ὕπανδρος
hýpandros
G5220 attributive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
A woman who is under the authority or legal relationship to a man, specifically a woman married to a husband; a married woman. The term emphasizes her legal and social status as recognized by marriage, often in contrast to a widow or unmarried woman.
Semantic Range
married woman, woman under authority of a husband, woman subject to a man through marriage, in a marital relationship
Root / Etymology
From preposition ὑπό (under, beneath) and ἀνήρ (man, husband). The compound expresses the state of being 'under a man,' i.e., in a marital union with a man, as recognized in Greek legal and social framework.
Historical & Contextual Notes
ὕπανδρος is a rare term, scant in extant Greek literature outside of legal and technical documents. In the New Testament (e.g. Romans 7:2), it denotes a woman currently bound to a husband, in contrast to a widow (χήρα) or an unmarried woman (παρθένος). In wider Hellenistic and Greco-Roman contexts, it designates a woman who is legally joined to a man, i.e., recognized as married rather than single. The nuance reflects the ancient view of marital status as one of subordination or being under the legal supervision of a male head. English translations typically render the term as 'married woman' or 'a woman with a husband,' which communicates the marital status but does not fully reproduce the underlying Greek sense of legal subordination implied by the preposition ὑπό. The term does not, however, generally connote more than legal status; it is not a commentary on the quality of the relationship. In the Septuagint and non-biblical Koine literature, the term appears primarily in legalistic or formulaic registers, rarely in everyday narrative.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ὑπό and ἀνήρ; in subjection under a man, i.e. a married woman:--which hath an husband.
Root Family
ὑπ-ανδρ- (hýpandros) — to be under (authority), to be a man/husband
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5220-01 |
ὕπανδρος | upandros | ADJ.A NOM F SG |
married | married woman | married woman | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5220-01 |
Romans 7:2 | ὕπανδρος | upandros | ADJ.A NOM F SG |
married | married woman | married woman |