4113. plateia
Lexical Summary
plateia: Street, broad street, public square

Original Word: πλατεῖα
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: plateia
Pronunciation: plä-tā'-ä
Phonetic Spelling: (plat-i'-ah)
KJV: street
Word Origin: [feminine of G4116 (πλατύς - streets)]

1. a wide "plat" or "place", i.e. open square

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
street.

Feminine of platus; a wide "plat" or "place", i.e. Open square -- street.

see GREEK platus

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
fem. of platus
Definition
a wide road, street.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4113: πλατεῖα

πλατεῖα, πλατείας, (feminine of the adjective πλατύς, namely, ὁδός (cf. Winers Grammar, 590 (549))), a broad way, a street: Matthew 6:5; Matthew 12:19; Luke 10:10; Luke 13:26; Luke 14:21; Acts 5:15; Revelation 11:8; Revelation 21:21; Revelation 22:2. (Euripides, Plutarch, others; in the Sept. chiefly for רְחֹב.)

Topical Lexicon
Root and Conceptual Background

The term denotes the broad, open street or main thoroughfare of a town or city. In the Greco-Roman world such streets were civic arteries framed by colonnades, shops, public fountains, and temples, facilitating commerce, civic gatherings, and proclamation. The openness of the πλατεῖα made it the natural arena for public life—both secular and sacred—and, therefore, an ideal setting for the drama of redemption to unfold in Scripture.

Old Testament Precursors

Hebrew parallels such as rechov (“broad place,” Genesis 19:2; 2 Samuel 21:12) and merchav (“open space,” Psalm 118:5) anticipate the theological use of the public square. There the righteous could gather for justice (Job 29:7) or praise (Psalm 144:14), while the wicked might lurk for blood (Proverbs 1:11). The themes of openness, accessibility, and moral testing embedded in Israel’s “broad places” prepare the reader for New Testament usage.

New Testament Distribution

Nine occurrences concentrate in the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation:

Matthew 6:5; 12:19
Luke 10:10; 13:26; 14:21
Acts 5:15
Revelation 11:8; 21:21; 22:2

A progression emerges—from the streets of first-century Palestine, through apostolic evangelism, to the consummated streets of the New Jerusalem.

Public Life and Ministry on the Street

1. Platform of Hypocrisy or Humility (Matthew 6:5; 12:19)

The street can amplify self-promotion. “They love to pray standing…on the street corners to be seen by men” (Matthew 6:5). In contrast, the prophesied Servant “will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets” (Matthew 12:19). The same venue exposes false piety and models true meekness.

2. Sphere of Gospel Witness (Luke 10:10; 14:21)

When a town rejected the Seventy-Two, they were to “go into the streets and declare” God’s warning (Luke 10:10). Conversely, in the parable of the great banquet the master commands, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys… and bring in the poor” (Luke 14:21). The broad street thus becomes both a place of judgment and an avenue of grace.

3. Measure of Relational Authenticity (Luke 13:26)

Superficial familiarity—“You taught in our streets”—proves insufficient for entry into the kingdom. Public exposure to Jesus’ teaching must be matched by personal repentance.

4. Stage for Apostolic Power (Acts 5:15)

Early believers “brought the sick into the streets… so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them” (Acts 5:15). The street, open to all, showcases the risen Christ’s authority mediated through His apostles.

Revelation’s Vision of the Street Made New

Judgment: The slain witnesses lie “in the street of the great city” (Revelation 11:8). The very public space used for testimony becomes the scene of apparent defeat—soon reversed by resurrection (11:11).

Glory: “The main street of the city was pure gold” (Revelation 21:21), and the river of life flows “down the middle of the main street” (Revelation 22:2). What began as a place for commerce and conflict is purified into an everlasting boulevard of fellowship, nourishment, and worship. The openness that once exposed sin now invites unrestricted access to God.

Historical and Cultural Setting

Roman planners designed two chief axes—the decumanus maximus (east-west) and cardo maximus (north-south)—intersecting at the forum. Colonnaded sidewalks (stoai) protected walkers from sun and rain. Vendors, philosophers, magistrates, and heralds filled these spaces. When Scripture places Jesus, the apostles, or eschatological figures in the πλατεῖα, it situates them at the city’s communicative heart, where messages traveled fastest and encounters were unavoidable.

Ministry Implications

• Visibility without vanity: Public witness is ordained, yet motives must be examined (Matthew 6:5).
• Urgent invitation: The gospel summons the marginalized from the streets (Luke 14:21).
• Holistic outreach: Physical healing and spiritual proclamation belong together in public ministry (Acts 5:15).
• Hope beyond decay: Even the most defiled street will be redeemed for God’s glory (Revelation 21:21).

Summary

Strong’s Greek 4113 threads a theological tapestry from the common streets of earthly cities to the resplendent avenue of the New Jerusalem. It calls believers to faithful, humble engagement in the public square, confident that the Lord who once taught in dusty thoroughfares will ultimately pave His eternal city with transparent gold.

Forms and Transliterations
πλατεια πλατεία πλατεῖα πλατείαι πλατειαις πλατείαις πλατείαν πλατειας πλατείας πλατειων πλατειών πλατειῶν plateia plateîa plateiais plateíais plateias plateías plateion plateiôn plateiōn plateiō̂n
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 6:5 N-GFP
GRK: γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσθαι
KJV: the corners of the streets, that
INT: corners of the streets standing to pray

Matthew 12:19 N-DFP
GRK: ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τὴν φωνὴν
KJV: voice in the streets.
INT: in the streets the voice

Luke 10:10 N-AFP
GRK: εἰς τὰς πλατείας αὐτῆς εἴπατε
KJV: into the streets of the same,
INT: into the streets of it say

Luke 13:26 N-DFP
GRK: ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἡμῶν ἐδίδαξας
KJV: in our streets.
INT: in the streets of us you did teach

Luke 14:21 N-AFP
GRK: εἰς τὰς πλατείας καὶ ῥύμας
KJV: quickly into the streets and lanes
INT: into the streets and lanes

Acts 5:15 N-AFP
GRK: εἰς τὰς πλατείας ἐκφέρειν τοὺς
KJV: the sick into the streets, and laid
INT: into the streets to bring out the

Revelation 11:8 N-GFS
GRK: ἐπὶ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως
KJV: [shall lie] in the street of the great
INT: [will be] on the street of city

Revelation 21:21 N-NFS
GRK: καὶ ἡ πλατεῖα τῆς πόλεως
KJV: and the street of the city
INT: and the street of the city

Revelation 22:2 N-GFS
GRK: μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς καὶ
KJV: In the midst of the street of it, and
INT: the midst of the street of it and

Strong's Greek 4113
9 Occurrences


πλατεῖα — 1 Occ.
πλατείαις — 2 Occ.
πλατείας — 5 Occ.
πλατειῶν — 1 Occ.

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