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Φοινίκη

Phoiníkē

G5403 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A coastal region in the eastern Mediterranean, known in Greek as Phoiníkē. The term designates the area inhabited by the Phoenician people, whose principal cities included Tyre and Sidon. Primarily it refers to the territory along the coast north of Galilee, famous in antiquity for seafaring, trade, and the production of purple dye. In certain Hellenistic and Roman sources, it could designate both the land and its inhabitants.

Semantic Range

Phoenicia (the Levantine coastal region), the land of palm trees, the homeland of the Phoenician people; by metonymy, sometimes refers to the Phoenicians themselves

Root / Etymology

The word Φοινίκη is derived from the Greek φοῖνιξ (phoinix), meaning 'palm tree,' but also associated with 'Phoenician' (referring to the people), related to the famous purple dye (φοῖνιξ also meant 'crimson, purple-red') for which the region was known. The connection to palm trees may reference the coastal flora. Ultimately, the term came to specifically denote the geographic area inhabited by the Phoenicians.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, Φοινίκη referred to the region identified with modern-day Lebanon and parts of coastal Syria and northern Israel. It included notable cities like Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos. The region was renowned in antiquity for its maritime commerce, skilled sailors, and the production of a costly purple dye extracted from mollusks. In the Septuagint, Φοινίκη is rarely used, but the people and cities of the region appear frequently under related terms. In the New Testament, Φοινίκη designates a specific destination or region (Acts 11:19; 21:2; 27:12), and must not be confused with the similarly named port of Lasea (Phenice) in Crete mentioned in some manuscripts (Acts 27:12), which later textual criticism distinguishes from the Phoenician coast. Standard English translations use 'Phenicia' or 'Phoenicia,' but these may not always capture the more precise geographic or ethnic connotations present for contemporary readers in Greek. The historical use of Φοινίκη reflects both a geographic region and an ethnic-cultural community, but the term does not carry the religious or political meanings that later became attached to similar-sounding terms.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from φοῖνιξ; palm-country; Phœnice (or Phœnicia), a region of Palestine:--Phenice, Phenicia.

Root Family

φοινικ- (Phoiníkē) — palm tree, Phoenicia (the region), Phoenician (the people)

Root φοινικ- palm tree, Phoenicia (the region), Phoenician (the people)

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5403-01 Φοινίκην phoiniken N ACC F SG Phoenicia Phoenicia Phoenicia 2
G5403-02 Φοινίκης phoinikes N GEN F SG Phoenicia of Phoenicia Phoenicia 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5403-02 Acts 11:19 Φοινίκης phoinikes N GEN F SG Phoenicia of Phoenicia Phoenicia
G5403-01 Acts 15:3 Φοινίκην phoiniken N ACC F SG Phoenicia Phoenicia Phoenicia
G5403-01 Acts 21:2 Φοινίκην phoiniken N ACC F SG Phoenicia Phoenicia Phoenicia
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