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μέλος

mélos

G3196 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Physical limb or member of a living body; by extension, component or part of a collective whole (such as a group, community, or metaphorical body). In literal contexts, refers to any bodily limb or organ (hand, foot, eye, ear, etc.); in figurative contexts, used to denote an individual part participating in a larger unified entity.

Semantic Range

limb (of a body), member (of a body), organ, component part, participant in a larger whole, member (of a group or community, in a metaphorical sense)

Root / Etymology

Etymology uncertain. The word μέλος does not have a clear derivation within Greek; proposed connections with PIE *mel- ('to turn, to grind') are debated, and its formation is not directly traceable to a distinct root in recorded Greek.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, μέλος most commonly refers to a limb or organ of the animal or human body, appearing in Homer and other early sources. By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, it is used both literally for body parts and metaphorically, especially in philosophical, rhetorical, and medical literature, to indicate a part of any unified structure (e.g., a citizen as a member of a city, or a person as part of a group). In the New Testament and related literature, μέλος retains its literal sense but is also notably employed by Paul (e.g., 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12) to describe individuals as members or active parts of a social-religious body (such as a community or assembly), paralleling Greco-Roman and Hellenistic philosophical uses of the body as a metaphor for society. English tradition often renders it as 'member,' but this can obscure its concrete physical sense and underplay the organic, inseparable relationship implied within the metaphorical usage. Unlike more technical anatomical terms, μέλος is inclusive of any significant body part or component.

Translation Consistency

primary "member" 34 occurrences

"Member" is the most frequent and versatile English rendering in the data, covering both literal limbs and the common figurative sense (parts of a body or community). It is natural-sounding in phrases like “members of the body” and avoids the anatomical narrowness of “limb” or the technical feel of “organ,” so it best fits the typical usages across contexts.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain affinity; a limb or part of the body:--member.

Root Family

μέλ- (mélan) — black (as a color), ink (as a black fluid)

Root μέλ- limb, part, component
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G3188 μέλαν

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3196-01 μέλη mele N ACC N PL members limbs members 22
G3196-02 μέλεσιν melesin N DAT N PL members to the limbs to the members 5
G3196-04 μέλος melos N NOM N SG member a limb member 5
G3196-03 μελῶν melon N GEN N PL members of limbs members 2

Occurrences in Scripture

34 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3196-03 Matthew 5:29 μελῶν melon N GEN N PL members of limbs members
G3196-03 Matthew 5:30 μελῶν melon N GEN N PL members of limbs members
G3196-01 Romans 6:13 μέλη mele N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Romans 6:13 μέλη mele-2 N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Romans 6:19 μέλη mele N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Romans 6:19 μέλη mele-2 N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-02 Romans 7:5 μέλεσιν melesin N DAT N PL members to the limbs to the members
G3196-02 Romans 7:23 μέλεσίν melesin N DAT N PL members to the limbs to the members
G3196-02 Romans 7:23 μέλεσίν melesin-2 N DAT N PL members to the limbs to the members
G3196-01 Romans 12:4 μέλη mele N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Romans 12:4 μέλη mele-2 N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Romans 12:5 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 6:15 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 6:15 μέλη mele-2 N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 6:15 μέλη mele-3 N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:12 μέλη mele N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:12 μέλη mele-2 N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-04 1 Corinthians 12:14 μέλος melos N NOM N SG member a limb member
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:18 μέλη mele N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-04 1 Corinthians 12:19 μέλος melos N NOM N SG member a limb member
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:20 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:22 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:25 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-04 1 Corinthians 12:26 μέλος melos N NOM N SG member a limb member
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:26 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-04 1 Corinthians 12:26 μέλος melos-2 N NOM N SG member a limb member
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:26 μέλη mele-2 N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 1 Corinthians 12:27 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Ephesians 4:25 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Ephesians 5:30 μέλη mele N NOM N PL members limbs members
G3196-01 Colossians 3:5 μέλη mele N ACC N PL members limbs members
G3196-04 James 3:5 μέλος melos N NOM N SG member a limb member
G3196-02 James 3:6 μέλεσιν melesin N DAT N PL members to the limbs to the members
G3196-02 James 4:1 μέλεσιν melesin N DAT N PL members to the limbs members
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