Θυάτειρα

Thyáteira

G2363 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Thyateira – a city in the region of Lydia in Asia Minor, known from Hellenistic and Roman periods. Primarily denotes the urban center located southeast of Pergamum and northeast of Sardis. Its use in literary and epigraphic sources refers to the geographic locale itself, including its civic inhabitants and community identity.

Semantic Range

city in Lydia, urban center in Asia Minor, the civic community of Thyateira, region associated with the city

Root / Etymology

The origin of the name is uncertain. Some ancient sources speculated possible Lydian or Anatolian roots, but no consensus exists. It does not appear to derive from known Greek stems or established Anatolian toponyms; the etymology remains unresolved.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Thyateira is attested in several ancient Greek and Roman sources as a significant city in the Hermus river valley of Lydia, present-day Akhisar in western Turkey. In the Hellenistic era, it became notable as a Macedonian military colony founded by Seleucus I Nicator (late 4th to early 3rd century BCE). The name Θυάτειρα appears in Greek inscriptions and literary sources from classical antiquity onwards. In the New Testament (Acts 16:14; Revelation 1:11; 2:18, 24), Thyateira is referenced as the home of Lydia, a notable merchant, and addressed as one of the seven assemblies in the Book of Revelation. English versions uniformly transliterate the name as 'Thyatira', but this gives no semantic content beyond geographic designation. Unlike other Greek toponyms, it lacks an independent lexical meaning outside its place-name function.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Thyatira, a place in Asia Minor:--Thyatira.

Root Family

Θυάτειρα (Thyáteira) — city, urban settlement, geographic location

Root uncertain city, urban settlement, geographic location

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2363-02 Θυατείροις thuateirois N DAT N PL Thyatira to Thyateira Thyateira 2
G2363-03 Θυατείρων thuateiron N GEN N PL of Thyatira of Thyateira of Thyateira 1
G2363-01 Θυάτειρα thuateira N ACC N PL Thyatira Thyateira (city) Thyateira 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2363-03 Acts 16:14 Θυατείρων thuateiron N GEN N PL of Thyatira of Thyateira of Thyateira
G2363-01 Revelation 1:11 Θυάτειρα thuateira N ACC N PL Thyatira Thyateira (city) Thyateira
G2363-02 Revelation 2:18 Θυατείροις thuateirois N DAT N PL Thyatira to Thyateira Thyateira
G2363-02 Revelation 2:24 Θυατείροις thuateirois N DAT N PL Thyatira to Thyateira Thyateira