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Σινᾶ

Sinâ

G4614 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Proper noun referring to Mount Sinai, a specific mountain noted for its significance in biblical tradition as the place where Moses received the Law; in Hellenistic and Koine Greek contexts, used to denote the sacred mountain associated with the covenant narrative. The term specifically designates the location, not a person or broader region.

Semantic Range

Mount Sinai (geographical feature), place of divine revelation, symbolic of covenant; no attested broader or metaphorical senses in contemporaneous Greek literature

Root / Etymology

A borrowing from Hebrew סִינַי (Sinai); the Greek Σινᾶ is a direct transliteration of the Hebrew name. The etymology of the Hebrew term itself is uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Σινᾶ appears in the Septuagint and the New Testament to designate the mountain associated with the covenant between the Israelite people and their deity. In Greek literature outside the biblical corpus, the term is rare, indicating its primary circulation in religious and scriptural contexts. The use of the feminine singular form follows standard Greek practice for place names. In Galatians 4:24–25, Σινᾶ is referenced allegorically, illustrating both the literal and symbolic resonance of the term in Koine texts. The Latin Vulgate simply transliterates as Sina. Later tradition routinely identified Σινᾶ as the mountain in the south-central Sinai Peninsula; however, in ancient sources the precise location is sometimes described ambiguously. English translations usually render Σινᾶ as 'Sinai,' maintaining the transliterated rather than translated form, which preserves the specificity of the geographic reference. The semantic nuance does not extend to a broader ethnonym or regional designation; the term is consistently used as a mountain name.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (סִינַי); Sina (i.e. Sinai), a mountain in Arabia:--Sina.

Root Family

Σινᾶ (Sina) — Sinai, sacred mountain, place of covenant

Root Σιν- Sinai, sacred mountain, place of covenant

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4614-01 Σινά sina N GEN N SG Sinai of Sinai Sina 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4614-01 Acts 7:30 Σινά sina N GEN N SG Sinai of Sinai Sina
G4614-01 Acts 7:38 Σινά sina N DAT N SG Sinai of Sinai Sina
G4614-01 Galatians 4:24 Σινά sina N GEN N SG Sinai of Sinai Sina
G4614-01 Galatians 4:25 Σινά sina N NOM N SG Sinai of Sinai Sina
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