Ἰουνιᾶς
Iouniâs
G2458 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name, referring to an individual in early Christ-community texts; generally treated as a masculine name, though the underlying Greek is ambiguous and could indicate either a masculine or a feminine form. The primary lexical function is nominative identification of a person (Junias/Junia) within a list of notable individuals.
Semantic Range
Junia (feminine personal name); Junias (possible masculine personal name); used as a proper noun to identify an individual in Roman or Hellenistic Greek contexts
Root / Etymology
Adaptation into Greek of the Latin name Junia (feminine) or Junias (shortened masculine form), ultimately from Latin 'Junius', a common Roman family name. The Greek Ἰουνιᾶς most directly represents the Latin Junias or Junia, depending on accentuation and case endings; the etymology reflects a Roman context.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Ἰουνιᾶς appears in Romans 16:7 in a list of early Christ-community associates. In Greek manuscripts, the name is indeclinable for gender (neither an obviously masculine nor feminine Greek form), but classical and Roman uses favor feminine 'Junia' as a historically common name, while the masculine 'Junias' is unattested in contemporary Latin. The ambiguity has led to differing interpretations in translation traditions—some English Bibles render it 'Junias' (masculine), others as 'Junia' (feminine). The form reflects the broader Roman practice of adopting familial Roman names within Greek-speaking contexts. Apart from Romans 16:7, the name does not appear in the Greek Bible; outside the biblical text, Junia is widely attested in Latin inscriptions as feminine, rarely if ever as a masculine variant, making the most probable real-world referent a woman. The individual mentioned is described as 'notable among the apostles' in Romans 16:7, but the lexical form itself simply denotes the name, not the status or role.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Latin origin; Junias, a Christian:--Junias.
Root Family
Ἰουνιᾶς (Iounias) — personal name, individual identifier
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2458-01 |
Ἰουνίαν | iounian | N ACC F SG |
Junia | Junia | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2458-01 |
Romans 16:7 | Ἰουνίαν | iounian | N ACC F SG |
Junia | Junia |