4602. sigé
Lexical Summary
sigé: Silence

Original Word: σιγή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: sigé
Pronunciation: see-GAY
Phonetic Spelling: (see-gay')
KJV: silence
NASB: hush, silence
Word Origin: [apparently from sizo "to hiss, hist or hush"]

1. silence

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
silence.

Apparently from sizo (to hiss, i.e. Hist or hush); silence -- silence. Compare siopao.

see GREEK siopao

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
silence
NASB Translation
hush (1), silence (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4602: σιγή

σιγή, σιγῆς, (from σίζω (onomatopoetic, Etym. Magn. 712, 29) i. e. to command silence by making the sound st or sch; (yet σιγή probably has no connection with σίζω, but is of European origin (cf. German schweigen); cf. Fick, Part 3:843; Curtius, § 572)), from Homer down, silence: Acts 21:40; Revelation 8:1.

Topical Lexicon
Scope and Occurrences

The noun σιγή (silence) appears twice in the Greek New Testament: Acts 21:40 and Revelation 8:1. Both occurrences stand at pivotal moments in redemptive history, inviting reflection on the theological weight of holy quietness.

Silence in the Divine Drama of Revelation 8:1

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” The six seals that precede this verse resound with thunder, earthquakes, and cosmic upheaval. Yet the opening of the seventh seal arrests every voice—angelic and human alike. Heaven’s stillness functions as:
• A pause of awe before the final cycle of judgment (compare Habakkuk 2:20; Zephaniah 1:7).
• A dramatic emphasis on the sovereignty of the Lamb; judgment moves on His timetable.
• A liturgical space in which the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8:3-4) rise unhindered.

In worship today, intentional silence echoes this heavenly pattern, underscoring reverence and sober expectation as God’s purposes unfold.

Silence as Readiness to Hear (Acts 21:40)

Having secured permission from the Roman commander, Paul “stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence. When all was quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew”. Here σιγή signals ordered attentiveness, preparing the crowd for gospel proclamation. The setting—turbulent, ethnically charged Jerusalem—illustrates how godly silence can calm hostility and create space for truth.

Silence and Old Testament Anticipation

The Old Testament repeatedly links silence with submission and hope:
• “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).
• “Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling” (Zechariah 2:13).

Such verses forecast both the heavenly hush of Revelation 8 and the evangelistic quiet Paul secured in Acts 21.

Themes and Ministry Significance

1. Reverent Worship

Silence is not emptiness; it is the creature’s fitting response to incomparable majesty. Congregational liturgies that include moments of quiet imitate the heavenly order and cultivate awe.

2. Spiritual Discernment

Elijah heard the “gentle whisper” on Horeb (1 Kings 19:12). Likewise, believers attune their hearts to God’s voice by withdrawing from noise (Isaiah 30:15). σιγή reminds the church that revelation often follows restraint.

3. Judgment and Warning

Heaven’s silence precedes intensified wrath in Revelation 8. The hush testifies that divine patience has an appointed end (Romans 2:4-5). Preachers may employ measured pauses to convey the gravity of coming judgment.

4. Evangelistic Strategy

Paul’s gesture-induced σιγή transformed a riotous mob into an audience for the gospel (Acts 22:1-21). Christian leaders today still secure attention—sometimes by quiet presence rather than louder argumentation.

5. Pastoral Care and Counsel

Job’s friends were at their best when “they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him” (Job 2:13). Wise shepherds know when silence comforts more than speech.

Practical Applications

• Incorporate silent intervals in corporate prayer, allowing intercession to rise “like incense” (Revelation 8:4).
• Teach families to practice brief moments of quiet during Scripture reading, modeling listening hearts for children.
• In personal devotion, mute digital distractions and meditate on passages such as Psalm 62:5: “Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him”.
• In counseling, resist the urge to fill every pause; healing often germinates in reflective stillness.

Summary

Whether halting heavenly choirs before the final trumpet or stilling a hostile crowd so the gospel can be heard, σιγή frames decisive movements in God’s plan. Holy silence is never mere absence of sound; it is the poised expectancy of faith, the platform from which God’s Word proceeds in power and from which His judgments roll forth in righteousness.

Forms and Transliterations
σιγη σιγή σιγὴ σιγης σιγής σιγῆς sige sigē sigḕ siges sigês sigēs sigē̂s
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Acts 21:40 N-GFS
GRK: πολλῆς δὲ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν
NAS: and when there was a great hush, he spoke
KJV: a great silence, he spake
INT: great moreover silence having taken place he spoke to [them]

Revelation 8:1 N-NFS
GRK: ἑβδόμην ἐγένετο σιγὴ ἐν τῷ
NAS: seal, there was silence in heaven
KJV: seal, there was silence in heaven
INT: seventh there was silence in

Strong's Greek 4602
2 Occurrences


σιγὴ — 1 Occ.
σιγῆς — 1 Occ.

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