4639. skia

Lexicon

skia: Shadow

Original Word: σκιά
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: skia
Pronunciation: skee-AH
Phonetic Spelling: (skee'-ah)
Definition: Shadow
Meaning: a shadow, shade, thick darkness, an outline.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

shadow.

Apparently a primary word; "shade" or a shadow (literally or figuratively (darkness of error or an adumbration)) -- shadow.

HELPS Word-studies

4639 skiá – properly, the shadow of a looming presence; (figuratively) a spiritual reality (good or bad) relating to God's light or spiritual darkness.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
shadow
NASB Translation
shade (1), shadow (6).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4639: σκιά

σκιά, σκιᾶς, ἡ ((see σκηνή, at the beginning)), from Homer down, the Sept. for צֵל;

a. properly, shadow, i. e. shade caused by the interception of the light: Mark 4:32 (cf. Ezekiel 17:23); Acts 5:15; σκιά θανάτου, shadow of death (like umbra mortis, Ovid. metam. 5, 191, and umbra Erebi, Vergil Aen. 4, 26; 6, 404), 'the densest darkness' (because from of old Hades had been regarded as enveloped in thick darkness), tropically, the thick darkness of error (i. e. spiritual death; see θάνατος, 1): Matthew 4:16; Luke 1:79 (from Isaiah 9:1, where צַלְמָוֶת).

b. a shadow, i. e. an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object: opposed to σῶμα, the thing itself, Colossians 2:17; hence, equivalent to a sketch, outline, adumbration, Hebrews 8:5; opposed to εἰκών, the 'express' likeness, the very image, Hebrews 10:1 (as in Cicero, de off. 3, 17, 69nos veri juris solidam et expresssam effigiem nullam tenemus, umbra et imaginibus utimur).

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the base of σκότος (skotos), meaning "darkness" or "shadow."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The concept of "shadow" in the Hebrew Bible is often represented by the word צֵל (tsel), Strong's Hebrew 6738. This term is used in various contexts, such as in Psalm 91:1, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty," where it conveys protection and refuge.

Usage: The term "σκιά" is used metaphorically in the New Testament to describe something that is a representation or foreshadowing of a greater reality. It often conveys the idea of a temporary or incomplete form that points to a more substantial truth.

Context: The Greek word "σκιά" appears in several New Testament passages, where it is used to convey the concept of a shadow or a foreshadowing. In Hebrews 8:5, the term is used to describe the earthly sanctuary as a "copy and shadow of what is in heaven." This suggests that the physical tabernacle and its rituals were a mere shadow of the heavenly realities they represented. Similarly, in Hebrews 10:1, the law is described as "a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves." This indicates that the Old Testament law and sacrifices were a preliminary representation of the ultimate redemption found in Christ.

The use of "σκιά" in the New Testament underscores the temporary and preparatory nature of the Old Covenant, which pointed forward to the fulfillment and perfection found in Jesus Christ. The imagery of a shadow suggests something insubstantial and fleeting, yet it also serves as a guide or precursor to the true form. In Colossians 2:17, Paul writes, "These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ." Here, the practices and observances of the law are seen as shadows, with Christ being the substance and reality they anticipated.

The metaphorical use of "σκιά" highlights the transition from the old to the new, from the incomplete to the complete, and from the temporal to the eternal. It emphasizes the superiority of the New Covenant and the fulfillment of God's promises through Jesus.

Forms and Transliterations

εσκίασε σκια σκιά σκιὰ σκιᾷ σκιαδίων σκιάζει σκιάζειν σκιάζονται σκιαζόντων σκιάζουσα σκιάζουσαι σκιαζούσης σκιαί σκιαν σκιάν σκιὰν σκιάς σκιάσει σκιάση skia skià skiā̂i skian skiàn

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 4:16 N-DFS
GRK: χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς
NAS: IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH,
KJV: the region and shadow of death light
INT: land and shadow of death a light

Mark 4:32 N-AFS
GRK: ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ τὰ
NAS: NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.
KJV: lodge under the shadow of it.
INT: under the shadow of it the

Luke 1:79 N-DFS
GRK: σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις
NAS: IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
KJV: and [in] the shadow of death,
INT: darkness and in [the] shadow of death sitting

Acts 5:15 N-NFS
GRK: κἂν ἡ σκιὰ ἐπισκιάσῃ τινὶ
NAS: by at least his shadow might fall
KJV: at the least the shadow of Peter
INT: at least the shadow might overshadow someone

Colossians 2:17 N-NFS
GRK: ἅ ἐστιν σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων
NAS: things which are a [mere] shadow of what is to come;
KJV: are a shadow of things to come;
INT: which are a shadow the things to come

Hebrews 8:5 N-DFS
GRK: ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ λατρεύουσιν τῶν
NAS: a copy and shadow of the heavenly things,
KJV: and shadow of heavenly things,
INT: a copy and shadow serve of the

Hebrews 10:1 N-AFS
GRK: Σκιὰν γὰρ ἔχων
NAS: since it has [only] a shadow of the good things
KJV: having a shadow of good things
INT: a shadow indeed having

Strong's Greek 4639
7 Occurrences

σκιᾷ — 5 Occ.
σκιὰν — 2 Occ.