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ὅριον

hórion

G3725 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A fixed boundary or limit; a border marking the division between places or properties. ὅριον can refer concretely to a physical boundary (such as a land border, property marker, or city limits), or more generally to a defined region or territory. In broader contexts, it may denote the border-area or frontier region near such a boundary.

Semantic Range

boundary, border, limit, territory, frontier region, defined area

Root / Etymology

Derived from the Greek root ὅρ- (to set a limit or boundary); ultimately related to ὅρος, meaning 'boundary, limit.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ὅριον commonly referred to a boundary marker or limit separating properties, city-states, or territories. In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, including the Septuagint and New Testament, the term retained its established sense, often denoting a territory's border or boundary—sometimes the area adjacent to such a border. In the Gospels, for example, it refers to the geographical limits of a region or territory (e.g., the ὅρια of Judea or the Decapolis). Standard English versions translate the term as 'border,' 'coast,' or 'region,' though 'coast' is now considered archaic where no shoreline is intended. The semantic range does not extend to abstract or metaphorical senses in biblical Greek, and it is distinct from related terms such as πέρας ('end, limit') or μεθόριον ('boundary between'). The plural ὅρια often denotes not multiple lines, but the entire bounded area or domain.

Translation Consistency

primary "boundary" 4 occurrences

Most occurrences are rendered as “boundary/boundaries,” and “boundary” naturally covers the core senses (physical border, property marker, defined limit or region). It reads well in concrete and figurative contexts and is the most consistent, natural English choice for all forms of ὅριον.

Alternatives (8 occurrences):
"boundaries" (8x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

neuter of a derivative of an apparently primary (a bound or limit); a boundary-line, i.e. (by implication) a frontier (region):--border, coast.

Root Family

ὅρ- (hórion) — to mark a boundary, to limit, to define

Root ὅρ- to mark a boundary, to limit, to define

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3725-03 ὁρίων orion N GEN N PL borders of the boundaries boundaries 6
G3725-01 ὅρια oria N ACC N PL borders boundary regions boundary regions 4
G3725-02 ὁρίοις oriois N DAT N PL borders to the boundaries boundaries 2

Occurrences in Scripture

12 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3725-02 Matthew 2:16 ὁρίοις oriois N DAT N PL borders to the boundaries boundaries
G3725-02 Matthew 4:13 ὁρίοις oriois N DAT N PL borders to the boundaries the boundaries
G3725-03 Matthew 8:34 ὁρίων orion N GEN N PL region of the boundaries boundaries
G3725-03 Matthew 15:22 ὁρίων orion N GEN N PL borders of the boundaries boundaries
G3725-01 Matthew 15:39 ὅρια oria N ACC N PL region boundary regions boundary regions
G3725-01 Matthew 19:1 ὅρια oria N ACC N PL coasts boundary regions boundary regions
G3725-03 Mark 5:17 ὁρίων orion N GEN N PL region of the boundaries boundaries
G3725-01 Mark 7:24 ὅρια oria N ACC N PL borders boundary regions boundary regions
G3725-03 Mark 7:31 ὁρίων orion N GEN N PL borders of the boundaries boundaries
G3725-03 Mark 7:31 ὁρίων orion-2 N GEN N PL borders of the boundaries boundaries
G3725-01 Mark 10:1 ὅρια oria N ACC N PL borders boundary regions boundary regions
G3725-03 Acts 13:50 ὁρίων orion N GEN N PL borders of the boundaries boundaries
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