χειρόγραφον
cheirógraphon
G5498 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Handwritten document; specifically refers to a written record, usually of a legal or financial nature, such as a bond, deed, promissory note, or certificate of indebtedness, composed in one's own hand or authorized with a personal signature. In figurative usage, denotes a written charge or record of obligations, sometimes in a legal or spiritual context.
Semantic Range
handwritten document, deed, IOU, certificate of indebtedness, legal bond or contract, figurative record of debt or obligation
Root / Etymology
From χείρ ('hand') and γράφω ('to write'): literally 'something written by hand.' The term is a compound noun formed by combining these roots; no evidence for derivation from a non-Greek source.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In both broader Greco-Roman documentary practice and the limited NT attestation (notably Colossians 2:14), χειρόγραφον refers to formal written documents, especially those evidencing debt or obligation—what modern parlance would call an 'IOU,' 'bond,' or 'certificate of indebtedness.' It stands in contrast to less formal or non-legal writing. In Hellenistic and Roman Egypt, χειρόγραφον was a technical term in papyri for a hand-signed note acknowledging debt, with legal force. In Colossians 2:14, the metaphorical use draws on this legal-commercial meaning, referring either to a written record of human transgressions ('the record of debt with its legal demands') or, more generally, a figurative document of liability. Traditional English translations ('handwriting of ordinances') may obscure the technical financial-legal backgound, which remains central in Greek documentary sources. The term does not appear with the sense of generic handwriting or penmanship in antiquity; rather, its semantic field is tightly bound to written, especially contractual, acknowledgments.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
neuter of a compound of χείρ and γράφω; something hand-written ("chirograph"), i.e. a manuscript (specially, a legal document or bond (figuratively)):--handwriting.
Root Family
χειρόγραφον (cheirographon) — hand, write; handwritten document; legal bond
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5498-01 |
χειρόγραφον | cheirographon | N ACC N SG |
certificate of debt | handwritten bond | handwritten bond | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5498-01 |
Colossians 2:14 | χειρόγραφον | cheirographon | N ACC N SG |
certificate of debt | handwritten bond | handwritten bond |