κηπουρός (G2780) — Greek Lexicon

κηπουρός

kēpourós

G2780 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A person responsible for tending, maintaining, and cultivating a garden. The term designates someone who manages the planting, care, and upkeep of cultivated grounds, whether decorative or food-producing. By extension, the word can refer to any caretaker of horticultural spaces, though primarily used for those directly working with plants in a domestic or estate setting.

Semantic Range

gardener, garden-keeper, horticultural laborer, caretaker of a garden; one who manages or tends a garden

Root / Etymology

From κῆπος (garden) + -ουρός (keeper, guardian), with -ουρός being a common agentive suffix in Hellenistic Greek formed from οὐρός (watcher, guardian). Parallels are seen in terms like πυλωρός (gatekeeper).

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term κηπουρός is attested primarily in Hellenistic and later Greek, with rare occurrences in the Septuagint and a single occurrence in the New Testament (John 20:15, describing the person whom Mary Magdalene mistakes Jesus for outside the tomb). In such passages, the κηπουρός is presumed to be a modest servant class figure, present on estates or wealthy households, in charge of the maintenance of garden spaces. The word follows typical Greek compounding, paralleling occupational titles based on spaces or domains overseen (cf. πυλωρός for 'gatekeeper'). English Bible translations render κηπουρός as 'gardener,' but the term may have broader connotations, denoting a custodian or laborer responsible for garden-related activities. In the Roman and later Byzantine context, estate managers and skilled laborers often bore specialized titles like this, distinguishing κηπουρός from owners or landholders. The semantic range does not extend to ornamental 'landscape designers' as in some modern senses: it implies manual work and direct oversight. The term is not used metaphorically in extant Koine literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from κῆπος and (a warden); a garden-keeper, i.e. gardener:--gardener.

Root Family

κηπουρός (kēpourós) — garden-keeper, gardener, caretaker of cultivated grounds

Root κηπουρ- to keep a garden, to tend a garden, to be a caretaker of plants

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G2780-01`	κηπουρός	kepouros	`N NOM M SG`	gardener	garden-keeper	gardener	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G2780-01`	John 20:15	κηπουρός	kepouros	`N NOM M SG`	gardener	garden-keeper	gardener

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