βάτος
bátos
G943 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A liquid measure (bath), an ancient unit of capacity used primarily for liquids; generally corresponding to about 22 liters (roughly six gallons), though exact volume could vary regionally and historically. In Hellenistic and Roman contexts, understood as a standard container or vessel representing this measure.
Semantic Range
unit of liquid capacity, bath measure, standardized vessel for liquids, foreign (Israelite) liquid measure
Root / Etymology
From Hebrew בַּת (bath), a Semitic term for a liquid measure; transliterated into Greek as βάτος to refer specifically to the same unit of liquid measurement.
Historical & Contextual Notes
βάτος is a loanword from Hebrew, used in the LXX and later Judean Greek sources to represent the Israelite liquid measure bath, which is not otherwise attested as a native Greek measure. It appears in Greek texts dealing with Judean affairs, especially those translating or discussing Hebrew legal or ritual prescriptions (e.g., Septuagint, Josephus). The bath was part of the traditional Israelite measuring system, where it was typically 1/10th of a homer or 1 ephah. Its use in the Greek-speaking world is rare outside references to Judean or Israelite practices, and it is generally glossed in later Greek literature or technical dictionaries as a foreign measure. English Bible translations usually render it as "bath" or leave it untranslated; the meaning is always that of a liquid capacity, not a weight or dry measure.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Hebrew origin (בַּת); a bath, or measure for liquids:--measure.
Root Family
βάτος (batos) — liquid measure, bath
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G942 | βάτος | to a thorny bush |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G943-01 |
βάτους | batous | N ACC M PL |
measures | bath measures | bath measures | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G943-01 |
Luke 16:6 | βάτους | batous | N ACC M PL |
measures | bath measures | bath measures |