Σπανία
Spanía
G4681 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A geographical name referring to the region or land of Roman Hispania, the large area encompassing much of what is now Spain and Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula. In literary and documentary contexts, indicates the westernmost part of the known Roman world during the Hellenistic and early imperial periods. May refer to the territory as a whole or, more generally, its inhabitants.
Semantic Range
Roman Hispania; the western region of the Roman world known as Spain; Iberian Peninsula; territory of Spain and Portugal under Roman control
Root / Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'Hispania', itself of uncertain (possibly Iberian or Phoenician) origin; not derived from an indigenous Greek root.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Σπανία is a loanword representing the Latin 'Hispania'; it enters Greek during the Hellenistic and Roman periods as a designation for the Roman province and the entire region of the Iberian Peninsula. Used very rarely in Greek literature, notably in the New Testament (Romans 15:24, 28), where it denotes the furthest extent of the Roman Empire westward — a symbol of the outermost limits of the inhabited world (οἰκουμένη). In later Christian and documentary Greek, the word continues to refer to the same geographic area. Traditional translations render Σπανία as 'Spain', but in the ancient context, it more precisely denotes the whole Iberian Peninsula under Roman governance rather than the modern nation-state of Spain. The word does not appear in older Classical Greek authors; it reflects the increasing contact between the Greek-speaking eastern Mediterranean and western Roman provinces.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably of foreign origin; Spania, a region of Europe:--Spain.
Root Family
Σπανία (Spanía) — Hispania, the Iberian Peninsula, Roman province of Spain
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4681-01 |
Σπανίαν | spanian | N ACC F SG |
Spain | Hispania | Hispania | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4681-01 |
Romans 15:24 | Σπανίαν | spanian | N ACC F SG |
Spain | Hispania | Hispania |
G4681-01 |
Romans 15:28 | Σπανίαν | spanian | N ACC F SG |
Spain | Hispania | Hispania |