Lexical Summary sōma: a body Original Word: σῶμαTransliteration: sōma Phonetic Spelling: (so'-mah) Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Short Definition: a body Meaning: a body Strong's Concordance bodyFrom sozo; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively -- bodily, body, slave. see GREEK sozo Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4983: σῶμασῶμα, σώματος, τό (apparently from σῶς 'entire' (but cf. Curtius, § 570; others from the root, ska, sko, 'to cover', cf. Vanicek, p. 1055; Curtius, p. 696)), the Sept. for בָּשָׂר, גְּוִיָּה, etc.; נְבֵלָה (a corpse), also for Chaldean גֶּשֶׁם; a body; and: 1. the body both of men and of animals (on the distinction between it and σάρξ see σάρξ, especially 2 at the beginning; (cf. Dickson, St. Paul's use of 'Flesh' and 'Spirit', p. 247ff)); a. as everywhere in Homer (who calls the living body δέμας and not infreqently in subsequently Greek writings, a dead body or corpse: universally, Luke 17:37; of a man, Matthew 14:12 R G; (Mark 15:45 R G); Acts 9:40; plural John 19:31; τό σῶμα τίνος, Matthew 27:58; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:52, 55; John 19:38, 40; John 20:12; Jude 1:9; of the body of an animal offered in sacrifice, plural Hebrews 13:11 (Exodus 29:14; Numbers 19:3). b. as in Greek writings from Hesiod down, the living body: — of animals, James 3:3; — of man: τό σῶμα, absolutely, Luke 11:34; Luke 12:23; 1 Corinthians 6:13, etc.; ἐν σώματι εἶναι, of earthly life with its troubles, Hebrews 13:3; distinguished from τό αἷμα, 1 Corinthians 11:27; τό σῶμα and τά μέλη of it, 1 Corinthians 12:12, 14-20; James 3:6; τό σῶμα the temple of τό ἅγιον πνεῦμα, 1 Corinthians 6:19; the instrument of the soul, τά διά τοῦ σωματου namely, πραχθεντα, 2 Corinthians 5:10; it is distinguished — from τό πνεῦμα, in Romans 8:10; 1 Corinthians 5:3; 1 Corinthians 6:20 Rec.; c. Since according to ancient law in the ease of slaves the body was the chief thing taken into account, it is a usage of later Greek to call slaves simply σώματα; once so in the N. T.: Revelation 18:13, where the Vulg. correctly translates bymancipia (A. V. slaves) (σώματα τοῦ οἴκου, Genesis 36:6; σώματα καί κτήνη, Tobit 10:10; Ἰουδαικα σώματα, 2 Macc. 8:11; examples from Greek writings are given by Lob. ad Phryn., p. 378f (add (from Sophocles Lexicon, under the word), Polybius 1, 29, 7; 4, 38, 4, also 3, 17, 10 bis); the earlier and more elegant Greek writings said σώματα δοῦλα, ὀικετικα, etc.). 2. The name is transferred to the bodies of plants, 1 Corinthians 15:37f, and of stars (cf. our 'heavenly bodies'), hence, Paul distinguishes between σώματα ἐπουράνια, bodies celestial, i. e. the bodies of the heavenly luminaries and of angels (see ἐπουράνιος, 1), and σώματα ἐπίγεια, bodies terrestrial (i. e. bodies of men, animals, and plants), 1 Corinthians 15:40 (ἅπαν σῶμα τῆς τῶν ὅλων φύσεως ... τό σῶμα τοῦ κόσμου, diod. 1, 11). 3. tropically σῶμα is used of a (large or small) "number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body"; so in the N. T. of the church: Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:16; Ephesians 4:16; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:19 3:15; with τοῦ Χριστοῦ added, 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:23; Ephesians 4:12; Ephesians 5:30; Colossians 1:24; of which spiritual body Christ; is the head, Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:19, who by the influence of his Spirit works in the church as the soul does in the body. ἕν σῶμα καί ἕν πνεῦμα, Ephesians 4:4. 4. ἡ σκιά and τό σῶμα are distinguished as the shadow and the thing itself which casts the shadow: Colossians 2:17; σκιάν αἰτησόμενος βασιλείας, ἧς ἥρπασεν ἑαυτῷ τό σῶμα, Josephus, b. j. 2, 2, 5; ((Philo de confus. ling. § 37; Lucian, Hermot. 79)). |