Lexical Summary nephos: Cloud Original Word: νέφος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cloud. Apparently a primary word; a cloud -- cloud. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. word Definition a mass of clouds, a cloud NASB Translation cloud (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3509: νέφοςνέφος, νέφους (allied with Latinnubes, nebula, etc.), τό, the Sept. for עָב and עָנָן, a cloud; in the N. T. once tropically, a large, dense multitude, a throng: μαρτύρων, Hebrews 12:1; often so in secular authors, as νεφῶν Τροωον, πεζῶν, ψαρων, κολοιων, Homer, Iliad 4, 274; 16, 66; 17, 755; 23, 133; ἀνθρώπων, Herodotus 8, 109; στρουθῶν, Aristophanes av. 578; ἀκρίδων, Diodorus 3, 29; peditum equitumque nubes, Livy 35, 49. Topical Lexicon Biblical Usage The word appears in the New Testament only once, in Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.” (Berean Standard Bible). There it denotes a vast, enveloping mass, employed figuratively for the multitude of faithful saints whose lives testify to God’s faithfulness. Old Testament Background Cloud imagery saturates Scripture: These passages establish the cloud as a sign of God’s nearness, majesty, and covenant faithfulness, preparing the reader for the New Testament’s metaphorical extension in Hebrews. Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts Second-Temple Judaism often viewed righteous ancestors as heavenly witnesses (e.g., Wisdom of Solomon 5:1). Greco-Roman audiences knew the stadium metaphor of onlookers surrounding an athlete. Hebrews merges these settings: exalted saints occupy the heavenly “stands,” cheering present believers toward perseverance. Symbolic Connotations 1. Divine Presence – the cloud that concealed yet revealed God. Theological Significance in Hebrews Hebrews 11 parades Abel through Samuel as examples of persevering faith. The following verse re-imagines them as a “great cloud,” intensifying the exhortation to: The imagery transforms biography into living exhortation, emphasizing continuity between past and present believers and underscoring God’s unbroken redemptive plan. Practical Ministry Application • Encouragement – Congregations facing opposition recall that they are not alone; generations of believers verify that God sustains. Homiletical Themes 1. “Running the Race Surrounded” – endurance through community. Historical Reception • Chrysostom likened the witnesses to spectators in an arena, urging diligence in the contest of faith. Liturgical and Devotional Use • Hymnody – “For All the Saints” and “Holy, Holy, Holy” echo the motif of the heavenly host. Related New Testament Imagery The Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation employ clouds when describing: Together with Hebrews 12:1, these texts frame clouds as settings where heaven intersects earth, culminating in the ultimate revelation of Christ. Summary Insight Hebrews 12:1 harnesses rich scriptural and cultural resonances to assure believers that they run the race of faith enveloped by a massive, watching company of God’s redeemed. Their testimony, like the pillar-cloud of old, both guides and admonishes, directing eyes to Jesus and energizing perseverance until the finish. Forms and Transliterations νεφέλης νέφη νεφος νέφος νέφους νεφών nephos néphosLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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