χηρῶν
cheron
widows
feminine of a presumed derivative apparently from the base of χάσμα through the idea of deficiency; a widow (as lacking a husband), literally or figuratively:--widow.
Mark 12:40 · Word #6
Lexicon G5503
| Lemma | χήρα |
| Transliteration | chḗra |
| Strong's | G5503 |
| In-context | widows |
| Literal | widows |
Morphology N GEN F PL
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Case | GEN — Genitive — Possession, source, or separation |
| Gender | F — Feminine — Grammatical feminine |
| Number | PL — Plural — More than one |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | χήρα |
| Strong's | G5503 |
SIBI-P1 G5503-06
of the husband-lacking women
| Root | χήρα (chēra) |
| Core Meanings | widow, bereft woman, husband-lacking woman, one left deficient by loss |
| Semantic Range | literal widows; socially vulnerable women without husbands; metaphorically, communities or cities depicted as bereft or abandoned |
| Conceptual Significance | In biblical contexts, widows represent social vulnerability and covenantal responsibility. Care for "husband-lacking women" is a recurring marker of righteousness and faithfulness to God, highlighting divine concern for the defenseless and the community’s obligation toward them. |
| Morphological Notes | Noun, genitive, feminine, plural (Gr,N,,,,,GFP,). The form denotes possession, source, or association and refers to multiple women characterized by widowhood. |
| Rendering Rationale | The genitive feminine plural form (χηρῶν) requires the rendering "of" to reflect the genitive case and "women" to reflect feminine plural. "Husband-lacking" preserves the root sense of deficiency or bereavement inherent in χήρα, maintaining the conceptual nuance rather than using the conventional but less transparent "widows." |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root χήρα (widow, bereft woman, husband-lacking woman, one left deficient by loss)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
G5503-01 |
chera | a husband-lacking woman |
G5503-03 |
cherais | to the husband-lacking women |
G5503-05 |
cheras | husband-bereft women |
Word Usage (27 occurrences of G5503)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew 23:14 | χηρῶν | cheron | |
| Mark 12:40 | χηρῶν | cheron | widows |
| Mark 12:42 | χήρα | chera | widow |