Lexical Summary oros: Mountain, hill Original Word: ὄρος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance a mountain, hillProbably from an obsolete oro (to rise or "rear"; perhaps akin to airo; compare ornis); a mountain (as lifting itself above the plain): -hill, mount(-ain). see GREEK airo see GREEK ornis NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. word Definition a mountain NASB Translation hill (2), mount (3), Mount (15), mountain (31), mountains (12). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3735: ὄροςὄρος, ὄρους, τό (ὈΡΩ, ὄρνυμι (i. e. a rising; see orthroi])) (from Homer down), the Sept. for הַר, a mountain: Matthew 5:14; Luke 3:5; Revelation 6:14, and often; τό ὄρος, the mountain nearest the place spoken of, the mountain near by (but see ὁ, II. 1 b.), Matthew 5:1; Mark 3:13; Luke 9:28; John 6:3, 15; plural ὄρη, Matthew 18:12; Matthew 24:16; Mark 5:5; Revelation 6:16, etc.; genitive plural ὀρέων (on this uncontracted form, used also in Attic, cf. Alexander Buttmann (1873) Gram. § 49 note 3; Winers Grammar, § 9, 2 c.; (Buttmann, 14 (13); Dindorf in Fleckeisen's Jahrb. for 1869, p. 83)), Revelation 6:15; ὄρη μεθιστάνειν a proverb. phrase, used also by rabbinical writings, to remove mountains, i. e. to accomplish most difficult, stupendous, incredible things: 1 Corinthians 13:2, cf. Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23. Topical Lexicon Created Grandeur and Divine Sovereignty Mountains appear throughout Scripture as natural monuments to the Creator’s power. Every use of Strong’s 3735 in the New Testament presupposes the Genesis proclamation that God “separated the waters from the dry land,” shaping hills and peaks as fixed reminders of His rule. Luke quotes Isaiah to announce that at Messiah’s coming “every mountain and hill will be made low” (Luke 3:5), affirming that even the most formidable heights are subject to the Almighty. Places of Revelation and Covenant The New Testament repeatedly recalls Old-Testament encounters on mountains. Stephen speaks of Moses meeting “the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai” (Acts 7:38). Hebrews contrasts the fearsome Sinai with a new reality in Christ: “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God” (Hebrews 12:22). Paul draws the same distinction, linking “Mount Sinai in Arabia” with the covenant of law, but identifying believers with “the Jerusalem above” (Galatians 4:25-26). Thus, mountains serve as settings where God discloses His will, establishes covenant, and foreshadows the gospel. Mountains in the Life and Ministry of Jesus 1. Teaching: “Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain… and He began to teach them” (Matthew 5:1). The Sermon on the Mount frames Christ as the authoritative interpreter of the law. Faith That Moves Mountains Jesus uses mountains metaphorically to depict obstacles overcome by believing prayer. “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move” (Matthew 17:20; cf. 21:21; Mark 11:23). The imagery assures believers that divine power, not geographic immensity, defines what is possible. Refuge and Judgment Demoniacs, outcasts, and persecuted saints are found “in the mountains” (Mark 5:5; Hebrews 11:38), demonstrating that God sees those who seek refuge in desolate places. Yet the same terrain becomes a stage for divine wrath. When seals are opened, “every mountain and island was moved from its place” (Revelation 6:14); the terrified cry out, “Hide us… from the wrath of the Lamb” and beg the “mountains and rocks” to cover them (Revelation 6:15-16). In the bowls of wrath “every island fled, and the mountains could not be found” (Revelation 16:20), underscoring the futility of hiding from judgment. Apocalyptic Imagery and Cosmic Conflict Revelation employs mountains as colossal actors in the end-times drama: These images depict geopolitical and spiritual realities that rise and fall under God’s sovereign plan. Mount Zion and Ultimate Hope John’s vision culminates with triumph atop a mountain: “I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion” (Revelation 14:1). Later, an angel carries him “to a great, high mountain” to behold “the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:10). The earthly Sinai that once thundered with law gives way to a heavenly Zion filled with grace, assuring believers of a secure inheritance. Practical Ministry Implications • Preaching: Mountain narratives invite proclamation of both law and gospel—Sinai exposing sin, Zion offering salvation. The sixty-four occurrences of Strong’s 3735 weave together creation, covenant, Christ’s ministry, faith’s triumphs, and the consummation of all things. From Sinai’s trembling slopes to Zion’s shining summit, Scripture presents every mountain as a platform on which the glory of God is displayed and the redemptive account advances. Forms and Transliterations ορει όρει ὄρει όρεσι ορεσιν όρεσιν ὄρεσιν ορεων ορεών ορέων ὀρέων ορη όρη ὄρη ορίοις όροις όρον ορος όρος ὄρος ορους όρους ὄρους οροφώματα ορτυγομήτρα ορτυγομήτραν όρυγα ore orē óre órē orei órei oreon oreōn oréon oréōn oresin óresin oros óros orous órousLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 4:8 N-ANSGRK: διάβολος εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν λίαν NAS: high mountain and showed KJV: high mountain, and INT: devil to a mountain high exceedingly Matthew 5:1 N-ANS Matthew 5:14 N-GNS Matthew 8:1 N-GNS Matthew 14:23 N-ANS Matthew 15:29 N-ANS Matthew 17:1 N-ANS Matthew 17:9 N-GNS Matthew 17:20 N-DNS Matthew 18:12 N-ANP Matthew 21:1 N-ANS Matthew 21:21 N-DNS Matthew 24:3 N-GNS Matthew 24:16 N-ANP Matthew 26:30 N-ANS Matthew 28:16 N-ANS Mark 3:13 N-ANS Mark 5:5 N-DNP Mark 5:11 N-DNS Mark 6:46 N-ANS Mark 9:2 N-ANS Mark 9:9 N-GNS Mark 11:1 N-ANS Mark 11:23 N-DNS Mark 13:3 N-ANS Strong's Greek 3735 |