Lexical Summary thalassa: Sea Original Word: θάλασσα Strong's Exhaustive Concordance sea. Probably prolonged from hals; the sea (genitive case or specially) -- sea. see GREEK hals NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain origin Definition the sea NASB Translation sea (86), seashore (5). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2281: θάλασσαθάλασσα (cf. Buttmann, 7), θαλάσσης, ἡ (akin to ἅλς (better, allied to ταράσσω etc., from its tossing; cf. Vanicek, p. 303); the Sept. for יָם) (from Homer down), the sea; (on its distinction from πέλαγος see the latter word); a. universally: Matthew 23:15; Mark 11:23; Luke 17:2, 6; Luke 21:25; Romans 9:27; 2 Corinthians 11:26; Hebrews 11:12; James 1:6; Jude 1:13; Revelation 7:1-3, etc.; ἐργάζεσθαι τήν θαλασσην (see ἐργάζομαι, 2 a.), Revelation 18:17; τό πέλαγος τῆς θαλάσσης (see πέλαγος, a.), Matthew 18:6; joined with γῆ and οὐρανός it forms a periphrasis for the whole world, Acts 4:24; Acts 14:15; Revelation 5:13; Revelation 10:6 (L WH brackets); b. specifically used (even without the article, cf. Winers Grammar, 121 (115); Buttmann, § 124, 8b.) of the Mediterranean Sea: Acts 10:6, 32; Acts 17:14; of the Red Sea (see ἐρυθρός), ἡ ἐρυθρᾷ θάλασσα, Acts 7:36; 1 Corinthians 10:1; Hebrews 11:29. By a usage foreign to native Greek writings (cf. Aristotle, meteor. 1, 13, p. 351a, 8 ἡ ὑπό τόν Καυκασον λίμνη ἥν καλοῦσιν οἱ ἐκεῖ θαλατταν, and Hesychius defines λίμνη: ἡ θάλασσα καί ὁ ὠκεανός) employed like the Hebrew יָם (e. g. Numbers 34:11), by Matthew, Mark, and John (nowhere by Luke) of the Lake of Γεννησαρέτ (which see): ἡ θάλασσα τῆς Γαλιλαίας, Matthew 4:18; Matthew 15:29; Mark 1:16; Mark 7:31 (similarly Lake Constance,derBodensee, is called mare Suebicum, the Suabian Sea); τῆς Τιβεριάδος, John 21:1; τῆς Γαλιλαίας τῆς Τιβεριάδος (on which twofold genitive cf. Winers Grammar, § 30, 3 N. 3; (Buttmann, 400 (343))), John 6:1; more frequently simply ἡ θάλασσα: Matthew 4:15, 18; Matthew 8:24, 26f, 32; Matthew 13:1, etc.; Mark 2:13; Mark 3:7; Mark 4:1, 39; Mark 5:13, etc.; John 6:16-19, 22, 25; John 21:7. Cf. Furrer in Schenkel ii. 322ff; (see Γεννησαρέτ). The Greek term θάλασσα designates the vast Mediterranean, the smaller inland Sea of Galilee (also called Gennesaret or Tiberias), and the Red Sea, together shaping the lived geography of the New Testament. Acts 27 records an extended Mediterranean voyage, while John 6 repeatedly calls the Galilean lake “the Sea of Tiberias.” Commerce, travel, fishing, and military movement depended on these waters, so the sea forms a natural backdrop for both narrative and teaching. The Sea of Galilee: Cradle of Discipleship Along this shoreline Jesus called His first followers: “As He was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers... ‘Come, follow Me’ ” (Matthew 4:18; cf. Mark 1:16). Here multitudes pressed Him (Mark 3:7), He taught from a boat (Mark 4:1), and after His resurrection He re-commissioned the disciples (John 21:1–14). The sea thus frames the birth, training, and renewal of apostolic mission. Miracles Demonstrating Messianic Authority 1. Stilling the storm: “Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm” (Matthew 8:26). Each act proclaims that the Creator who “set the earth upon the waters” now stands embodied among His people, and even forces of apparent chaos submit instantly to His word. Teaching from the Seashore The sea serves Christ as a natural amphitheater and illustrative canvas. The parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:47), commands of faith—“say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea’ ” (Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23)—and warnings against stumbling (Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2) all rely on everyday familiarity with the water’s edge. The Sea in Apostolic Missions Luke records that early evangelism radiated outward “as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch” (Acts 11:19), all maritime hubs. Paul’s ministry involved repeated sea travel and peril: “in dangers on the sea” (2 Corinthians 11:26), climaxing in the storm-tossed voyage and shipwreck of Acts 27. The gospel advanced through Roman shipping lanes, fulfilling the promise that the nations “living in darkness” by “the way of the sea” would see a great light (Matthew 4:15-16; Isaiah 9:1-2). Theological Symbolism of the Sea Scripture often portrays the sea as a realm of untamed power or moral instability: Yet the same element becomes a stage for divine deliverance (Hebrews 11:29) and a mirror-smooth “sea of glass” before God’s throne (Revelation 4:6), showing that the Lord both restrains and transforms cosmic disorder. The Sea in Apocalyptic Revelation Judgment scenes target the maritime world: Eschatological enemies rise “out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1), yet the redeemed stand beside “a sea of glass mixed with fire” and sing (Revelation 15:2). Finally, “the sea gave up its dead” (Revelation 20:13), and in the new creation “the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1), indicating the complete removal of chaos and separation. From Red Sea to Baptism: Typological Insights Paul links Israel’s passage through the Red Sea to Christian identity: “all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:2). Hebrews 11:29 celebrates the same crossing as an act of faith. As water walls stood by Israel, so baptism signifies deliverance through union with Christ. Pastoral and Doctrinal Applications • Christ’s sovereignty over physical and spiritual turbulence invites trust amid trials (Matthew 8:27). Future Hope: “No More Sea” Revelation 21:1 promises the abolition of the sea, not the erasure of beauty but of estrangement, danger, and death. The vision culminates the biblical movement from chaotic waters in Genesis, through Christ’s mastery of the Galilean waves, to the serene crystal expanse before God’s throne—assuring believers that every storm will ultimately be stilled in the unveiled presence of the Lamb. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 4:15 N-GFSGRK: Νεφθαλίμ ὁδὸν θαλάσσης πέραν τοῦ NAS: BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND KJV: [by] the way of the sea, beyond INT: of Naphtali way of [the] sea beyond the Matthew 4:18 N-AFS Matthew 4:18 N-AFS Matthew 8:24 N-DFS Matthew 8:26 N-DFS Matthew 8:27 N-NFS Matthew 8:32 N-AFS Matthew 13:1 N-AFS Matthew 13:47 N-AFS Matthew 14:25 N-AFS Matthew 14:26 N-GFS Matthew 15:29 N-AFS Matthew 17:27 N-AFS Matthew 18:6 N-GFS Matthew 21:21 N-AFS Matthew 23:15 N-AFS Mark 1:16 N-AFS Mark 1:16 N-DFS Mark 2:13 N-AFS Mark 3:7 N-AFS Mark 4:1 N-AFS Mark 4:1 N-DFS Mark 4:1 N-AFS Mark 4:39 N-DFS Mark 4:41 N-NFS Strong's Greek 2281 |
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