τεταρταῖος
tetartaîos
G5066 predicate adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Pertaining to the fourth day; occurring on the fourth day or after a period of four days. The term specifically designates something that happens on the fourth day or is four days old. In context, often used to describe the lapse of four full days since a particular event.
Semantic Range
of or on the fourth day, four days old, having passed four days, occurring after four days
Root / Etymology
From the cardinal number τέσσαρες ('four') with the adjectival suffix -αῖος, which forms adjectives meaning 'related to or belonging to' a specified ordinal or time division.
Historical & Contextual Notes
τεταρταῖος is a rare adjectival form attested in Koine Greek, most notably in John 11:39 to indicate that Lazarus had been dead for four days. The term is a straightforward temporal adjective and does not appear in the major classical lexica for wider usage, reflecting its limited occurrence in extant texts. In its primary New Testament appearance (John 11:39) it carries a strong contextual implication of the completeness of a four-day period, an important detail in ancient Jewish burial customs and beliefs about death and decomposition. English translations often render it as 'four days' or 'four days dead,' but this can obscure its adjectival, time-specific sense ('fourth-day'). In the LXX or other Jewish Hellenistic literature, the term does not have attested currency. It is constructed analogously to other Greek time adjectives (e.g., πρωταῖος, 'first-day').
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from τέσσαρες; pertaining to the fourth day:--four days.
Root Family
τεταρτ- (tetartaîos) — pertaining to the fourth, relating to the fourth day
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G5067 | τέταρτος | to the fourth |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5066-01 |
τεταρταῖος | tetartaios | ADJ.P NOM M SG |
four days | fourth-day one | four days | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5066-01 |
John 11:39 | τεταρταῖος | tetartaios | ADJ.P NOM M SG |
four days | fourth-day one | four days |