ὑάλινος
hyálinos
G5193 attributive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Made of glass; having the qualities or appearance of glass, particularly transparency, brilliance, or a glasslike sheen. In NT contexts, typically describing a surface that appears as clear or transparent as glass.
Semantic Range
made of glass, glasslike, transparent, brilliant, having the appearance of glass or crystal
Root / Etymology
Derived from ὕαλος (hyalos, 'glass'), with the adjectival suffix -ινος indicating 'made of' or 'consisting of'.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term ὑάλινος is rare in extant Greek literature. In the New Testament, it appears only in the book of Revelation (e.g., describing the 'sea of glass' in Revelation 4:6, 15:2, or objects with a glasslike transparency). In classical Greek, ὕαλος usually referred to both glass and crystal (rock crystal), as complete transparency and high-quality glass were rare until the Roman period. Therefore, ὑάλινος might convey either 'as clear as glass/crystal' or simply 'glassy'. The Septuagint does not employ ὑάλινος; it is an uncommon Koine term. Later English translations often render this word as 'of glass' or 'glassy,' sometimes not conveying the sense of brilliance or transparency inherent in the original. In ancient contexts, the concept of glass was closely related to the idea of precious, pure transparency, and not necessarily the common manufactured glass of later periods. Compare with the related noun ὕαλος for further semantic nuance.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ὕαλος; glassy, i.e. transparent:--of glass.
Root Family
ὑαλ- (hyálinos) — glass, crystal, transparency
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G5194 | ὕαλος | with glass |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5193-02 |
ὑαλίνην | ualinen | ADJ.A ACC F SG |
of glass | glasslike | glasslike | 2 |
G5193-01 |
ὑαλίνη | ualine | ADJ.A NOM F SG |
of glass | glassy | glassy | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5193-01 |
Revelation 4:6 | ὑαλίνη | ualine | ADJ.A NOM F SG |
of glass | glassy | glassy |
G5193-02 |
Revelation 15:2 | ὑαλίνην | ualinen | ADJ.A ACC F SG |
of glass | glasslike | glasslike |
G5193-02 |
Revelation 15:2 | ὑαλίνην | ualinen-2 | ADJ.R ACC F SG |
of glass | glasslike | glasslike |