4673. soros
Lexical Summary
soros: Heap, Pile

Original Word: σωρός
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: soros
Pronunciation: so-ROS
Phonetic Spelling: (sor-os')
KJV: bier
NASB: coffin
Word Origin: [probably akin to the base of G4987 (σωρεύω - heap)]

1. a funereal receptacle (urn, coffin)
2. (by analogy) a bier

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
a coffin, bier

Probably akin to the base of soreuo; a funereal receptacle (urn, coffin), i.e. (by analogy) a bier -- bier.

see GREEK soreuo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
a cinerary urn, by anal. a coffin
NASB Translation
coffin (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4673: σορός

σορός, σοροῦ, , an urn or receptacle for keeping the bones of the dead (Homer, Iliad 23, 91); a coffin (Genesis 50:26; Herodotus 1, 68; 2, 78; Aristophanes, Aeschines, Plutarch, others); the funeral-couch or bier on which the Jews carried their dead forth to burial (see B. D. American edition under the word ; Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, i., 555f): Luke 7:14.

Topical Lexicon
Translational Range

Strong’s Greek 4673 (σορός) is rendered in English as “coffin” or “bier,” denoting the wooden frame or box used for carrying the dead to burial. In the New Testament the term appears only once (Luke 7:14), though it is used several times in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew for Joseph’s coffin (Genesis 50:26) and other funeral contexts.

Historical Background

First-century Jewish burials took place on the same day as death (Deuteronomy 21:23; John 19:31). The body was washed, anointed, wrapped, and laid on an open bier or within a simple wooden coffin. Professional mourners accompanied the procession, joined by friends and townspeople. Touching either corpse or carrier rendered a person ceremonially unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11-16), a reality that frames the drama of Luke 7:14.

Biblical Context

Luke 7:11-17 sets the scene at the town gate of Nain:

“Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. ‘Young man,’ He said, ‘I tell you, get up!’ And the dead boy sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.” (Luke 7:14-15)

The word σορός underscores the public, communal nature of the event; unlike a sealed sarcophagus, the bier left the corpse visible to all. By halting the procession and laying His hand on the bier, Jesus confronted impurity and death directly, reversing both with a single command.

Old Testament Parallels

• Elijah raises the widow’s son at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24).
• Elisha raises the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:18-37).
• A dead man revived when his body touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20-21).

These narratives foreshadow Christ’s greater authority, while the Greek σορός in Genesis 50:26 (“Joseph died… and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt”) links Israel’s hope for future deliverance with the ultimate victory over death displayed at Nain.

Theological Observations

1. Dominion over death: By speaking life from atop the bier, Jesus previews His own resurrection and the general resurrection promised in John 5:28-29 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
2. Compassionate identification: The Lord’s initiative toward a destitute widow reflects the covenant concern for orphans and widows (Exodus 22:22-24; James 1:27).
3. Cleansing of impurity: Under Mosaic Law the bier should have transmitted uncleanness; instead, holiness flowed outward from Christ, a lived illustration of Hebrews 2:14-15.

Pastoral Applications

• Funeral ministry: Luke 7 encourages pastors to proclaim the coming resurrection even amid grief, assuring believers that Christ still “touches the coffin.”
• Social care: The narrative motivates practical support for bereaved families, echoing Isaiah 1:17.
• Personal hope: The solitary use of σορός reminds Christians that every coffin is temporary (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

Typological Reflections

Joseph’s coffin in Egypt symbolized Israel’s sojourn and expectation of exodus; likewise every modern casket points beyond itself to the exodus of resurrection life fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 1:18).

Related Scriptures

Genesis 50:26; Numbers 19:11-16; 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:18-37; 2 Kings 13:20-21; Luke 7:11-17; John 5:28-29; John 19:31; 1 Corinthians 15:54-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 2:14-15; James 1:27.

Patristic and Jewish Perspectives

Early Christian writers saw in Luke 7 a sign of the universal resurrection: Cyril of Alexandria called the bier “the throne of death overturned.” Rabbinic literature, conversely, emphasized the contaminating power of corpses; the contrast highlights the uniqueness of Jesus’ act.

Summary

Strong’s 4673 casts the humble coffin as a stage upon which the Lord publicly nullifies death, comfortingly reuniting a widow with her son and prophetically announcing the day when every σορός will be emptied by His sovereign word.

Forms and Transliterations
σορου σορού σοροῦ σορώ sorou soroû
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Luke 7:14 N-GFS
GRK: ἥψατο τῆς σοροῦ οἱ δὲ
NAS: up and touched the coffin; and the bearers
KJV: and touched the bier: and
INT: he touched the coffin those moreover

Strong's Greek 4673
1 Occurrence


σοροῦ — 1 Occ.

4672
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