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ἔριον

érion

G2053 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Wool; the soft, curly hair covering sheep, especially as a material used in textiles and garments. In extended sense, material or fabric made from sheep's wool.

Semantic Range

wool, raw wool, woolen material, fleece, (rarely) downy fiber or hair

Root / Etymology

From the Greek root ἐρι- (uncertain affiliation within Indo-European roots; some scholars propose relation to words for 'hair' or 'wool' in other Indo-European languages, but exact etymology is uncertain).

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἔριον is the standard Greek term for 'wool', referring primarily to the natural fleece of sheep. In classical, Hellenistic, and Koine Greek, it denotes both raw and prepared wool. In the Septuagint, ἔριον consistently translates Hebrew צֶמֶר (tsemer), used in contexts of ritual purity, clothing, and offerings. The term does not carry significant metaphorical usage in the New Testament; it appears rarely, e.g., in Revelation 1:14 describing the white hair (as wool) of a visionary figure. In technical and commercial Greek, ἔριον could refer to the wool trade, textile production, or material for garments. English Bible translations render ἔριον as 'wool', matching the literal sense. In some later Greek (especially medical or technical writers), ἔριον could also generically mean soft downy fibers, but this is rare or absent in biblical and contemporaneous literature. The term ἔριον does not overlap with terms for linen (λίνον) or other textile fibers; it specifically denotes that of animal origin, especially sheep.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of obscure affinity; wool:--wool.

Root Family

ερι- (érion) — wool, fleece

Root ερι- wool, fleece

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2053-01 ἔριον erion N NOM N SG wool wool wool 1
G2053-02 ἐρίου eriou N GEN N SG wool of wool wool 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2053-02 Hebrews 9:19 ἐρίου eriou N GEN N SG wool of wool wool
G2053-01 Revelation 1:14 ἔριον erion N NOM N SG wool wool wool
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