5528. chortos

Lexical Summary

chortos: Grass, hay, fodder

Original Word: χόρτος
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: chortos
Pronunciation: KHOR-tos
Phonetic Spelling: (khor'-tos)
KJV: blade, grass, hay
NASB: grass, blade, hay, wheat
Word Origin: [apparently a primary word]

1. a "court" or "garden"
2. (by implication, of pasture) herbage or vegetation

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

grass, hay.

Apparently a primary word; a "court" or "garden", i.e. (by implication, of pasture) herbage or vegetation -- blade, grass, hay.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
a feeding place, food, grass
NASB Translation
blade (1), grass (12), hay (1), wheat (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5528: χόρτος

χόρτος, χόρτου, ὁ;

1. the place where grass grows and animals glaze: Homer, Iliad 11, 774; 24, 640.

2. from Hesiod down, grass, herbage, hay, provender: of green grass, Matthew 6:30; Matthew 14:19; Luke 12:28; John 6:10; James 1:10; 1 Peter 1:24 (from Isaiah 40:6ff); Revelation 9:4; χόρτος χλωρός, Mark 6:39; Revelation 8:7; χόρτος of growing crops, Matthew 13:26; Mark 4:28; of hay, 1 Corinthians 3:12. (the Sept. for חָצִיר, grass, and עֶשֶׂב.)

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek 5528 occurs fifteen times in the New Testament and denotes the green vegetation that springs up quickly in the fields of the Near East, is cut for fodder, or soon withers under the sun. Scripture employs the term both literally—describing the setting of miracles and daily life—and figuratively—portraying the brevity of human glory, the certainty of divine care, and the solemnity of final judgment.

Old Testament Background and Jewish Context

Hebrew poetry often likens human life to grass that flourishes in the morning and fades by evening (Psalm 90:5-6; Isaiah 40:6-8). Those images would have been vivid to first-century hearers who watched springtime fields turn brown with the first hot wind. The Septuagint regularly translates such Hebrew words with χόρτος, preparing the way for its New Testament usage.

Patterns of Usage in the New Testament

1. Provision and Pastoral Scenes
• At the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus “directed them to sit in groups on the green grass” (Mark 6:39; cf. Matthew 14:19; John 6:10). The lush setting underscores His role as the anticipated Shepherd (Ezekiel 34; Psalm 23), providing abundant nourishment where the crowd’s resources were exhausted.

2. God’s Care for Everyday Needs
• In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus points to “the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace” (Matthew 6:30; Luke 12:28) to assure disciples that the Father, who clothes transient plants with splendor, will certainly supply their needs.

3. Illustrations of Human Transience
• James observes, “The sun rises with scorching heat and dries up the grass; its flower falls and its beauty is destroyed” (James 1:11).
• Peter echoes Isaiah: “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower falls” (1 Peter 1:24). Human achievements fade, but “the word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Peter 1:25), urging believers to rest their hope on what is eternal.

4. Growth and the Mystery of the Kingdom
• In the Parable of the Growing Seed, “the earth produces a crop: first the stalk, then the head” (Mark 4:28). Grasslike blades symbolize the quiet, God-driven advance of the kingdom, encouraging patient confidence in divine timing.

5. Materials for Ministry Evaluation
• Paul lists “wood, hay, or straw” (χόρτον) among inferior building materials in 1 Corinthians 3:12. Works founded on self-effort resemble dried grass—destined to burn when tested by fire—whereas lives built with imperishable devotion will endure.

6. Judgment in the Apocalypse
• The first trumpet sounds and “a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees, and all the green grass” (Revelation 8:7), signaling ecological upheaval that exposes human helplessness.
• Yet the locusts of chapter nine “were told not to harm the grass of the earth… but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4). Even amid wrath, the Creator distinguishes and protects His own.

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty – From springtime shoots to apocalyptic fires, χόρτος lies entirely under God’s command.
• Human Frailty – Flourishing grass portrays mankind’s passing splendor, calling sinners to humility and dependence on the everlasting Word.
• Shepherd-King Provision – Green pastures frame the Messiah’s compassionate care, foreshadowing eschatological rest for His flock.
• Coming Evaluation – The perishability of dried grass warns believers to pursue works of enduring worth.

Historical and Cultural Notes

In first-century Palestine, spring rains quickly carpeted hills with verdure suitable for grazing. By early summer, the same vegetation dried into hay for livestock or fuel for earthen ovens. Jesus’ hearers therefore grasped the brevity of grass and its utilitarian uses (cf. Matthew 6:30, “thrown into the furnace”). Agricultural rhythms furnished ready illustrations for teaching about temporal and eternal realities.

Practical Ministry Reflections

• Pastors may take comfort that the One who clothes field grass will sustain His servants.
• Discipleship should emphasize works of faith and love that survive divine testing, rather than pursuits destined to smolder like hay.
• Funeral and hospice ministries find potent imagery in Peter’s citation of Isaiah, pointing mourners from fading flesh to the imperishable gospel.
• Environmental catastrophes in Revelation caution against trusting in earthbound securities while affirming God’s ultimate redemptive plan.

Key References

Matthew 6:30; Matthew 13:26; Matthew 14:19

Mark 4:28; Mark 6:39

Luke 12:28

John 6:10

1 Corinthians 3:12

James 1:10-11

1 Peter 1:24

Revelation 8:7; Revelation 9:4

Conclusion

Whether as tender shoots under the Shepherd’s feet, fodder fueling household ovens, or tinder awaiting eschatological fire, χόρτος reminds readers of the gospel’s central contrasts: God’s permanence versus human frailty, heaven’s riches versus earth’s decay, the enduring word versus the withering world. The humble plant thus becomes a multifaceted witness to the Creator’s care, the Savior’s provision, and the Spirit’s call to invest in what will never burn.

Forms and Transliterations

χορτον χόρτον χορτος χόρτος χορτου χόρτου χόρτους χορτω χόρτω χόρτῳ chorto chortō chórtoi chórtōi chorton chórton chortos chórtos chortou chórtou

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 6:30 N-AMS
GRK: δὲ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ
NAS: clothes the grass of the field,
KJV: clothe the grass of the field,
INT: moreover the grass of the field

Matthew 13:26 N-NMS
GRK: ἐβλάστησεν ὁ χόρτος καὶ καρπὸν
NAS: But when the wheat sprouted and bore
KJV: But when the blade was sprung up, and
INT: sprouted the plants and fruit

Matthew 14:19 N-GMS
GRK: ἐπὶ τοῦ χόρτου λαβὼν τοὺς
NAS: to sit down on the grass, He took
KJV: to sit down on the grass, and took
INT: on the grass having taken the

Mark 4:28 N-AMS
GRK: καρποφορεῖ πρῶτον χόρτον εἶτα στάχυν
NAS: first the blade, then
KJV: first the blade, then
INT: brings forth fruit first a plant then an ear

Mark 6:39 N-DMS
GRK: τῷ χλωρῷ χόρτῳ
NAS: by groups on the green grass.
KJV: upon the green grass.
INT: the green grass

Luke 12:28 N-AMS
GRK: ἀγρῷ τὸν χόρτον ὄντα σήμερον
NAS: clothes the grass in the field,
KJV: so clothe the grass, which is to day
INT: field the grass which is [here] today

John 6:10 N-NMS
GRK: ἦν δὲ χόρτος πολὺς ἐν
NAS: there was much grass in the place.
KJV: there was much grass in the place.
INT: was moreover grass much in

1 Corinthians 3:12 N-AMS
GRK: τιμίους ξύλα χόρτον καλάμην
NAS: stones, wood, hay, straw,
KJV: stones, wood, hay, stubble;
INT: precious wood hay straw

James 1:10 N-GMS
GRK: ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου παρελεύσεται
NAS: flowering grass he will pass away.
KJV: the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
INT: as a flower of the grass he will pass away

James 1:11 N-AMS
GRK: ἐξήρανεν τὸν χόρτον καὶ τὸ
NAS: and withers the grass; and its flower
KJV: it withereth the grass, and
INT: dried up the grass and the

1 Peter 1:24 N-NMS
GRK: σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος καὶ πᾶσα
NAS: FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY
KJV: flesh [is] as grass, and all
INT: flesh [is] as grass and all

1 Peter 1:24 N-GMS
GRK: ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου ἐξηράνθη ὁ
NAS: THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS
KJV: the flower of grass. The grass
INT: as [the] flower of grass Withers the

1 Peter 1:24 N-NMS
GRK: ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος καὶ τὸ
NAS: OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS,
KJV: of grass. The grass withereth,
INT: Withers the grass and the

Revelation 8:7 N-NMS
GRK: καὶ πᾶς χόρτος χλωρὸς κατεκάη
NAS: the green grass was burned
KJV: all green grass was burnt up.
INT: and all grass green was burned up

Revelation 9:4 N-AMS
GRK: ἀδικήσουσιν τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς
NAS: not to hurt the grass of the earth,
KJV: hurt the grass of the earth,
INT: they should harm the grass of the earth

Strong's Greek 5528
15 Occurrences

χόρτῳ — 1 Occ.
χόρτον — 6 Occ.
χόρτος — 5 Occ.
χόρτου — 3 Occ.