Ἰωνᾶς
Iōnâs
G2495 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Masculine proper noun: 'Iōnas' is the Greek transliteration of a personal name, used primarily for both the prophet Jonah in the Hebrew scriptures and the father of the apostles Simon Peter and John in the New Testament. Its primary meaning is as a personal name, originating from the Hebrew term for 'dove.' Contextually, it refers to (1) the prophet Jonah, known from the Book of Jonah and referenced in the Gospels in connection with the 'sign of Jonah' motif, and (2) a figure named as Simon Peter's father in the New Testament (in some manuscripts, also as John, a text-critical variant). The name does not convey distinctive lexical meaning beyond personal identification, but carries Old Testament associations and connotations when referring to the prophet.
Semantic Range
Jonah (the prophet in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple literature); given as the name of Simon Peter's and John's father in the New Testament; generic Israelite personal name (Jonah); does not carry independent lexical meaning outside of its use as a name
Root / Etymology
Greek Ἰωνᾶς is a direct transliteration of the Hebrew יוֹנָה (Yonah), meaning 'dove.' The name passed into Greek via the Septuagint and other Hellenistic-era traditions.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Ἰωνᾶς appears in the Septuagint as the equivalent of the Hebrew יוֹנָה and is used for the prophet who is the main figure in the biblical Book of Jonah. In the New Testament, Ἰωνᾶς serves both as the rendering of Jonah in discussions of the prophet (e.g., Matthew 12:39-41) and, in some manuscripts, as the patronymic of Simon Peter (e.g., Matthew 16:17: Σίμων Βαριωνᾶ, lit. 'Simon son of Jonah'). Text-critical evidence shows that 'Jonah' and 'John' may have been confused in later textual transmission, leading to variations between Ἰωνᾶς and Ἰωάννης in the manuscript tradition (see, e.g., John 1:42, 21:15-17). English translations commonly render the name as 'Jonah' (for the prophet), and, when used as Peter's patronymic, as 'Jonah' or 'John,' but this may obscure the Hebrew/Aramaic background. The name itself, derived from 'dove,' does not by itself communicate ethnicity or religious identity, but its referents in biblical context were Israelites. In the Hellenistic world, Greek transliterations of Hebrew names were common, and Ἰωνᾶς stands as a loan from Hebrew into the Greek-speaking Jewish and Christian milieus.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Hebrew origin (יוֹנָה); Jonas (i.e. Jonah), the name of two Israelites:--Jonas.
Root Family
Ἰωνᾶς (Iōnas) — proper name Jonah; etymologically ‘dove’
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2495-01 |
Ἰωνᾶ | iona | N GEN M SG |
of Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas | 7 |
G2495-02 |
Ἰωνᾶς | ionas | N NOM M SG |
Jonah | Jonah | Ionas | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
9 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2495-01 |
Matthew 12:39 | Ἰωνᾶ | iona | N GEN M SG |
of Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-02 |
Matthew 12:40 | Ἰωνᾶς | ionas | N NOM M SG |
Jonah | Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-01 |
Matthew 12:41 | Ἰωνᾶ | iona | N GEN M SG |
of Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-01 |
Matthew 12:41 | Ἰωνᾶ | iona-2 | N GEN M SG |
than Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-01 |
Matthew 16:4 | Ἰωνᾶ | iona | N GEN M SG |
of Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-01 |
Luke 11:29 | Ἰωνᾶ | iona | N GEN M SG |
of Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-02 |
Luke 11:30 | Ἰωνᾶς | ionas | N NOM M SG |
Jonah | Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-01 |
Luke 11:32 | Ἰωνᾶ | iona | N GEN M SG |
of Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas |
G2495-01 |
Luke 11:32 | Ἰωνᾶ | iona-2 | N GEN M SG |
than Jonah | of Jonah | Ionas |