3509. nephos
Strong's Lexicon
nephos: Cloud

Original Word: νέφος
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: nephos
Pronunciation: NEH-fos
Phonetic Spelling: (nef'-os)
Definition: Cloud
Meaning: a cloud; met: a dense crowd, a multitude, great company.

Word Origin: From the base of νέφω (nephō), meaning "to cover with a cloud"

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - עָנָן (anan) - Strong's Hebrew 6051, often used to describe a cloud in the Old Testament, such as in Exodus 13:21.

Usage: In the New Testament, "nephos" is used metaphorically to describe a large group or multitude, often in the context of witnesses or observers. It conveys the idea of an encompassing presence, much like a cloud that envelops the sky.

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Greek culture, clouds were often seen as divine or mysterious, representing the heavens and the dwelling place of the gods. In the biblical context, clouds frequently symbolize the presence and glory of God, as seen in the Old Testament with the cloud that led the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). The metaphorical use of "nephos" in the New Testament draws on this imagery to convey a sense of divine witness and spiritual reality.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
a mass of clouds, a cloud
NASB Translation
cloud (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3509: νέφος

νέφος, νέφους (allied with Latinnubes, nebula, etc.), τό, the Sept. for עָב and עָנָן, a cloud; in the N. T. once tropically, a large, dense multitude, a throng: μαρτύρων, Hebrews 12:1; often so in secular authors, as νεφῶν Τροωον, πεζῶν, ψαρων, κολοιων, Homer, Iliad 4, 274; 16, 66; 17, 755; 23, 133; ἀνθρώπων, Herodotus 8, 109; στρουθῶν, Aristophanes av. 578; ἀκρίδων, Diodorus 3, 29; peditum equitumque nubes, Livy 35, 49. [SYNONYMS: νέφος, νεφέλη: νέφος is general, νεφέλη specific; the former denotes the great, shapeless collection of vapor obscuring the heavens; the latter designates particular and definite masses of the same, suggesting form and limit. Cf. Schmidt vol. i., chapter 36.]

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cloud.

Apparently a primary word; a cloud -- cloud.

Forms and Transliterations
νεφέλης νέφη νεφος νέφος νέφους νεφών nephos néphos
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Hebrews 12:1 N-ANS
GRK: περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων ὄγκον
NAS: so great a cloud of witnesses
KJV: with so great a cloud of witnesses,
INT: encompassing us a cloud of witnesses weight

Strong's Greek 3509
1 Occurrence


νέφος — 1 Occ.















3508
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