Abarim Publications' online Biblical Greek Dictionary
ποντος
The noun ποντος (pontos) means sea, particularly the open sea, the "big blue", personified in Greek mythology as the god Pontus. This word exists also in Latin, as pontus, which is a poetic pleonasm for the more common noun mare. These words ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European noun "pontoh", meaning, rather curiously, path or bridge (hence the English noun pontoon). It ultimately stems from a PIE root "pent-", meaning to pass, from which English gets its verb "to find".
More common Greek words for sea are πελαγος (pelagos), see below, and θαλασσα (thalassa), which occurs frequently in the New Testament. This latter word derives from αλς (hals), salt. The noun ποντος (pontos) is not used, but from it comes:
- The verb ποντιζω (pontizo), meaning to plunge into the sea, with the implication of plunging into oblivion (where it can't be found: see Micah 7:19, and also Revelation 13:1). This verb too isn't used in the New Testament but from it comes:
- Together with the preposition κατα (kata), meaning down: the verb καταποντιζω (katapontizo), meaning to sink down into the sea, again with the implication of being utterly forgotten (Matthew 14:30 and 18:6 only). It's been proposed that the latter refers to execution by drowning, implying that it is better to be executed by a human government than to face the wrath of God. That would put this statement on a par with: "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28, also see 18:8). Note that the first Protestant who was executed for his faith, namely the thirty year old and highly educated Felix Manz, was executed by drowning on 5 January 1526 in Zürich, Switzerland. He was executed by fellow Protestants (who didn't like the Felix kind, namely the Anabaptists).
πελαγος
The noun πελαγος (pelagos) means sea, particularly the vast open sea: the expanse of the sea or the stretch of a sea voyage (Matthew 18:6 and Acts 27:5 only). In the classics, this word usually appears in combination with any of the other words for sea: ποντος (pontos) or θαλασσα (thalassa). Figuratively, this word was used to denote a vast amount of something: a sea of troubles or an ocean or difficulties.
It's a mystery where this word comes from, although it may have been informed by the widely attested Proto-Indo-European root "pleh-", flat, which in turn is closely related to the PIE root "pleth-", flat, whence English gets words like plane and flat (and the name Plato). Other critics are not so sure about that, and since nobody knows for sure, here at Abarim Publications we would point out the Hebrew verb פלג (palag), to split or divide. Noun פלג (peleg) means channel or canal and noun פלגה (pelagga) means stream or division. Also see our article on the many Hebrew roots of Greek.
πελεκιζω
The verb πελεκιζω (pelekizo) means to do the axe thing: to cut off with an axe, especially in the sense of to behead or dismember (Revelation 20:4 only). A milder verb from the same stock is πελεκαω (pelekao), which also means to do the axe thing, but in the sense of to hew or shape with an axe (unused in the New Testament). Both these verbs stem from the noun πελεκυς (pelekus), axe, from which also derive the words πελεκαν (pelekan), pelican, and πελεκας (pelekas), woodpecker (both not used in the New Testament). Another word for axe is αξινη (axine).
It's not clear where this word comes from but although it appears in various guises in European languages, it's generally considered an import from the Semitic language basin. Here at Abarim Publications we would once again go with the verb פלג (palag), to split. The Hebrew word for axe is גרזן (garzen), from the verb גרז (garaz), to cut off.
πλασσω
The verb πλασσω (plasso) means to mold or form (hence the word "plastic"). It occurs in the New Testament in Romans 9:20 and 1 Timothy 2:13 only.
In the classics this verb πλασσω (plasso) primarily describes the making of something out of soft material such as clay or wax or even dough. Secondarily, this verb is used often in the sense of forming someone by training, which of course ties into the widely attested metaphor of water being the unknown and dry land being the known (see our article on νεφελη, nephele, cloud) — the Hebrew name for Greek, namely Javan, means Mud Man (as contrasted by Adam, the Cultivated-Field Man).
Our verb could also be used to describe the forming of an image in one's mind: to imagine, which is an exercise most specifically described by the verb δοκεω (dokeo). And our verb was used to describe fabrication, either of some physical object or some mental scheme or design, and that mostly in the sense of fabricating a forgery or invention.
It's unclear where our verb comes from but whatever its most basic origin, its formation seems to have been informed by the PIE root "pleth-", flat, from which also comes the noun πελαγος (pelagos), sea (see above). Here at Abarim Publications we would surmise that this verb may ultimately have a Semitic core, and the verb that comes to mind is פלס (palas), meaning to level or balance. This verb is most commonly associated with the creation or formation of level roads, and may even be related to the verb פלש (palash), to roll in the dust or dig in the earth. This latter word is thought to be the source of the names Philistine and Palestine.
From our verb πλασσω (plasso) derives:
- The noun πλασμα (plasma), which denotes a thing formed — the common -μα (-ma) suffix describes the effect or result of the action conveyed by the verb. In the classics this word could describe any sort of thing or object that was made out of soft clay, wax or dough, from figurines to steamy buns. In following with the usages of the verb, this noun could also describe anything concocted mentally: imaginations, forgeries, fictions. Strikingly, our noun could also refer to the intonations or thrills of speech and music: the part that was not interpreted by the common rules of language or music but open to interpretation by the imagination of the audience. Our noun occurs in Romans 9:20 only.
- The adjective πλαστος (plastos), meaning formed or molded. In the classics this word was used to contrast something painted. It's also used as the opposite of something genuine, in that our adjective became used in the sense of contrived, made up, fabricated and hence counterfeited or disingenuous: designed to hoodwink and deceive (2 Peter 2:3 only).