Τιβεριάς

Tiberiás

G5085 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Proper noun: Tiberias, a city located on the western shore of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) in the region of Lower Galilee. Occasionally, by metonymy, denotes the adjacent lake. The term refers primarily to the urban center founded in the early first century CE.

Semantic Range

Tiberias (city in Galilee), Tiberias (name for the lake adjacent to the city)

Root / Etymology

Borrowed from the imperial Latin cognomen Tiberius (Greek Τιβέριος), after the Roman emperor Tiberius (reigned 14–37 CE). Τιβεριάς is linguistically a Hellenized adaptation for use as a place name.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Τιβεριάς first appears in Greek sources as the name of a city founded by Herod Antipas circa 20 CE, dedicated to the Roman emperor Tiberius. The settlement became a principal urban center in Galilee during the early Roman period. In the New Testament, Τιβεριάς refers both to the city and, in some instances, to the Sea of Galilee (e.g., John 6:1, 23), reflecting the practice of naming the lake after the nearby city. Outside New Testament and Josephus, use of Τιβεριάς as a toponym is rare, and it does not denote peoples or traditions distinct from the city itself. English translations almost universally transliterate the name ("Tiberias") without indicating its Latin imperial derivation and commemorative function. In LXX contexts, the name does not occur, as the city did not exist prior to the Roman period. The naming reflects broader patterns of imperial eponymy in the eastern Mediterranean during the Hellenistic and Roman eras.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Τιβέριος; Tiberias, the name of a town and a lake in Palestine:--Tiberias.

Root Family

Τιβεριάς (Tiberias) — Tiberias, city named for Tiberius, lake of Tiberias

Root Τιβερι- to bear the name of Tiberius, to designate the city or lake of Tiberias

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5085-01 Τιβεριάδος tiberiados N GEN F SG Tiberias of Tiberias 3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5085-01 John 6:1 Τιβεριάδος tiberiados N GEN F SG of Tiberias of Tiberias of Tiberias
G5085-01 John 6:23 Τιβεριάδος tiberiados N GEN F SG Tiberias of Tiberias Tiberias
G5085-01 John 21:1 Τιβεριάδος tiberiados N GEN F SG Tiberias of Tiberias