Ῥόδη
Rhódē
G4498 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Rhódē is a proper feminine name; in extant sources, it designates a particular female individual. In the New Testament (Acts 12:13), the name refers to a servant girl in the household of Mary (the mother of John called Mark) in Jerusalem. Thus, the primary lexical meaning is as a personal name, with no additional usage as a common noun in known Greek literature. The semantic range is limited to this proper-noun usage in the available sources.
Semantic Range
personal name given to a woman; originally denotes 'rose' (the flower) as an etymological root, but in context refers exclusively to a proper name
Root / Etymology
Ῥόδη is likely derived from the Greek noun ῥόδον, meaning 'rose,' with the feminine ending -η. The name corresponds to the flower and was common among Greeks and Hellenized peoples. It is not originally a Semitic or Hebrew name, but reflects Greek naming customs.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Ῥόδη appears only once in the New Testament (Acts 12:13), attached to a female servant in Jerusalem, likely of non-Israelite or Hellenistic background due to the Greek character of her name. Use of Ῥόδη as a personal name is attested in Greek inscriptions and papyri from the Hellenistic and Roman periods, particularly among women in urban, Hellenized environments, including in the eastern Mediterranean. The translation tradition often preserves it as 'Rhoda.' No additional sense as a title or common noun is attested in biblical or contemporary Jewish literature. The name carries no inherent religious or ethnic identity beyond that which might be suggested by its etymology or the sociolinguistic context.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably for rhode (a rose); Rode, a servant girl:--Rhoda.
Root Family
ῥοδ- (Rhódē) — rose (as a plant), proper name (feminine)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G4499 | Ῥόδος | Rhodes |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4498-01 |
Ῥόδη | rode | N NOM F SG |
Rhoda | Rhodē | Rhode | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4498-01 |
Acts 12:13 | Ῥόδη | rode | N NOM F SG |
Rhoda | Rhodē | Rhode |