σινδών G4616
A fine linen cloth used as a garment or wrapping; in burial contexts, the linen shroud in which a body is wound for entombment.
Sindon refers to a piece of fine linen fabric — the kind prized in the ancient Mediterranean for its quality and versatility. Mark's Gospel uses it twice in one scene: the mysterious young man in Gethsemane who fled naked, leaving his sindon behind (Mark 14:51-52). But the word's most solemn appearance is in the burial of Jesus, where Joseph of Arimathea purchases a sindon and wraps the body in it (Matt 27:59; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53). Spanish 'sabana' and French 'linceul' both point to its sheet-like character, while German 'Leinentuch' underscores the linen material itself.
Senses
1. linen cloth, wrapping sheet — A piece of linen cloth worn loosely around the body as a garment or simple wrapping. In Mark 14:51-52, the young man in Gethsemane has nothing on but a sindon thrown over his naked body — when seized, he abandons it and flees. The same word appears in Mark 15:46 for the cloth Joseph buys, before it becomes a burial shroud. Translations across languages — Spanish 'sabana,' French 'linceul,' German 'Leinentuch' — emphasize its sheet-like quality, distinguishing it from tailored garments. 4×
AR["إِزَارًا", "إِزَارَ", "إِزَارِ"]·ben["চাদর", "চাদরে"]·DE["Leinentuch"]·EN["a-linen-cloth", "linen-cloth"]·FR["linceul"]·heb["סָדִין"]·HI["चादर", "चादर-में"]·ID["kain-linen"]·IT["lino"]·jav["kain-lena"]·KO["베로", "베를"]·PT["lençol"]·RU["в-покрывало", "плащаницей", "плащаницу", "покрывало"]·ES["en-sábana", "sábana"]·SW["shuka"]·TR["keten-bez", "keten-beze", "keten-örtü", "keten-örtüyü"]·urd["چادر", "کفن"]
2. linen (burial wrapping material) — Fine linen fabric used specifically as a burial shroud for wrapping a corpse before entombment. In Matt 27:59 and Luke 23:53, sindon denotes the clean linen in which Jesus' body was reverently wound. While materially identical to sense 1, the burial context gives this usage a distinct solemnity. The Synoptic tradition consistently reaches for sindon rather than othonion (the strips John mentions), suggesting a single large sheet rather than multiple bandages — a detail that multilingual glosses preserve uniformly. 2×
AR["بِكَتّانٍ", "كتَّانٍ"]·ben["σινδόνι-কাপড়ে", "মসিনায়"]·DE["σινδόνι"]·EN["in-linen", "linen"]·FR["linceul"]·heb["בְּסָדִין", "תַכְרִיךְ"]·HI["कफन", "मलमल-में"]·ID["kain-kafan", "kain-linen"]·IT["lino"]·jav["kain-mori", "mori"]·KO["세마포", "세마포로"]·PT["lençol"]·RU["плащаницей", "плащаницу"]·ES["en-sábana", "sábana"]·SW["kwa", "sanda"]·TR["kefene", "keten-bez"]·urd["کفن-میں"]
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
σινδών, όνος, ἡ (ὁ, Refs 4th c.BC+, fine cloth, usually linen, Refs 5th c.BC+; σ. βυσσίνης τελαμῶνες, used for mummies, Refs 5th c.BC+; of surgeons' bandages, Refs 4th c.BC+ __2 anything made of such cloth, garment of linen (sometimes muslin), Refs 4th c.BC+; ἐν εὐτελεῖ σ. Refs 1st c.AD+; napkin, Refs 4th c.AD+; ship's sail, Refs 5th c.BC+; flag, standard, Refs 2nd c.BC+; cloth or sheet, σ.…