Πάτμος
Pátmos
G3963 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun: Patmos, a small island in the southeastern Aegean Sea used as a place of residence or exile. In the context of the New Testament, Patmos specifically refers to the island where the author of Revelation claims to have received his visions. The term does not denote a type of location but the specific geographic locale.
Semantic Range
Patmos (island in the Aegean); used solely as a geographic proper noun in biblical and extra-biblical literature
Root / Etymology
etymology uncertain. The name Πάτμος has no clear Greek, Anatolian, or Semitic derivation and appears in ancient sources as a toponym without etymological explanation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Πάτμος (Patmos) appears once in the New Testament (Revelation 1:9) referring to the island where the writer, 'John,' says he was exiled 'because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.' In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Patmos was a small, sparsely populated island in the Dodecanese group, situated in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The island was used for exile under Roman rule, providing historical context for its mention in Revelation. The name occurs in earlier Greek literature as a geographic designation with no broader connotation; it is not used elsewhere in the Septuagint or in extra-biblical Koine Greek with any metaphorical or transferred sense. English translations typically render Πάτμος as 'Patmos,' reflecting the Greek toponym without reinterpretation. The Greek spelling and pronunciation have remained essentially stable from antiquity to the present. There is no evidence the toponym carried symbolic or figurative meaning in Greek literature, or that it referred to any population identity apart from the inhabitants of the island.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of uncertain derivation; Patmus, an islet in the Mediterranean:--Patmos.
Root Family
Πάτμος (Patmos) — proper name, island, specific geographic location
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3963-01 |
Πάτμῳ | patmo | N DAT F SG |
Patmos | in Patmos | in Patmos | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3963-01 |
Revelation 1:9 | Πάτμῳ | patmo | N DAT F SG |
Patmos | in Patmos | in Patmos |