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τράπεζα

trápeza

G5132 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A piece of furniture serving as a table, typically with four legs, primarily used for eating or meals; by extension, a dining table, a place where food is set out for communal eating. In financial and administrative contexts, the term denotes a counter or table used for the exchange of money, functioning as a money exchange or banking table and, by extension, the activity of money-changing or banking itself.

Semantic Range

table (furniture for dining or meetings), dining-table, meal or provision for eating, altar (in Septuagint context), money-changing table, counter for transactions, banking establishment

Root / Etymology

From the root τράπ- (related to turning or turning over) with the -εζα suffix, possibly related to the concept of a flat, stable surface. The older suggested derivation from a contraction of τέσσαρες (four) and πεζῇ (on foot) is speculative and not widely supported; most modern lexicographers favor a derivation from the Indo-European root for turning or twisting (cf. τρέπω, to turn), referencing a flat board or surface. Cognate with Latin 'trapeza.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

First attested in classical Greek, where τράπεζα refers to a physical board or table used for dining or religious offerings. The term is common in Septuagint Greek, extending to altars in cultic or sacred contexts (e.g., the table of showbread in the temple). In New Testament Greek, τράπεζα retains its sense as a dining table (e.g., Luke 22:21) and takes on a specialized usage for money-changing tables in temple precincts (e.g., Matthew 21:12). By the late Hellenistic and Roman periods, 'τράπεζα' was also used to denote a place of financial transaction, analogous to a modern bank counter or banking establishment. English translations often render τράπεζα as 'table,' but the context can require 'bank' or 'banking table' when referring to money-changing or financial operations. There is some semantic overlap with the Latin 'mensa' (table, especially banking table). In religious contexts, later Christian usage adopts τράπεζα as a designation for the communion table or altar, but this is not reflected in most New Testament occurrences.

Translation Consistency

primary "table" 15 occurrences

τράπεζα is primarily the piece of furniture — a dining or meeting table — and in NT contexts commonly appears as 'table' or 'tables' (including money‑changer counters). 'Table' is the most natural, common English headword that covers dining tables, counters for transactions, and related usages; it matches the majority of existing renderings and the typical semantic range.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably contracted from τέσσαρες and πεζῇ; a table or stool (as being four-legged), usually for food (figuratively, a meal); also a counter for money (figuratively, a broker's office for loans at interest):--bank, meat, table.

Root Family

τράπεζα (trapeza) — flat surface, board, laid-out surface, table

Root τραπ- flat surface, board, to turn (as in the sense of a laid out surface)

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5132-05 τραπέζης trapezes N GEN F SG table of a table table 7
G5132-04 τραπέζας trapezas N ACC F PL tables tables tables 3
G5132-01 τράπεζα trapeza N NOM F SG table table table 2
G5132-03 τράπεζαν trapezan N ACC F SG the bank a table a table 2
G5132-02 τραπέζαις trapezais N DAT F PL tables to tables tables 1

Occurrences in Scripture

15 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5132-05 Matthew 15:27 τραπέζης trapezes N GEN F SG table of a table table
G5132-04 Matthew 21:12 τραπέζας trapezas N ACC F PL tables tables tables
G5132-05 Mark 7:28 τραπέζης trapezes N GEN F SG table of a table table
G5132-04 Mark 11:15 τραπέζας trapezas N ACC F PL tables tables tables
G5132-05 Luke 16:21 τραπέζης trapezes N GEN F SG table of a table table
G5132-03 Luke 19:23 τράπεζαν trapezan N ACC F SG the bank a table a table
G5132-05 Luke 22:21 τραπέζης trapezes N GEN F SG table of a table table
G5132-05 Luke 22:30 τραπέζης trapezes N GEN F SG table of a table table
G5132-04 John 2:15 τραπέζας trapezas N ACC F PL tables tables tables
G5132-02 Acts 6:2 τραπέζαις trapezais N DAT F PL tables to tables tables
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