Εὐφράτης (G2166) — Greek Lexicon

Εὐφράτης

Euphrátēs

G2166 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Proper name: The Euphrates, a major river in western Asia; used as a geographic term referring to the river itself, its region, or, metonymically, its vicinity. In biblical and contemporary Greek contexts, primarily denotes the river forming part of the northeastern boundary of the land associated with ancient Israelite traditions. In extended contexts, can signal the outermost limits of a region or symbolize the eastern frontier of the Near Eastern world.

Semantic Range

the Euphrates river; region along the Euphrates; eastern boundary of traditional Israelite territory; symbol of remoteness or a distant frontier

Root / Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew פְּרָת (Pərāṯ) via Aramaic or directly; foreign origin. The Greek form Εὐφράτης reflects a Hellenized adaptation of the Semitic name; etymology beyond Hebrew is uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Εὐφράτης is attested in classical Greek literature (e.g., Herodotus, Xenophon) as the name of the great river, and is consistently used in the Septuagint to render Hebrew פְּרָת (Pərāṯ). In the Greek Bible, it functions as a toponym and is not given an alternative descriptive Greek meaning. In the New Testament (e.g., Revelation), its mention can carry symbolic or eschatological associations, representing distant boundaries or the locus of significant events. The typical English translation is 'Euphrates'; this accurately reflects the Greek but may obscure the symbolic resonance the name can carry in ancient literature. No evidence suggests this term was used for persons or non-geographical entities in Greek literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of foreign origin (compare פְּרָת); Euphrates, a river of Asia:--Euphrates.

Root Family

Εὐφράτης (Euphratēs) — Euphrates (the river), geographic designation, eastern boundary

Root Εὐφρατη- Euphrates (the river), geographic designation

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G2166-01`	Εὐφράτῃ	euphrate	`N DAT M SG`	Euphrates	to the Euphrates	Euphrates	1
`G2166-02`	Εὐφράτην	euphraten	`N ACC M SG`	Euphrates	the Euphrates	Euphrates	1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G2166-01`	Revelation 9:14	Εὐφράτῃ	euphrate	`N DAT M SG`	Euphrates	to the Euphrates	Euphrates
`G2166-02`	Revelation 16:12	Εὐφράτην	euphraten	`N ACC M SG`	Euphrates	the Euphrates	Euphrates

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