3751. osphus

Lexicon

osphus: Loins, waist

Original Word: ὀσφύς
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: osphus
Pronunciation: os-foos'
Phonetic Spelling: (os-foos')
Definition: Loins, waist
Meaning: the loins.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

loin.

Of uncertain affinity; the loin (externally), i.e. The hip; internally (by extension) procreative power -- loin.

HELPS Word-studies

3751 osphýs – properly, the hip (reproductive area); used figuratively in 1 Pet 1:13 of the "reproductive" (creative) capacity of the renewed mind (cf. Ro 12:1-3).

[3751 (osphýs) is "the seat of generative power (Heb 7:5,10, Abbott-Smith). "To smite the loins" referred to a fatal blow – "forever ending" anything that would (could) come from the slain.]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
the loin
NASB Translation
descendants* (1), descended* (1), loins (2), waist (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3751: ὀσφύς

ὀσφύς (or ὀσφύς, so R Tr in Ephesians 6:14; G in Matthew 3:4; cf. Chandler §§ 658, 659; Tdf. Proleg., p. 101), ὀσφύος, ἡ, from Aeschylus and Herodotus down;

1. the hip (loin), as that part of the body where the ζώνη was worn (the Sept. for מָתְנַיִם): Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6; hence, περιζωννυσθαι τάς ὀσφύας, to gird, gird about, the loins, Luke 12:35; Ephesians 6:14; and ἀναζωννυσθαι τάς ὀσφύας (to gird up the loins), 1 Peter 1:13; on the meaning of these metaphorical, phrases see ἀναζώννυμι.

2. a loin, the Sept. several times for חֲלָצַיִם, the (two) loins, where the Hebrews thought the generative power (semen) resided (?); hence, καρπός τῆς ὀσφύος, fruit of the loins, offspring, Acts 2:30 (see καρπός, 1 at the end); ἐξέρχεσθαι ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος τίνος, to come forth out of one's loins i. e. derive one's origin or descent from one, Hebrews 7:5 (see ἐξέρχομαι, 2 b.); ἔτι ἐν τῇ ὀσφύϊ τίνος, to be yet in the loins of someone (an ancestor), Hebrews 7:10.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the base of ὀσφύω (osphýō), which is not used in the New Testament but relates to the concept of the loins or waist.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • H2504 (חֲלָצַיִם, chalatsayim): Refers to the loins or hips, often used in contexts of strength or readiness.
• H4975 (מָתְנַיִם, mothnayim): Another term for loins, frequently used in the Hebrew Bible to denote the area of the waist or the seat of strength and procreation.

These Hebrew terms share a similar conceptual framework with the Greek ὀσφύς, emphasizing the loins as a symbol of strength, readiness, and generational continuity.

Usage: The word ὀσφύς appears in the New Testament in contexts that emphasize readiness or the seat of strength. It is used both literally and figuratively.

Context: The Greek term ὀσφύς is primarily used in the New Testament to denote the loins, a part of the body associated with strength and procreation. In ancient times, the loins were considered the center of physical power and vitality. This term appears in several key passages, often in metaphorical contexts.

In Ephesians 6:14, the Apostle Paul instructs believers to "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist," using the imagery of girding one's loins to convey the idea of being prepared and ready for spiritual battle. The loins, in this sense, symbolize readiness and the foundational strength provided by truth.

In 1 Peter 1:13, the exhortation to "gird up the loins of your mind" (BSB) uses the metaphor of loins to encourage mental preparedness and alertness, drawing on the cultural understanding of the loins as a source of strength and readiness.

The concept of the loins is also linked to procreation and lineage, as seen in Hebrews 7:10, where Levi is said to have been "still in the loins of his ancestor" when Melchizedek met Abraham. This reflects the biblical view of the loins as the seat of generational continuity and heritage.

Forms and Transliterations

οσφυας οσφυάς οσφύας ὀσφύας οσφυες οσφύες ὀσφύες οσφυι οσφυϊ οσφύϊ ὀσφύϊ οσφυν οσφύν ὀσφὺν οσφυος οσφύος ὀσφύος οσφύς οσφύων osphuas osphues osphui osphun osphuos osphyas osphýas osphyes osphýes osphýï osphyn osphỳn osphyos osphýos

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 3:4 N-AFS
GRK: περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ ἡ
NAS: around his waist; and his food
KJV: about his loins; and his
INT: about the waist of him

Mark 1:6 N-AFS
GRK: περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ καὶ
NAS: around his waist, and his diet
KJV: about his loins; and he did eat
INT: about the waist of him and

Luke 12:35 N-NFP
GRK: ὑμῶν αἱ ὀσφύες περιεζωσμέναι καὶ
KJV: Let your loins be girded about,
INT: your waist girded about and

Acts 2:30 N-GFS
GRK: καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ καθίσαι
KJV: of his loins, according to
INT: fruit of the loins of him to sit

Ephesians 6:14 N-AFS
GRK: περιζωσάμενοι τὴν ὀσφὺν ὑμῶν ἐν
NAS: HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH,
KJV: having your loins girt about with
INT: having fastened about the loins of you with

Hebrews 7:5 N-GFS
GRK: ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος Ἀβραάμ
KJV: they come out of the loins of Abraham:
INT: out of the loin of Abraham

Hebrews 7:10 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ὀσφύϊ τοῦ πατρὸς
NAS: for he was still in the loins of his father
KJV: yet in the loins of his father, when
INT: in the loin of the father

1 Peter 1:13 N-AFP
GRK: ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας
KJV: gird up the loins of your
INT: having girded up the waist of the mind

Strong's Greek 3751
8 Occurrences

ὀσφύας — 1 Occ.
ὀσφύες — 1 Occ.
ὀσφύϊ — 1 Occ.
ὀσφὺν — 3 Occ.
ὀσφύος — 2 Occ.