt 13:31; Mark 4:31; Luke 13:19), and the saying about faith the size of a mustard seed being sufficient to move mountains or uproot trees (Matt 17:20; Luke 17:6). Every translation — Spanish mostaza, French moutarde, German Senf — reflects this single botanical referent.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The mustard plant (genus Sinapis), referenced exclusively in the genitive ('of mustard') to describe its proverbially tiny seed. All five occurrences fall into two teaching clusters: the kingdom parable (Matt 13:31; Mark 4:31; Luke 13:19) and the faith-as-mustard-seed saying (Matt 17:20; Luke 17:6). The cross-linguistic evidence (Spanish de-mostaza, French moutarde, German Senf) uniformly points to the same well-known Mediterranean plant, confirming a single concrete botanical sense with powerful figurative resonance. 5×
AR["خَردَلٍ", "خَرْدَلٍ"]·ben["সরষের", "সরিষার", "সরিষার,"]·DE["Senf", "σινάπεως"]·EN["of-mustard"]·FR["moutarde"]·heb["חַרְדָּל"]·HI["रअयि-क", "रअयेए-के", "राई", "राई-का", "राई-के"]·ID["sesawi", "sesawi,"]·IT["senape"]·jav["sawi", "sawi,", "sesawi,"]·KO["겨자의"]·PT["de-mostarda", "de-mostarda,"]·RU["горчицы", "горчичное", "горчичному"]·ES["de-mostaza"]·SW["-ya-haradali", "ya-haradali", "ya-haradali,"]·TR["hardal", "hardalın", "hardalın,"]·urd["رائی", "رائی-کا", "رائی-کے"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)G1135 1. woman, adult female (190×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)H2145 1. male (human being) (79×)G3384 1. mother (77×)H6485a 1. Qal passive participle: numbered ones, enrollment (76×)H1397 1. man (strong/mighty) (65×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σῐνᾱπ-ῐ, τό, Refs 4th c.BC+; genitive εως NT+2nd c.BC+; ιος Refs 3rd c.BC+; ις Refs 4th c.AD+; dative ι Refs 2nd c.AD+; also σίνᾱπυ, Refs 3rd c.BC+; genitive υος Refs 2nd c.AD+; σίνηπι, Refs 1st c.AD+; genitive εως Refs 3rd c.BC+; ιος Refs 2nd c.AD+; σίνηπυ, Refs 2nd c.BC+; also σίνηπυς, accusative υν, ὁ, Refs 2nd c.BC+, and σίνᾱπις, ἡ, Herod.middle in Refs:— mustard, Sinapis alba:—in early Attic…