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βυρσεύς

byrseús

G1038 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A person who processes animal hides into leather; specifically, a tanner by trade. In various contexts, βυρσεύς refers to a craftsman engaged in the curing, treating, and preparation of animal skins for practical use, especially in making leather goods.

Semantic Range

tanner, a person who works with animal hides, hide-preparer, leather-worker

Root / Etymology

βυρσεύς derives from βύρσα (hide, skin, especially of an animal) plus the agentive suffix -εύς, indicating 'one who works with hides'. Thus, the term literally means 'hide-worker' or 'tanner'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

βυρσεύς appears primarily in later Greek, including Koine, to refer to those in the occupation of curing and processing animal skins into usable leather. While not commonly mentioned in classical literature, the profession was critical in urban centers due to the widespread need for leather goods. In the New Testament, βυρσεύς is used in Acts 9:43 and 10:6,32 in reference to Simon the Tanner (Σίμωνι βυρσεῖ), whose house was located by the sea, likely due to the malodorous nature of tanning and associated purification needs. In Greco-Roman society, tanners were often socially marginalized due to their work with animal carcasses and the strong smells associated with tanning compounds. The English translation 'tanner' accurately reflects the technical occupation but may lack the sense of social status evident in ancient contexts. There are no significant semantic differences between LXX, NT, and contemporary Koine usage; the word consistently refers to the occupation. The root term βύρσα is not attested in earlier Greek (before Hellenistic times), and its etymology is not Indo-European but perhaps of Pre-Greek or Anatolian origin, reflecting the likely antiquity of the trade itself.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from (a hide); a tanner:--tanner.

Root Family

βυρσεύς (byrseus) — hide, skin, leather; hide-worker

Root βυρσ- hide, skin, leather

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1038-01 βυρσεῖ bursei N DAT M SG a tanner to a hide-worker a tanner 2
G1038-02 βυρσέως burseos N GEN M SG tanner of a hide-worker of a tanner 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1038-01 Acts 9:43 βυρσεῖ bursei N DAT M SG tanner to a hide-worker tanner
G1038-01 Acts 10:6 βυρσεῖ bursei N DAT M SG a tanner to a hide-worker a tanner
G1038-02 Acts 10:32 βυρσέως burseos N GEN M SG tanner of a hide-worker of a tanner
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