Lexical Summary sóma: Body Original Word: σῶμα Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bodyFrom 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 Originof uncertain origin Definition a body NASB Translation bodies (11), body (128), personal (1), slaves (1), substance (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4983: σῶμασῶμα, 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.; 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. ἡ 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)). 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). 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. 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). Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:29 N-NNSGRK: 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 Matthew 6:22 N-GNS Matthew 6:22 N-NNS Matthew 6:23 N-NNS Matthew 6:25 N-DNS Matthew 6:25 N-NNS Matthew 10:28 N-ANS Matthew 10:28 N-ANS Matthew 26:12 N-GNS Matthew 26:26 N-NNS Matthew 27:52 N-NNP Matthew 27:58 N-ANS Matthew 27:59 N-ANS Mark 5:29 N-DNS Mark 14:8 N-ANS Mark 14:22 N-NNS Mark 15:43 N-ANS Luke 11:34 N-GNS Luke 11:34 N-NNS Luke 11:34 N-NNS Luke 11:36 N-NNS Luke 12:4 N-ANS Luke 12:22 N-DNS Luke 12:23 N-NNS Strong's Greek 4983 |
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