5621. otion

Lexical Summary

otion: Ear

Original Word: ὠτίον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: otion
Pronunciation: o-tee'-on
Phonetic Spelling: (o-tee'-on)
KJV: ear
Word Origin: [diminutive of G3775 (οὖς - ears)]

1. an earlet, i.e. one of the ears, or perhaps the lobe of the ear

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

ear.

Diminutive of ous; an earlet, i.e. One of the ears, or perhaps the lobe of the ear -- ear.

see GREEK ous

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5621: ὠτίον

ὠτίον, ὠτίου, τό (diminutive of οὖς, ὠτός, but without the diminutive force; "the speech of common life applied the diminutive form to most of the parts of the body, as τά ῥινια the nose, τό ὀμματιον, στηθιδιον, χελύνιον, σαρκίον the body" Lob. ad Phryn., p. 211f (cf. Winers Grammar, 25 (24))), a later Greek word, the ear: Matthew 26:51; Mark 14:47 (R G (cf. ὠτάριον)); Luke 22:51; John 18:10 (R G L (cf. ὠτάριον)), 26. (The Sept. for אֹזֶן, Deuteronomy 15:17; 1 Samuel 9:15; 1 Samuel 20:2, 13; 2 Samuel 22:45; Isaiah 50:4; Amos 3:12.)

Topical Lexicon

Entry: ὠτίον / ὠτάριον (Strong’s Greek 5621 – “ear, ear-lobe”)

Occurrences in the New Testament

• Matthew 26:51 – “And suddenly, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.”
• Mark 14:47 – “Then one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.”
• Luke 22:51 – “But Jesus answered, ‘No more of this!’ And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.”
• John 18:10 – “Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.”
• John 18:26 – A relative of Malchus later confronts Peter: “Did I not see you with Him in the garden?”

All five uses center on the single incident in Gethsemane when Peter severed the ear of the high priest’s servant and Jesus immediately restored it.

Narrative Setting: The Arrest in Gethsemane

The Gospel writers highlight three intertwined elements: human zeal (Peter’s sword), religious opposition (the high priest’s entourage), and divine compassion (Jesus’ healing touch). The ear becomes a focal point through which each Gospel advances its particular theological emphasis: Matthew stresses fulfillment of Scripture, Mark underscores the chaos of the moment, Luke records the healing itself, and John supplies the names that anchor the event in eyewitness memory.

Historical and Cultural Background

1. Weapons and Procedure: A short Roman or Galilean sword (machaira) would make a glancing cut; losing the external ear was common in ancient skirmishes.
2. Social Status: Malchus was not a random servant but one directly answerable to the high priest, the very office charged with safeguarding Israel’s worship.
3. Symbolic Shame: Mutilating the ear in antiquity sometimes marked a slave or punished an offender. Peter’s act therefore risked branding Malchus permanently as one rejected—yet Jesus instantly reverses that outcome.

The Miracle of Restoration

Luke alone records the healing, the final miracle before the crucifixion. With a word of rebuke and a gentle touch, Jesus repairs what His disciple had destroyed. The act prefigures the cross: the innocent suffers violence at the hands of sinners, yet responds by restoring and reconciling.

Theological Themes

• Sovereign Restraint: “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus commands (Matthew 26:52). The kingdom advances not by force but by sacrificial love.
• Compassion for Enemies: Even while arrested by the temple authorities, Jesus ministers to one of their own.
• Testimony to Divine Authority: In the darkness of betrayal, a creative miracle provides undeniable evidence that the One being seized wields power over flesh, steel, and circumstance.
• Fulfillment of Scripture: Isaiah 53:12 foretells the Servant who “interceded for the transgressors.” By healing Malchus, Jesus intercedes for both aggressor and victim.

Intertextual Resonances

Old Testament consecration rites placed blood on the right ear of priests (Exodus 29:20; Leviticus 8:24), symbolizing attentive obedience to God. In Gethsemane, the servant of the high priest has his right ear severed, only to have it touched—consecrated—by the true High Priest. The irony is profound: the old priesthood sends soldiers to arrest Jesus, while Jesus sanctifies one of its servants.

Harmonization of the Gospel Witness

Variations in the diminutive (ὠτίον) and its fuller form (ὠτάριον) reflect natural differences in vocabulary among eyewitnesses rather than contradiction. Collectively the accounts exhibit the complementary precision characteristic of reliable testimony.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

1. Shepherds guard, they do not maim. The church must renounce coercive tactics and rely on the Spirit’s power.
2. Believers are called to active peacemaking—even when wronged—to mirror the Savior’s response.
3. Evangelistically, the episode illustrates that no opponent is beyond Christ’s gracious touch; a hostile servant became a living sign of divine mercy.
4. Disciples must cultivate “ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15). The restored ear pictures the restoration of spiritual hearing available to all who encounter Jesus.

Summary

Strong’s 5621 surfaces only in the climactic moment when violent zeal meets divine compassion. The small body part cut off and instantly healed proclaims the larger gospel: humanity’s self-inflicted wounds are made whole by the Savior who refuses to wield the sword, choosing instead the cross.

Forms and Transliterations

ωταριον ὠτάριον ωτιον ωτιόν ωτίον ὠτίον ωτιου ωτίου ὠτίου ωτότμητον ωτότμητος otarion otárion ōtarion ōtárion otion otíon ōtion ōtíon otiou otíou ōtiou ōtíou

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 26:51 N-ANS
GRK: αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτίον
NAS: and cut off his ear.
KJV: and smote off his ear.
INT: of him the ear

Mark 14:47 N-ANS
GRK: αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτάριον
NAS: and cut off his ear.
KJV: cut off his ear.
INT: of him the ear

Luke 22:51 N-GNS
GRK: ἁψάμενος τοῦ ὠτίου ἰάσατο αὐτόν
NAS: And He touched his ear and healed
KJV: he touched his ear, and healed him.
INT: having touched the ear he healed him

John 18:10 N-ANS
GRK: αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτάριον τὸ δεξιόν
NAS: his right ear; and the slave's
KJV: his right ear. The servant's
INT: of him the ear right

John 18:26 N-ANS
GRK: Πέτρος τὸ ὠτίον Οὐκ ἐγώ
NAS: of the one whose ear Peter
KJV: [his] kinsman whose ear Peter cut off,
INT: Peter the ear not I

Strong's Greek 5621
5 Occurrences

ὠτάριον — 2 Occ.
ὠτίον — 2 Occ.
ὠτίου — 1 Occ.