1501. eikosi

Lexical Summary

eikosi: Twenty

Original Word: εἴκοσι
Part of Speech: Indeclinable Numeral (Adjective)
Transliteration: eikosi
Pronunciation: AY-koh-see
Phonetic Spelling: (i'-kos-ee)
KJV: twenty
NASB: twenty
Word Origin: [of uncertain affinity]

1. a score

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

twenty.

Of uncertain affinity; a score -- twenty.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
twenty
NASB Translation
three* (1), twenty (3), twenty-four* (6), twenty-three* (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1501: εἴκοσι

εἴκοσι (or εἴκοσιν; Tdf. uses εἴκοσι ten times before a consonant, and says εἴκοσι "etiam ante vocalem fere semper in manuscripts antiquiss." Proleg., p. 98; WH everywhere εἴκοσι. cf. their Appendix, p. 148; Buttmann, 9), οἱ, αἱ, τά, twenty: Luke 14:31; Acts 1:15, etc. (From Homer down.)

Topical Lexicon

Numerical Perspective

Twenty marks the second complete grouping of ten, conveying fullness intensified rather than merely repeated. Scripture frequently links the number with maturity of responsibility (Numbers 1:3; 1 Chronicles 23:24) and completed waiting (Genesis 31:41). Multiples of twenty—such as one hundred twenty and twenty-four—carry these ideas forward, strengthening themes of readiness for service and divinely ordered completeness.

Old Testament Background

• Age of service: Levy enrolment and military mustering begin at twenty, underscoring preparedness for covenant duty (Numbers 1:3; 1 Chronicles 23:24).
• Redemption valuation: The tabernacle shekel set ransom figures from twenty years upward (Exodus 30:11-16), wedding numerical accountability to spiritual atonement.
• Cycles of expectation: Jacob’s twenty years under Laban (Genesis 31:38-41) and Israel’s twenty-year oppression by Jabin (Judges 4:3) illustrate prolonged testing that ends in deliverance.

New Testament Narrative Usage

Luke 14:31 employs twenty thousand to magnify the gap between human strength and necessary prudence: “Or what king… will not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” The contrast invites sober spiritual calculation before discipleship.

John 6:19 records “about twenty-five or thirty stadia,” grounding the miracle of Jesus walking on the sea in measurable space and affirming historical reliability.

Acts 1:15 notes “about one hundred twenty” gathered in the upper room, a multiple of twelve (governmental fullness) and ten (completeness), preparing for Spirit-empowered witness that will expand worldwide.

Maritime and Geographical Contexts

Acts 27:28 presents precise nautical soundings—“they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms”—demonstrating Luke’s care for detail and God’s providence amid peril. Quantifiable depth testifies that divine oversight extends to the minutiae of voyage and vocation.

Apostolic Teaching

Paul recalls Israel’s wilderness judgment: “And in one day twenty-three thousand of them died” (1 Corinthians 10:8). The rounded figure emphasizes the severity of sin while warning the church against presumption. The citation underscores continuity between covenant eras: the God who judged idolatry then still calls for holiness now.

Apocalyptic Vision of the Twenty-Four Elders

Revelation concentrates the term in its portrayal of celestial worship:
• Revelation 4:4, 4:10; 5:8; 11:16; 19:4 repeatedly spotlight “the twenty-four elders” encircling God’s throne. Twenty-four (twelve tribes + twelve apostles) images the integrated people of God, testifying that heavenly worship is offered by the entirety of redeemed humanity.
• Their actions—seated, crowned, falling in adoration, offering prayers—demonstrate that perfected authority is exercised through worshipful surrender, not self-assertion.

Thematic Reflections

1. Mature Readiness: Whether age requirements in Israel or the measured commitment of disciples, twenty points to the threshold where accountability deepens.
2. Reliable Testimony: Numeric precision in Luke, John, and Acts reinforces historical confidence—faith rests on facts, not myths.
3. Judgment and Mercy: Twenty-three thousand deaths in Corinthian warning and twenty-four elders in Revelation keep judgment and worship in balance, urging holy fear and expectant praise.
4. Unity of the Covenants: The elders’ composite number joins patriarchal Israel and apostolic church, illustrating that God’s redemptive plan is one cohesive tapestry.

Application for Church Life and Ministry

• Leadership Training: Elders and young adults alike should recognize that reaching “twenty” in spiritual terms means readiness to shoulder sacrificial service.
• Worship Design: Liturgies that echo Revelation’s throne-room scenes foster a God-centered focus, reminding congregations that earthly gatherings participate in a larger heavenly chorus.
• Discipleship Metrics: While faithfulness defies mere numbers, the biblical use of twenty encourages measurable goals—whether souls reached, needs met, or workers equipped—so long as statistics serve, not supplant, spiritual vitality.

Summary

Strong’s 1501 threads through narrative, teaching, and prophecy to portray completeness, accountability, and consummated praise. From sounding lines in the Mediterranean to prostrations before the throne, “twenty” quietly underscores that every detail—temporal or eternal—falls under the purposeful sovereignty of God.

Forms and Transliterations

εικοσι είκοσι εἴκοσι έικοσι εικοσιδύο εικοσιείς εικοσιεννέα εικοσιέξ εικοσιεπτά είκοσιν έικοσιν εικοσιοκτώ εικοσιπέντε είκοσιπέντε εικοσιτεσσαρες εικοσιτέσσαρες εικοσιτρείς εικοστή εικοστος εικοστός εικοστού εικοστώ χιλιάδων chiliadon chiliadōn eikosi eíkosi

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 14:31 Adj-NMP
GRK: τῷ μετὰ εἴκοσι χιλιάδων ἐρχομένῳ
NAS: against him with twenty thousand?
KJV: him with twenty thousand?
INT: the [one] with twenty thousand who comes

John 6:19 Adj-NMP
GRK: ὡς σταδίους εἴκοσι πέντε ἢ
NAS: about three or
KJV: about five and twenty or thirty
INT: about furlongs twenty five or

Acts 1:15 Adj-NMP
GRK: ὡσεὶ ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι
NAS: one hundred and twenty persons
KJV: about an hundred and twenty,)
INT: about a hundred [and] twenty

Acts 27:28 Adj-NMP
GRK: εὗρον ὀργυιὰς εἴκοσι βραχὺ δὲ
NAS: and found [it to be] twenty fathoms;
KJV: and found [it] twenty fathoms:
INT: they found fathoms twenty a little moreover

1 Corinthians 10:8 Adj-NMP
GRK: μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ εἴκοσι τρεῖς χιλιάδες
NAS: of them did, and twenty-three thousand
KJV: day three and twenty thousand.
INT: in one day twenty three thousand

Revelation 4:4 Adj-NMP
GRK: θρόνου θρόνους εἴκοσι τέσσαρες καὶ
NAS: the throne [were] twenty-four thrones;
KJV: [were] four and twenty seats: and
INT: throne thrones twenty four and

Revelation 4:4 Adj-AMP
GRK: τοὺς θρόνους εἴκοσι τέσσαρας πρεσβυτέρους
NAS: and upon the thrones [I saw] twenty-four elders
KJV: four and twenty elders sitting,
INT: the thrones twenty four elders

Revelation 4:10 Adj-NMP
GRK: πεσοῦνται οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι
NAS: the twenty-four elders will fall down
KJV: The four and twenty elders fall down
INT: will fall the twenty four elders

Revelation 5:8 Adj-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι
NAS: living creatures and the twenty-four elders
KJV: and four [and] twenty elders fell down
INT: and the twenty four elders

Revelation 11:16 Adj-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι
NAS: And the twenty-four elders, who sit
KJV: the four and twenty elders, which
INT: And the twenty four elders

Revelation 19:4 Adj-NMP
GRK: πρεσβύτεροι οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες καὶ
NAS: And the twenty-four elders
KJV: the four and twenty elders and
INT: elders twenty four and

Strong's Greek 1501
11 Occurrences

εἴκοσι — 11 Occ.