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σκηνοποιός

skēnopoiós

G4635 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A maker or builder of tents; one who constructs tents, primarily from cloth or leather. The term specifically denotes someone professionally involved in the manual craft of tent-making, and may extend in some contexts to broader work as a textile artisan or leatherworker, depending on local economic demands. In the New Testament, the term is used of Paul's manual occupation.

Semantic Range

maker of tents, tent-builder, artisan working with tents or related materials, possibly broader textile or leather worker

Root / Etymology

From σκηνή (tent, tabernacle) and ποιέω (to make, to do); literally 'tent-maker.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The compound σκηνοποιός first attested in Hellenistic and Roman imperial periods, never in Classical Greek. In Acts 18:3, Paul is described as a σκηνοποιός, a term used only here in the New Testament. Tent-making was a specialized trade involving the fabrication and repair of tents, often using goat's hair cloth (cilicium) or leather, important for travelers, soldiers, and nomadic peoples in the eastern Mediterranean. Some scholarly discussion exists as to whether the term could include related textile or leather trades, especially given local materials (such as cilicium from Cilicia, where Paul was from). However, the primary sense is 'tent-maker.' Standard English translations use 'tentmaker' but may not capture the full range of artisan skills the word could imply in its original context. The social and economic status of such artisans varied across the Greco-Roman world, but manual trades were generally respected among Israelites/Judeans, as reflected in rabbinic teaching, while viewed as lower status by some Greco-Roman elites.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from σκηνή and ποιέω; a manufacturer of tents:--tent-maker.

Root Family

σκηνοποι- (skēnopoiós) — to make tents, to build, to fabricate

Root σκηνοποι- to make tents, to build, to fabricate

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4635-01 σκηνοποιοὶ skenopoioi N NOM M PL tentmakers tent-makers tent-makers 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4635-01 Acts 18:3 σκηνοποιοὶ skenopoioi N NOM M PL tentmakers tent-makers tent-makers
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