νομή (G3542) — Greek Lexicon

νομή

nomḗ

G3542 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Pasture, grazing land; the act of feeding or grazing (by animals or metaphorically), as well as the food obtained from such land (pasturage). In extended or figurative contexts, describes the spread or propagation of something—often negative, such as disease or harmful influence, by analogy to the way grazing spreads across a field.

Semantic Range

pasture, grazing land, the act of feeding or grazing, pasturage, food from pasturing, the spread or propagation (esp. of harmful influence or disease, figuratively in the NT)

Root / Etymology

From the same root as νόμος (nomos, 'custom, law'), ultimately from νέμω ('to assign, allot, graze'). The fundamental verbal root νέμ- ('to distribute, graze, pasture') underlies both nouns—νομή denotes the space for grazing or the process, while νόμος originally referred to the division or allotment of land for use.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Νομή is a relatively rare term, primarily found in literary Greek, Septuagint Greek, and in some Hellenistic and Koine sources. In the LXX, it typically denotes a literal 'pasture' or 'grazing area' for flocks, as in the shepherding context common in ancient Mediterranean societies. The verb νέμω ('to distribute, graze') and cognates occur in both classical and biblical Greek, and the root idea of assigned use, whether of land, flocks, or in metaphorical senses, persists. In the New Testament (e.g., 2 Timothy 2:17), νομή is used figuratively to describe the spreading, especially of something undesirable, such as false teaching or disease, drawing from the idea of grazing spreading across a field. English Bible translations often opt for paraphrastic renderings such as 'spread', 'eats', or 'pasturage', which can obscure the agricultural metaphor. Unlike νόμος, which developed broad societal and legal meanings, νομή retains more concrete connections to land and the act of feeding. Its use to describe the propagation of an influence or infection is notable as a New Testament metaphor, distinguishing it from other related lexemes such as βόσκημα ('food for grazing animals').

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine from the same as νόμος; pasture, i.e. (the act) feeding (figuratively, spreading of a gangrene), or (the food) pasturage:--X eat, pasture.

Root Family

νομή (nomē) — pasture, grazing, allotting, pasturage, propagation

Root νεμ- to graze, to pasture, to allot

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G3542-01`	νομὴν	nomen	`N ACC F SG`	pasture	pasture	pasture	2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G3542-01`	John 10:9	νομὴν	nomen	`N ACC F SG`	pasture	pasture	pasture
`G3542-01`	2 Timothy 2:17	νομὴν	nomen	`N ACC F SG`	spread	pasture	spread

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