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κολυμβήθρα

kolymbḗthra

G2861 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A basin or pool intended for bathing, washing, or swimming; primarily denotes a constructed or naturally formed body of water used for immersion or ritual cleansing. In some contexts, may refer to public or private pools used for health, recreation, or ritual purposes, including those associated with healing or purification.

Semantic Range

pool for bathing, place for swimming, pool for ritual washing, bath, basin, constructed pool, healing pool, public or private pool

Root / Etymology

From the verb κολυμβάω (to dive, swim), with the feminine suffix -ήθρα indicating a place or receptacle. The formation parallels other Greek nouns denoting places or containers related to an activity (e.g., δουλεία for slavery, χύτρα for a pot).

Historical & Contextual Notes

Earliest attestations of κολυμβήθρα appear in post-classical and Koine sources, especially in Jewish Hellenistic contexts (e.g., Philo, Josephus, Gospel of John). In the New Testament, the term is notably used for the 'Pool of Bethesda' and the 'Pool of Siloam' in Jerusalem (John 5:2; 9:7), significant as sites of healing and ritual washing. In contemporary Greco-Roman usage, pools or basins (κολυμβήθραι) could serve various public and domestic functions—ranging from recreation and bathing (as in public baths) to religious or ritual purposes (e.g., purification before entering sacred spaces). The term does not denote 'river,' 'lake,' or naturally occurring large bodies of water but rather a contained and often constructed or designated place. Traditional English translations render 'pool,' but the term may encompass a wider semantic field in Greek, emphasizing not only recreation or bathing but also ritual, health, and social functions. There is no evidence the term originally carried a specifically Judean or Israelite religious sense, but in the New Testament and certain Hellenistic Jewish literature, it acquires associations with ritual purity, health, and miraculous healing.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from κολυμβάω; a diving-place, i.e. pond for bathing (or swimming):--pool.

Root Family

κολυμβ- (ekkolymbáō) — to swim, to move through water

Root κολυμβ- to dive, to swim
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1579 ἐκκολυμβάω having swum out
G2860 κολυμβάω to be swimming

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2861-01 κολυμβήθρα kolumbethra N NOM F SG pool bathing pool bathing pool 2
G2861-02 κολυμβήθραν kolumbethran N ACC F SG pool a bathing pool bathing pool 2

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2861-01 John 5:2 κολυμβήθρα kolumbethra N NOM F SG pool bathing pool bathing pool
G2861-01 John 5:4 κολυμβήθρᾳ kolumbethra N DAT F SG pool bathing pool bathing pool
G2861-02 John 5:7 κολυμβήθραν kolumbethran N ACC F SG pool a bathing pool pool
G2861-02 John 9:7 κολυμβήθραν kolumbethran N ACC F SG pool a bathing pool bathing pool
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