Original Word: κωφός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: kóphos
Pronunciation: KOH-fos
Phonetic Spelling: (ko-fos')
Definition: (lit: blunted) dumb, dull, deaf.
Meaning: The term κωφός primarily means "dull" or "blunted," and is used to describe someone who is "deaf" or "mute." It can refer to a lack of hearing or speech, or metaphorically to a lack of understanding or perception.

Word Origin: Derived from the base of κώπη (kōpē), meaning "blunt" or "dull."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • H2795 חֵרֵשׁ (cheresh): Meaning "deaf," used in contexts describing those who cannot hear.
• H483 אִלֵּם ('illem): Meaning "mute" or "dumb," used to describe those who cannot speak.

These Hebrew terms are often used in the Old Testament to describe similar conditions of deafness and muteness, providing a linguistic and thematic link between the Testaments regarding God's power to heal and restore.

Usage: The word κωφός is used in the New Testament to describe individuals who are physically deaf or mute. It is often used in the context of Jesus' healing miracles, where He restores hearing and speech to those afflicted.

Context: The term κωφός appears in several passages in the New Testament, often in the context of Jesus' ministry. In Matthew 9:32-33, a demon-possessed man who was mute is brought to Jesus, and upon casting out the demon, the man speaks. The crowd marvels, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." This passage highlights Jesus' authority over physical and spiritual afflictions.

In Mark 7:32-37, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. Jesus takes him aside, puts His fingers into the man's ears, spits, and touches his tongue. He then looks up to heaven, sighs, and says, "Ephphatha," meaning "Be opened." Immediately, the man's ears are opened, and his tongue is released, and he speaks plainly. This miracle demonstrates Jesus' compassion and power, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 35:5-6, which speaks of the Messiah opening the ears of the deaf and the tongues of the mute.

The use of κωφός in these contexts underscores the transformative power of Jesus' ministry, both physically and spiritually. It also serves as a metaphor for spiritual deafness and the need for divine intervention to open one's heart and mind to the truth.

Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
blunt, dull
NASB Translation
deaf (4), mute (6), mute man (3), one who (1), one who was deaf (1).

STRONGS NT 2974: κωφός

κωφός, κωφη, κωφόν (κόπτω to beat, pound), blunted, dull; properly, βέλος, Homer, Iliad 11, 390; hence a. blunted (or lamed) in tongue; dumb: Matthew 9:32; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 15:30; Luke 1:22; Luke 11:14 (Herodotus and following; the Sept. for אִלֵּם Habakkuk 2:18).

b. blunted, dull, in hearing; deaf: Matthew 11:5; Mark 7:32, 37; Mark 9:25; Luke 7:22 (Homer h. Merc. 92; Aeschylus, Xenophon, Plato, and following; the Sept. for חֵרֵשׁ, Exodus 4:11; Isaiah 43:8; Psalm 37:14 (), etc.).

deaf, dumb, speechless.

From kopto; blunted, i.e. (figuratively) of hearing (deaf) or speech (dumb) -- deaf, dumb, speechless.

see GREEK kopto

εκωφώθην κωφά κωφής κωφοι κωφοί κωφοὶ κωφον κωφόν κωφὸν κωφος κωφός κωφους κωφούς κωφοὺς κωφών λαβήν λαβίδας λαβίδες λαβίδι λάβρος λάβρου λάβρω λάγανα λάγανον kophoi kophoì kōphoi kōphoì kophon kophón kophòn kōphon kōphón kōphòn kophos kophós kōphos kōphós kophous kophoús kophoùs kōphous kōphoús kōphoùsInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts