79. adelphé

Lexicon

adelphé: Sister

Original Word: ἀδελφή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: adelphé
Pronunciation: ah-del-FAY
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-el-fay')
Definition: Sister
Meaning: a sister, a woman (fellow-)member of a church, a Christian woman.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

sister.

Fem of adephos; a sister (naturally or ecclesiastically) -- sister.

see GREEK adephos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
fem. from adelphos
Definition
sister
NASB Translation
believing (1), sister (16), sisters (8).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 79: ἀδελφή

ἀδελφή, (ῆς, ἡ (see ἀδελφός) (from Aeschylus down), sister;

1. a full, own sister (i. e. by birth): Matthew 19:29; Luke 10:39; John 11:1, 3, 5; John 19:25; Romans 16:15, etc.; respecting the sisters of Christ, mentioned in Matthew 13:56; Mark 6:3, see ἀδελφός, 1.

2. one connected by the tie of the Christian religion: 1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Corinthians 9:5; Philemon 1:2 L T Tr WH; James 2:15; with a subjective genitive, a Christian woman especially dear to one, Romans 16:1.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Feminine form of ἀδελφός (adelphos), which means "brother."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often associated with the concept of a sister is אָחוֹת (achot), Strong's Hebrew 269. This term similarly denotes a female sibling or a close female relative within the Hebrew Scriptures.

Usage: The word ἀδελφή is used in the New Testament to denote a sister in both the literal and figurative sense. It appears in contexts that highlight familial relationships, both physical and spiritual.

Context: The term ἀδελφή is used in the New Testament to describe a female sibling or a woman who shares a close bond akin to that of a sister. In the early Christian community, the term extended beyond biological ties to include spiritual kinship among believers. This reflects the early Church's understanding of the community of faith as a family united in Christ.

In the Gospels, ἀδελφή is used to refer to the sisters of Jesus, indicating His familial relationships (e.g., Matthew 13:56). In the epistles, the term often appears in greetings and exhortations, emphasizing the unity and equality of all believers in the body of Christ. For example, in Romans 16:1, Paul refers to Phoebe as "our sister," highlighting her role and status within the Christian community.

The use of ἀδελφή underscores the importance of women in the early Church, recognizing their contributions and roles within the spiritual family. It also reflects the broader biblical theme of the Church as a family, where all members, regardless of gender, are valued and integral to the community's life and mission.

Forms and Transliterations

αδελφαι αδελφαί ἀδελφαί ἀδελφαὶ αδελφας αδελφάς ἀδελφάς ἀδελφὰς αδελφη αδελφή ἀδελφή ἀδελφὴ ἀδελφῇ αδελφην αδελφήν ἀδελφὴν αδελφης αδελφής ἀδελφῆς αδελφιδέ αδελφιδοί αδελφιδόν αδελφιδός αδελφιδού αδελφιδώ adelphai adelphaí adelphaì adelphas adelphás adelphàs adelphe adelphē adelphḗ adelphḕ adelphêi adelphē̂i adelphen adelphēn adelphḕn adelphes adelphês adelphēs adelphē̂s

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 12:50 N-NFS
GRK: ἀδελφὸς καὶ ἀδελφὴ καὶ μήτηρ
NAS: he is My brother and sister and mother.
KJV: brother, and sister, and mother.
INT: brother and sister and mother

Matthew 13:56 N-NFP
GRK: καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ
NAS: And His sisters, are they not all
KJV: And his sisters, are they not
INT: and the sisters of him not

Matthew 19:29 N-AFP
GRK: ἀδελφοὺς ἢ ἀδελφὰς ἢ πατέρα
NAS: brothers or sisters or father
KJV: brethren, or sisters, or father,
INT: brothers or sisters or father

Mark 3:32 Noun-NFP
GRK: καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαί σου ἔξω
INT: and the sister of you outside

Mark 3:35 N-NFS
GRK: μου καὶ ἀδελφὴ καὶ μήτηρ
NAS: he is My brother and sister and mother.
KJV: and my sister, and mother.
INT: of me and sister and mother

Mark 6:3 N-NFP
GRK: εἰσὶν αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ ὧδε
NAS: and Simon? Are not His sisters here
KJV: not his sisters here with
INT: are the sisters of him here

Mark 10:29 N-AFP
GRK: ἀδελφοὺς ἢ ἀδελφὰς ἢ μητέρα
NAS: brothers or sisters or mother
KJV: brethren, or sisters, or father,
INT: brothers or sisters or mother

Mark 10:30 N-AFP
GRK: ἀδελφοὺς καὶ ἀδελφὰς καὶ μητέρας
NAS: and brothers and sisters and mothers
KJV: brethren, and sisters, and mothers,
INT: brothers and sisters and mothers

Luke 10:39 N-NFS
GRK: τῇδε ἦν ἀδελφὴ καλουμένη Μαριάμ
NAS: She had a sister called Mary,
KJV: she had a sister called Mary,
INT: to this she had a sister called Mary

Luke 10:40 N-NFS
GRK: ὅτι ἡ ἀδελφή μου μόνην
NAS: do You not care that my sister has left
KJV: that my sister hath left me
INT: that the sister of me alone

Luke 14:26 N-AFP
GRK: καὶ τὰς ἀδελφάς ἔτι τε
NAS: and brothers and sisters, yes,
KJV: brethren, and sisters, yea, and
INT: and the sisters yes and

John 11:1 N-GFS
GRK: Μάρθας τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς
NAS: of Mary and her sister Martha.
KJV: and her sister Martha.
INT: Martha the sister of her

John 11:3 N-NFP
GRK: οὖν αἱ ἀδελφαὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν
NAS: So the sisters sent
KJV: Therefore his sisters sent unto
INT: therefore the sisters to him

John 11:5 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῆς καὶ
NAS: Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
KJV: and her sister, and Lazarus.
INT: and the sister of her and

John 11:28 N-AFS
GRK: Μαριὰμ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῆς λάθρᾳ
NAS: Mary her sister, saying
KJV: Mary her sister secretly, saying,
INT: Mary the sister of her secretly

John 11:39 N-NFS
GRK: αὐτῷ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος
NAS: Martha, the sister of the deceased,
KJV: Martha, the sister of him that was dead,
INT: to him the sister of him who has died

John 19:25 N-NFS
GRK: καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τῆς μητρὸς
NAS: and His mother's sister, Mary
KJV: his mother's sister, Mary the [wife]
INT: and the sister of the mother

Acts 23:16 N-GFS
GRK: υἱὸς τῆς ἀδελφῆς Παύλου τὴν
NAS: of Paul's sister heard
KJV: And when Paul's sister's son heard
INT: son of the sister of Paul the

Romans 16:1 N-AFS
GRK: Φοίβην τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἡμῶν οὖσαν
NAS: I commend to you our sister Phoebe,
KJV: Phebe our sister, which is a servant
INT: Phoebe the sister of us being

Romans 16:15 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ
NAS: Nereus and his sister, and Olympas,
KJV: and his sister, and Olympas,
INT: and the sister of him and

1 Corinthians 7:15 N-NFS
GRK: ἢ ἡ ἀδελφὴ ἐν τοῖς
NAS: or the sister is not under bondage
KJV: A brother or a sister is not
INT: or the sister in

1 Corinthians 9:5 N-AFS
GRK: ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν
NAS: to take along a believing wife,
KJV: to lead about a sister, a wife,
INT: have we authority a sister a wife to take about

1 Timothy 5:2 N-AFP
GRK: νεωτέρας ὡς ἀδελφὰς ἐν πάσῃ
NAS: women as sisters, in all
KJV: the younger as sisters, with all
INT: younger as sisters with all

Philemon 1:2 N-DFS
GRK: Ἀπφίᾳ τῇ ἀδελφῇ καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ
NAS: and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus
INT: to Apphia our sister and to Archippus

James 2:15 N-NFS
GRK: ἀδελφὸς ἢ ἀδελφὴ γυμνοὶ ὑπάρχωσιν
NAS: or sister is without clothing
KJV: a brother or sister be naked,
INT: a brother or a sister naked be

Strong's Greek 79
26 Occurrences

ἀδελφαὶ — 4 Occ.
ἀδελφὰς — 5 Occ.
ἀδελφὴ — 9 Occ.
ἀδελφὴν — 5 Occ.
ἀδελφῆς — 3 Occ.