← G3550 G3552 →

νόμος

nómos

G3551 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Primary meaning: a custom or established usage, a norm regarded as binding within a group; by extension, a law or regulation, whether unwritten (customary law) or written (formal statute). In specific contexts, the term designates the Mosaic Torah (the written law attributed to Moses), but may also refer more generally to authoritative instruction, a recognized legal or ethical principle, or a governing norm in philosophical discourse.

Semantic Range

custom, normative usage, law (unwritten or written), rule, statute, regulation, the Mosaic Torah, authoritative instruction, legal or ethical principle, governing norm

Root / Etymology

From the Greek root νέμω (némō, 'to distribute, allot, apportion'), leading to the derived noun νόμος, originally indicating that which is apportioned or established, hence, 'custom' and later 'law'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, νόμος usually denotes an established custom or usage, often unwritten, that has binding force in a community. Over time, especially in philosophical and political texts (e.g., Plato, Aristotle), it developed the sense of 'law' in contrast to 'physis' (nature), denoting societal norms versus natural principles. In the Hellenistic period and particularly in the Septuagint, νόμος becomes the standard Greek rendering of the Hebrew תּוֹרָה (Torah), encompassing not only law in the technical sense, but also broader concepts of divine instruction, teaching, or legal corpus, especially the Pentateuch. In the New Testament, νόμος frequently refers to the Mosaic Torah as a distinct body of divine legislation governing the Israelite or Judean community, but may also denote legal principle in a general sense (e.g., Rom 7:21, 'a principle'), Roman law, or even abstract laws or norms (cf. 'law of faith,' 'law of sin'). Standard English translations such as 'law' often obscure the broader semantic field, which includes custom, tradition, established norm, and instruction. νόμος contrasts with terms like ἔθος (custom) in certain contexts but may be synonymous in others; it is also distinct from δικαίωμα (regulation, ordinance) and ἐντολή (commandment), each with their own nuance.

Translation Consistency

primary "law" 193 occurrences

'Law' is the most natural, widely used English equivalent for νόμος, covering formal statutes, customary norms, and specifically the Mosaic Torah. It matches the dominant renderings in the corpus and clearly conveys the sense of an authoritative, binding rule while remaining idiomatic in English.

Alternatives (2 occurrences):
"binding norms" (2x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a primary (to parcel out, especially food or grazing to animals); law (through the idea of prescriptive usage), genitive case (regulation), specially, (of Moses (including the volume); also of the Gospel), or figuratively (a principle):--law.

Root Family

νόμος (nomos) — custom, norm, law, statute, governing principle

Root νομ- to distribute, to allot, to apportion

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3551-04 νόμου nomou N GEN M SG law of the binding norm of the law 67
G3551-02 νόμον nomon N ACC M SG law a binding norm law 60
G3551-03 νόμος nomos N NOM M SG law binding norm law 34
G3551-01 νόμῳ nomo N DAT M SG law to a governing norm law 32
G3551-05 νόμους nomous N ACC M PL laws binding norms binding norms 2

Occurrences in Scripture

195 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3551-02 Matthew 5:17 νόμον nomon N ACC M SG Law a binding norm a law
G3551-04 Matthew 5:18 νόμου nomou N GEN M SG law of the binding norm law
G3551-03 Matthew 7:12 νόμος nomos N NOM M SG law binding norm law
G3551-03 Matthew 11:13 νόμος nomos N NOM M SG law binding norm law
G3551-01 Matthew 12:5 νόμῳ nomo N DAT M SG law to a governing norm law
G3551-01 Matthew 22:36 νόμῳ nomo N DAT M SG law to a governing norm law
G3551-03 Matthew 22:40 νόμος nomos N NOM M SG law binding norm law
G3551-04 Matthew 23:23 νόμου nomou N GEN M SG law of the binding norm of the law
G3551-02 Luke 2:22 νόμον nomon N ACC M SG law a binding norm law
G3551-01 Luke 2:23 νόμῳ nomo N DAT M SG law to a governing norm law
← G3550 Greek Lexicon G3552 →