1491. eidos

Lexicon

eidos: Form, appearance, sight, kind

Original Word: εἶδος
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: eidos
Pronunciation: AY-dos
Phonetic Spelling: (i'-dos)
Definition: Form, appearance, sight, kind
Meaning: visible form, shape, appearance, outward show, kind, species, class.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

appearance, fashion, shape, sight.

From eido; a view, i.e. Form (literally or figuratively) -- appearance, fashion, shape, sight.

see GREEK eido

HELPS Word-studies

1491 eídos (a neuter noun derived from 1492 /eídō, "to see, apprehend") – properly, the sight (i.e. of something exposed, observable), especially its outward appearance or shape (J. Thayer). 1491 (eídos) emphasizes "what is physically seen" (BAGD) before mentally or spiritually apprehended. See 1492 (eidō, oida).

Example: 1491 /eídos ("visible appearance") refers to the outward form taken on by each of the three Persons of the tri-personal God: a) the Holy Spirit in Lk 3:22: "And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove"; b) Jesus, in Lk 9:29: "And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming"; and c) the Father, in Jn 5:37: "You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form."

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1491: εἶδος

εἶδος, εἴδους, τό (ἘΙΔΩ), in the Sept. chiefly for מַרְאֶה and תֹּאַר; properly, that which strikes the eye, which is exposed to view;

1. the external oppearance, form, figure, shape, (so from Homer down): John 5:37; σωματικῷ εἴδει, Luke 3:22; τό εἶδος τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, Luke 9:29; διά εἴδους, as encompassed with the visible appearance (of eternal things) (see διά, A. I. 2), 2 Corinthians 5:7, — commonly explained, by sight i. e. beholding (Luth.:im Schauen); but no example has yet been adduced from any Greek writings in which εἶδος is used actively, like the Latin species, of vision; (στόμα κατά στόμα, ἐν εἴδει, καί οὐ δἰ ὁραμάτων καί ἐνυπνίων, Clement. homil. 17, 18; cf. Numbers 12:8 the Sept.).

2. form, kind: ἀπό παντός εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε, i. e. from every kind of evil or wrong, 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (cf.πονηρός, under the end); (Josephus, Antiquities 10, 3, 1 πᾶν εἶδος πονηρίας. The Greeks, especially Plato, oppose τό εἶδος to τό γένος, as the Latin does species to genus. Cf. Schmidt, chapter 182, 2).

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb εἴδω (eidō), meaning "to see" or "to know."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The concept of "form" or "appearance" in the Hebrew Bible is often expressed by words such as תָּבְנִית (tabnith • Strong's Hebrew 8403) and מַרְאֶה (mar'eh • Strong's Hebrew 4758), which similarly denote shape, form, or appearance. These terms are used in contexts that describe the physical form of objects or visions, paralleling the Greek εἶδος in its emphasis on visible aspects.

Usage: The word εἶδος is used in the New Testament to describe the outward appearance or form of something, often in a context that contrasts the visible with the invisible or the external with the internal.

Context: The Greek word εἶδος appears in several key passages in the New Testament, each highlighting different aspects of its meaning. In Luke 3:22, εἶδος is used to describe the "bodily form" of the Holy Spirit descending like a dove at Jesus' baptism: "and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove." This usage emphasizes the visible manifestation of the Spirit, which was perceptible to those present.

In John 5:37, Jesus speaks of the Father's voice and form, stating, "You have never heard His voice nor seen His form." Here, εἶδος underscores the idea that God's true essence and appearance are beyond human perception, contrasting the physical with the spiritual.

Another significant usage is found in 2 Corinthians 5:7, where Paul writes, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." Although εἶδος is not directly used in this verse, the concept of relying on faith rather than visible forms is a recurring theme in the New Testament, reflecting the deeper spiritual reality that transcends physical appearances.

The term εἶδος also appears in 1 Thessalonians 5:22, where Paul advises believers to "abstain from every form of evil." Here, εἶδος is used to denote the various manifestations or appearances of evil, urging Christians to avoid not only evil itself but also anything that might resemble or suggest it.

Overall, εἶδος in the New Testament serves to highlight the distinction between the visible and the invisible, the external and the internal, and the physical and the spiritual. It calls believers to look beyond mere appearances and to discern the true nature of things through faith and spiritual insight.

Forms and Transliterations

ειδει είδει εἴδει είδεσι είδη είδον ειδος ειδός είδος εἶδος ειδους είδους εἴδους eidei eídei eidos eîdos eidous eídous

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 3:22 N-DNS
GRK: ἅγιον σωματικῷ εἴδει ὡς περιστερὰν
NAS: upon Him in bodily form like
KJV: in a bodily shape like
INT: Holy in a bodily form as a dove

Luke 9:29 N-NNS
GRK: αὐτὸν τὸ εἶδος τοῦ προσώπου
NAS: He was praying, the appearance of His face
KJV: prayed, the fashion of his
INT: he the appearance of the face

John 5:37 N-ANS
GRK: ἀκηκόατε οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε
NAS: nor seen His form.
KJV: seen his shape.
INT: have you heard nor form of him have you seen

2 Corinthians 5:7 N-GNS
GRK: οὐ διὰ εἴδους
NAS: for we walk by faith, not by sight--
KJV: not by sight:)
INT: not by sight

1 Thessalonians 5:22 N-GNS
GRK: ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε
NAS: abstain from every form of evil.
KJV: from all appearance of evil.
INT: from every form of evil abstain

Strong's Greek 1491
5 Occurrences

εἴδει — 1 Occ.
εἶδος — 2 Occ.
εἴδους — 2 Occ.