3200. membrana

Lexical Summary

membrana: Parchment

Original Word: μεμβράνα
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: membrana
Pronunciation: mem-BRAH-nah
Phonetic Spelling: (mem-bran'-ah)
KJV: parchment
NASB: parchments
Word Origin: [of Latin origin ("membrane")]

1. a (written) sheep-skin

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

parchment.

Of Latin origin ("membrane"); a (written) sheep-skin -- parchment.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of Latin origin
Definition
parchment
NASB Translation
parchments (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3200: μεμβράνα

μεμβράνα (Sophocles' Lexicon, μεμβράνα; cf. Chandler § 136), μεμβράνας (Buttmann, 17 (15)), ἡ, Latinmembrana, i. e. parchment, first made of dressed skins at Pergamum, whence its name: 2 Timothy 4:13 (Act. Barnabas, 6 at the end Cf. Birt, Antikes Buchwesen, chapter ii.; Gardthausen, Palacographie, p. 39f).

Topical Lexicon

Occurrence and Immediate Context

2 Timothy 4:13 records Paul’s lone use of μεμβράνας: “When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus at Troas, along with the scrolls, especially the parchments.”. Penned from his final Roman imprisonment, the request is tucked between urgent ministry instructions (2 Timothy 4:9-12, 4:14-18). It follows Paul’s charge to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2) and precedes his testimony, “I have fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7). The placement highlights the parchments as strategic tools, not casual comforts, in the closing moments of an apostle’s life.

Parchments in the Ancient World

• Parchment—animal skin processed into a durable writing surface—was costlier than common papyrus yet resistant to moisture and decay.
• By the first century, major urban centers (Pergamum especially) refined its manufacture, enabling scrolls and the emerging codex form.
• Durability made parchment ideal for treasured or frequently handled texts: legal deeds, correspondence of importance, and sacred writings.

Paul’s Commitment to Written Truth

1. STUDY AND DEVOTION: Though near martyrdom, Paul longs for resources conducive to meditation, teaching, and personal worship. As Ezra “set his heart to study the Law of the LORD and to practice it” (Ezra 7:10), so the apostle keeps study materials at hand until death.
2. TEACHING THE CHURCHES: Timothy is charged to “entrust to faithful men” what he has heard from Paul (2 Timothy 2:2). The parchments almost certainly aided accuracy in that transmission.
3. DEFENSE OF THE FAITH: A formal trial looms (2 Timothy 4:16). Written documents—citizenship papers, legal precedents, or notes of prior testimony—could prove vital.

Possible Contents of the Parchments

While Scripture is silent on precise content, several possibilities emerge:
• Old Testament portions copied for preaching in synagogues and house churches (Acts 17:2-3).
• Early testimonia—collections of messianic prophecies—used to prove Jesus is the Christ.
• Drafts or copies of Paul’s own letters, safeguarding them from confiscation or deterioration.
• Legal certificates or personal records essential for travel and trial.

Continuity with Biblical Preservation

From God’s command to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book” (Exodus 17:14), to Jeremiah’s scroll (Jeremiah 36) and Jesus reading Isaiah (Luke 4:17), Scripture portrays written revelation as a divine mandate. Paul’s request links New Testament apostles to that same stream of stewardship, anchoring Christian faith not in oral tradition alone but in durable, transmissible documents.

Ministry Significance

• VALUE OF RESOURCES: The single mention of μεμβράνας underscores that faithful servants employ every physical aid to advance eternal truth.
• STEWARDSHIP TILL THE END: Even on the brink of execution, Paul refuses intellectual or spiritual retreat. Retirement from study is foreign to apostolic example.
• PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL: Timothy’s courier role illustrates how lesser-known believers (Carpus, Luke, Mark) facilitate the spread and preservation of Scripture.

Applications for the Contemporary Church

1. Invest in quality Bibles and reference works; their longevity serves future generations.
2. Maintain disciplined reading and study habits throughout life stages.
3. Preserve and transmit doctrinally sound materials with care equal to Paul’s concern.
4. Encourage collaboration—writers, couriers, archivists—in safeguarding the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

Summary

Strong’s Greek 3200, though appearing only once, magnifies Scripture’s durability, the scholar-missionary heart of Paul, and the providential means by which the written word has reached today’s church. Parchments mattered to an apostle facing death; they should matter no less to believers charged with proclaiming and preserving God’s truth.

Forms and Transliterations

μεμβρανας μεμβράνας membranas membránas

Englishman's Concordance

2 Timothy 4:13 N-AFP
GRK: μάλιστα τὰς μεμβράνας
NAS: especially the parchments.
KJV: [but] especially the parchments.
INT: especially the parchments

Strong's Greek 3200
1 Occurrence

μεμβράνας — 1 Occ.