4983. sóma
Lexical Summary
sóma: Body

Original Word: σῶμα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: sóma
Pronunciation: SO-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (so'-mah)
KJV: bodily, body, slave
NASB: body, bodies, personal, slaves, substance
Word Origin: [from G4982 (σώζω - saved)]

1. the body (as a sound whole)
{used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
body

From sozo; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively -- bodily, body, slave.

see GREEK sozo

HELPS Word-studies

4983 sṓma – the physical body. 4983 (sṓma) is also used figuratively of the mystical Body of Christ (= the Church, the one people of God).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
a body
NASB Translation
bodies (11), body (128), personal (1), slaves (1), substance (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4983: σῶμα

σῶμα, 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.; ; James 2:26 (4 Macc. 11:11); — from ψυχή, in Matthew 6:25; Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:22 (Wis. 1:4 Wis. 8:19f; 2 Macc. 7:37 2Macc. 14:38; 4 Macc. 1:28, etc.); — from ψυχή and τό πνεῦμα together, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (cf. Song of the Three, 63); σῶμα ψυχικόν and σῶμα πνευματικόν are distinguished, 1 Corinthians 15:44 (see πνευματικός, 1 and ψυχικός, a.); τό σῶμα τίνος, Matthew 5:29; Luke 11:34; Romans 4:19; Romans 8:23 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 187 (176)), etc.; ναός τοῦ σωματου αὐτοῦ, the temple which was his body, John 2:21; plural, Romans 1:24; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Ephesians 5:28; the genitive of the possessor is omitted where it is easily learned from the context, as 1 Corinthians 5:3; 2 Corinthians 4:10; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Hebrews 10:22(23), etc.; τό σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν, the body of our humiliation (subjective genitive), i. e. which we wear in this servile and lowly human life, opposed to τό σῶμα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ (i. e. τοῦ Χριστοῦ), the body which Christ has in his glorified state with God in heaven, Philippians 3:21; διά τοῦ σωματου τοῦ Χριστοῦ, through the death of Christ's body, Romans 7:4; διά τῆς προσφοράς τοῦ σωματου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, through the sacrificial offering of the body of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 10:10; τό σῶμα τῆς σαρκός, the body consisting of flesh, i. e. the physical body (tacitly opposed to Christ's spiritual body, the church, see 3 below), Colossians 1:22 (differently in Colossians 2:11 (see just below)); σῶμα τοῦ θανάτου, the body subject to death, given over to it (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 30, 2 β.), Romans 7:24; the fact that the body includes σάρξ:, and in the flesh also the incentives to sin (see σάρξ, 4), gives origin to the following phrases: μή βασιλευέτω ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶν σώματι, Romans 6:12 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 524 (488)); αἱ πράξεις τοῦ σώματος, Romans 8:13. Since the body is the instrument of the soul (2 Corinthians 5:10), and its members the instruments either of righteousness or of iniquity (Romans 6:13, 19), the following expressions are easily intelligible: σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας, the body subject to, the thrall of, sin (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 30, 2 β.), Romans 6:6; τό σῶμα τῆς σαρκός, subject to the incitements of the flesh, Colossians 2:11 (where Rec. has τό σῶμα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκός). δοξάζετε τόν Θεόν ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν, 1 Corinthians 6:20; μεγαλύνειν τόν Χριστόν ἐν τῷ σώματι, εἴτε διά ζωῆς, εἴτε διά θανάτου, Philippians 1:20; παραστῆσαι τά σώματα θυσίαν ... τῷ Θεῷ (i. e. by bodily purity (cf. Meyer at the passage)), Romans 12:1.

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. 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)).

Topical Lexicon
The Created Body

Scripture presents the human body as an intentional workmanship of God. “You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). Jesus appeals to this creational dignity when He asks, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25). In Eden the body was pronounced “very good,” establishing its worth prior to sin, a valuation reaffirmed by Christ’s incarnation (John 1:14).

The Body Under the Fall

The entrance of sin subjected the body to mortality (Romans 5:12) and disordered passions: “Their bodies were dishonored among them” (Romans 1:24). Yet even while naming the body “this body of death” (Romans 7:24), Paul refuses a dualistic contempt for it; rather, he identifies sin—not the body itself—as the culprit (Romans 6:12).

The Body and Redemption

1. Atonement – The incarnate Son offered His body for sin: “This is My body given for you” (Luke 22:19). The writer to the Hebrews adds, “We have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
2. Regeneration – Though the inner person is renewed, Paul insists that redemption extends to “our mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11).
3. Sanctification – “Therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Presenting the body “as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) is the reasonable response to mercy.

Stewardship and Ethics of the Body

Sexual purity: “The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord” (1 Corinthians 6:13). Self-discipline: “I discipline my body and make it my slave” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Compassion ministry: believers “remember those in prison… as though you were in their body” (Hebrews 13:3).

The Body of Christ: Ecclesiological Dimension

The metaphor moves from organism to organization: “We, who are many, are one body in Christ” (Romans 12:5). Unity (Ephesians 4:4), diversity of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:12-27), and mutual edification (Ephesians 4:16) are grounded in this corporate body imagery. Christ is “head over everything for the church, which is His body” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Sacramental Body

In the Lord’s Supper the elements signify Christ’s self-gift. “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Unworthy participation “sins against the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27), underscoring the ongoing covenantal weight of His physical offering.

The Resurrection Body

1 Corinthians 15 contrasts the present “natural body” with the coming “spiritual body.” Jesus’ own empty tomb (Luke 24:3) and tangible post-resurrection appearances (Luke 24:39) guarantee a bodily future for believers. The transformation is radical yet continuous: “He will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:21).

Holistic Salvation: Spirit, Soul, and Body

Paul prays, “May your spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Salvation is therefore holistic, anticipating the full renewal of every dimension of human existence at Christ’s return.

Historical-Theological Significance

Early Christian proclamation of bodily resurrection confronted Greek dualism and later Gnostic denials of fleshly goodness. The Apostles’ Creed affirms “the resurrection of the body,” reflecting the apostolic witness that redemption is not escape from physicality but its restoration. Throughout church history doctrines of creation, incarnation, and resurrection have stood or fallen together on the biblical valuation of the body.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Health and wholeness ministries honor the body’s creational status.
• Care for the sick follows Jesus’ example of bodily compassion.
• Church unity work is framed as preserving the integrity of Christ’s body.
• Funeral liturgies proclaim the sure hope of bodily resurrection.

The New Testament’s 142 uses of σῶμα weave a coherent storyline: from creation, through fall, to redemption and ultimate glorification, God’s purpose embraces the whole person, ensuring that “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).

Forms and Transliterations
σωμα σώμα σώμά σῶμα σῶμά σώμασιν σωματα σώματα σωματι σώματι σώματί σωματος σώματος σώματός σωματων σωμάτων soma sôma sômá sōma sō̂ma sō̂má somata sōmata sṓmata somati sōmati sṓmati sṓmatí somaton somáton sōmatōn sōmátōn somatos sōmatos sṓmatos sṓmatós
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 5:29 N-NNS
GRK: ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου βληθῇ
NAS: for your whole body to be thrown
KJV: whole body should be cast
INT: all the body of you be cast

Matthew 5:30 N-NNS
GRK: ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου εἰς
NAS: for your whole body to go
KJV: whole body should be cast
INT: all the body of you into

Matthew 6:22 N-GNS
GRK: λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ
NAS: is the lamp of the body; so then
KJV: The light of the body is the eye:
INT: lamp of the body is the

Matthew 6:22 N-NNS
GRK: ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινὸν
NAS: your whole body will be full of light.
KJV: thy whole body shall be full of light.
INT: [the] whole body of you light

Matthew 6:23 N-NNS
GRK: ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν
NAS: your whole body will be full of darkness.
KJV: whole body shall be
INT: all the body of you dark

Matthew 6:25 N-DNS
GRK: μηδὲ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν τί
NAS: nor for your body, [as to] what
KJV: your body, what
INT: nor the body of you what

Matthew 6:25 N-NNS
GRK: καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος
NAS: than food, and the body more
KJV: meat, and the body than raiment?
INT: and the body than clothing

Matthew 10:28 N-ANS
GRK: ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα τὴν δὲ
NAS: who kill the body but are unable
KJV: them which kill the body, but are
INT: kill the body those however

Matthew 10:28 N-ANS
GRK: ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν
NAS: both soul and body in hell.
KJV: soul and body in hell.
INT: soul and body to destroy in

Matthew 26:12 N-GNS
GRK: ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματός μου πρὸς
NAS: perfume on My body, she did
KJV: on my body, she did [it] for
INT: on the body of me for

Matthew 26:26 N-NNS
GRK: ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου
NAS: eat; this is My body.
KJV: is my body.
INT: is the body of me

Matthew 27:52 N-NNP
GRK: καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων
NAS: and many bodies of the saints
KJV: and many bodies of the saints which
INT: and many bodies of the fallen asleep

Matthew 27:58 N-ANS
GRK: ᾐτήσατο τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ
NAS: and asked for the body of Jesus.
KJV: and begged the body of Jesus.
INT: asked for the body of Jesus

Matthew 27:59 N-ANS
GRK: λαβὼν τὸ σῶμα ὁ Ἰωσὴφ
NAS: took the body and wrapped
KJV: had taken the body, he wrapped
INT: having taken the body Joseph

Mark 5:29 N-DNS
GRK: ἔγνω τῷ σώματι ὅτι ἴαται
NAS: up; and she felt in her body that she was healed
KJV: she felt in [her] body that
INT: she knew in [her] body that she was healed

Mark 14:8 N-ANS
GRK: μυρίσαι τὸ σῶμά μου εἰς
NAS: she has anointed My body beforehand
KJV: to anoint my body to the burying.
INT: to anoint the body of me for

Mark 14:22 N-NNS
GRK: ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου
NAS: Take [it]; this is My body.
KJV: is my body.
INT: is the body of me

Mark 15:43 N-ANS
GRK: ᾐτήσατο τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ
NAS: and asked for the body of Jesus.
KJV: and craved the body of Jesus.
INT: asked for the body of Jesus

Luke 11:34 N-GNS
GRK: λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ
NAS: is the lamp of your body; when
KJV: The light of the body is the eye:
INT: lamp of your body is the

Luke 11:34 N-NNS
GRK: ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινόν
NAS: your whole body also
KJV: thy whole body also is
INT: all the body of you light

Luke 11:34 N-NNS
GRK: καὶ τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινόν
NAS: it is bad, your body also
KJV: thy body also
INT: also the body of you [is] dark

Luke 11:36 N-NNS
GRK: οὖν τὸ σῶμά σου ὅλον
NAS: your whole body is full
KJV: whole body therefore
INT: therefore the body of you full [is]

Luke 12:4 N-ANS
GRK: ἀποκτεινόντων τὸ σῶμα καὶ μετὰ
NAS: who kill the body and after
KJV: of them that kill the body, and after
INT: kill the body and after

Luke 12:22 N-DNS
GRK: μηδὲ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν τί
NAS: nor for your body, [as to] what
KJV: neither for the body, what
INT: nor the body of you what

Luke 12:23 N-NNS
GRK: καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος
NAS: than food, and the body more
KJV: and the body [is more] than raiment.
INT: and the body than the clothing

Strong's Greek 4983
142 Occurrences


σῶμά — 70 Occ.
σώματα — 10 Occ.
σώματι — 25 Occ.
σωμάτων — 1 Occ.
σώματός — 36 Occ.

4982
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