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σάτον

sáton

G4568 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A dry measure, approximately equivalent to about 7–9 liters, most often used to indicate a specific quantity of grain, flour, or similar dry goods. In New Testament contexts, designates a standard volume, not a precise weight, usually in everyday or parabolic references illustrating abundance or sufficiency.

Semantic Range

a specific dry measure (about 7–9 liters), a seah (Hebrew unit), a standard volume for flour or grain, measure

Root / Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew סְאָה (se'ah), a unit of dry measure. Entered Greek as a loanword during or after the Hellenistic period, especially in Judean and wider eastern Mediterranean contexts.

Historical & Contextual Notes

σάτον appears only in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:21) and is not common in wider Greek literature, marking it as a Hebraism (or Semitism) within the Koine Greek of the period. Its usage presumes a Hebraic context or audience familiar with Israelite/Judean weights and measures. In the Septuagint, Hebrew units of measurement are sometimes transliterated or translated inconsistently; σάτον reflects this practice. English translations often render σάτον simply as 'measure,' but this obscures the specific and culturally contextual quantity involved. In everyday Hellenistic Greek, other terms (e.g., μέδιμνος or χοῖνιξ) are used to denote dry measures, but σάτον preserves local Israelite/Judean measuring standards typically in Jewish settings.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (סְאָה); a certain measure for things dry:--measure.

Root Family

σάτον (saton) — unit of dry measure, seah, standard grain measure

Root σάτ- unit of dry measure, seah

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4568-01 σάτα sata N ACC N PL measures seahs seahs 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4568-01 Matthew 13:33 σάτα sata N ACC N PL pecks seahs seahs
G4568-01 Luke 13:21 σάτα sata N ACC N PL measures seahs seahs
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