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κρύσταλλος

krýstallos

G2930 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A transparent or translucent mineral, typically clear in appearance, most often referring in antiquity to clear, colorless quartz, thought to be eternally frozen water (ice). In Koine Greek, primarily used to describe a substance resembling pure ice or possessing a dazzling, glass-like clarity. Sometimes extends metaphorically to purity and brilliance.

Semantic Range

clear mineral (rock crystal), ice-like stone, pure ice, metaphor for clarity or brilliance, precious stone

Root / Etymology

From κρύσταλλος, likely derived from κρύος (“ice, frost, cold”) with a nominalizing suffix; connected semantically with notions of freezing. The direct formation is from κρυ- ('cold, ice') + the noun-forming ending -σταλλος; the exact pathway is uncertain, though the sense is rooted in coldness and clarity. The word is also related to Latin crystallus and English 'crystal.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical and Hellenistic Greek texts, κρύσταλλος refers to clear, rock-like 'ice' (what we now call rock crystal or quartz), believed by some ancient writers (e.g., Theophrastus, Pliny) to be water frozen to such a state that it could not be thawed. This distinction between actual ice and rock crystal was not always sharply drawn. In the Septuagint and New Testament, κρύσταλλος appears rarely, serving as a symbol of clarity, purity, or preciousness (e.g., Revelation 4:6; 21:11). English Bible translations almost always render the term 'crystal,' but this can obscure the ancient belief about its nature. In contrast to γυαλίον (glass), κρύσταλλος was natural, not manufactured. The modern mineralogical meaning 'crystal' derives from this ancient term, but the ancients did not associate it with crystallography. Use in earliest Greek is already attested in poetry and medical texts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a derivative of (frost); ice, i.e. (by analogy) rock "crystal":--crystal.

Root Family

κρύσταλλος (krýstallos) — cold, ice, frost; clear mineral; ice-like stone

Root κρυ- cold, ice, frost

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2930-02 κρύσταλλον krustallon N ACC M SG crystal ice-clear crystal stone crystal 1
G2930-01 κρυστάλλῳ krustallo N DAT M SG crystal to ice-clear crystal to crystal 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2930-01 Revelation 4:6 κρυστάλλῳ krustallo N DAT M SG crystal to ice-clear crystal to crystal
G2930-02 Revelation 22:1 κρύσταλλον krustallon N ACC M SG crystal ice-clear crystal stone crystal
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