Lexical Summary burseus: Tanner Original Word: βυρσεύς Strong's Exhaustive Concordance tanner. From bursa (a hide); a tanner -- tanner. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom bursa (a hide) Definition a tanner NASB Translation tanner (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1038: βυρσεύςβυρσεύς, βυρσέως, ὁ (βύρσα a skin stripped off, a hide), a tanner: Acts 9:43; Acts 10:6, 32. (Artemidorus Daldianus, oneir. 4, 56.) (Cf. B. D. American edition under the word Topical Lexicon Term Overview Strong’s Greek 1038 designates the occupation of a tanner—one who cures animal hides to make leather. The word appears only in Acts and always in reference to “Simon the tanner” of Joppa, the host of the apostle Peter (Acts 9:43; Acts 10:6; Acts 10:32). Occupational Background in the Ancient Mediterranean Tanners were essential to daily life, supplying leather for sandals, belts, water-skins, scroll cases, military gear, and many other items. The process required soaking skins in water, lime, and various alkaline or tannic solutions, producing a pungent odor that normally relegated tanneries to the outskirts of towns, often near the sea or a river for easy rinsing and waste disposal. In first-century Judaism, continual contact with carcasses and blood (Numbers 19:11-16) rendered a tanner ceremonially unclean, lowering his social status. Rabbinic sources even allowed a wife of a tanner to seek divorce because of the smell. Yet the trade remained economically significant and widely practiced. Cultic and Ceremonial Considerations The Mosaic law associated dead animals with ritual impurity (Leviticus 11:24-28), so devout Jews normally avoided prolonged association with those handling carcasses. That Peter willingly lodged with Simon the tanner shows a softening of traditional boundary markers in light of the gospel. The episode foreshadows God’s declaration to Peter in the vision of unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16) and anticipates the inclusion of Gentiles into the covenant community. Appearances in Acts • Acts 9:43 — “And Peter stayed for many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.” Following the healing of Tabitha, Peter chooses to remain in a house that would have been regarded as ritually defiling. Luke thus presents the apostle already breaking with customary notions of purity before the encounter with Cornelius. • Acts 10:6 — The angel tells Cornelius: “He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” The specification “by the sea” aligns with known tannery practice and highlights the providential ease with which messengers could find Peter. • Acts 10:32 — Peter later recounts the angelic message, again naming Simon the tanner as his host, underscoring continuity and the divine orchestration of events leading to Gentile conversion. Theological and Missional Significance 1. A Living Parable of Cleansing. Leatherworkers transformed putrid hides into durable goods; likewise, the gospel transforms sinners into useful vessels (2 Timothy 2:21). Lessons for Contemporary Ministry • Hospitality transcends social stigma; opening one’s home advances the gospel. Thus Strong’s 1038, though rare, marks a pivotal narrative hinge in Acts, illustrating how God used a humble tanner’s house to open the door of salvation “even to the Gentiles” (Acts 11:18). Forms and Transliterations βυρσει βυρσεί βυρσεῖ βυρσεως βυρσέως bursei burseos burseōs byrsei byrseî byrseos byrseōs byrséos byrséōsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Acts 9:43 N-DMSGRK: τινι Σίμωνι βυρσεῖ NAS: in Joppa with a tanner [named] Simon. KJV: one Simon a tanner. INT: a certain Simon a tanner Acts 10:6 N-DMS Acts 10:32 N-GMS Strong's Greek 1038 |
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