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χίλιοι

chílioi

G5507 determiner

SILEX Entry

Root χιλι- one thousand, thousandfold

Definition

The cardinal numeral denoting the quantity 'one thousand.' Used primarily for precise enumeration or description of large groups, amounts, or multiples of items, people, or time units. In extended or figurative contexts, the term can indicate a very large, unspecified multitude or an emphatic totality.

Semantic Range

one thousand (precise cardinal number), a large number (hyperbolic), multitude (emphatic or generalized sense)

Root / Etymology

Etymology uncertain; χίλιοι is attested in ancient Greek as the standard term for 'one thousand.' Not directly related to lower cardinal numerals but part of the inherited Indo-European numeral system. Cognate forms appear in other Indo-European languages (e.g., Latin 'mille').

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Koine Greek, χίλιοι was used for quantification in both literal and occasionally hyperbolic contexts, especially in census, military, economic, or apocalyptic settings. In the Septuagint, χίλιοι frequently translates Hebrew אֶלֶף (eleph), meaning 'thousand,' often as part of enumerations, genealogies, or symbolic totals. In the New Testament, the word retains its basic numeral sense, though it can also serve a symbolic function in apocalyptic literature (e.g., Revelation). The term does not appear to have carried significant ethnic, geographic, or religious implications and differs from related numeral adjectives (such as δισχίλιοι, 'two thousand') that specify multiples explicitly. Standard English translations ('thousand') generally capture the main sense, though hyperbolic or idiomatic uses in Greek may not always be evident in translation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

plural of uncertain affinity; a thousand:--thousand.

Root Family

χίλιοι (chilioi) — one thousand, thousandfold, great multitude

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G5507-01 χίλια chilia DET NOM N PL thousand one thousand 8
G5507-02 χιλίας chilias DET ACC F PL one thousand 2
G5507-03 χιλίων chilion DET GEN M PL a thousand of a thousand 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G5507-01 2 Peter 3:8 χίλια chilia DET NOM N PL thousand one thousand
G5507-01 2 Peter 3:8 χίλια chilia-2 DET NOM N PL thousand one thousand
G5507-02 Revelation 11:3 χιλίας chilias DET ACC F PL one thousand
G5507-02 Revelation 12:6 χιλίας chilias DET ACC F PL one thousand
G5507-03 Revelation 14:20 χιλίων chilion DET GEN M PL a thousand of a thousand
G5507-01 Revelation 20:2 χίλια chilia DET ACC N PL a thousand one thousand
G5507-01 Revelation 20:3 χίλια chilia DET NOM N PL thousand one thousand
G5507-01 Revelation 20:4 χίλια chilia DET ACC N PL a thousand one thousand
G5507-01 Revelation 20:5 χίλια chilia DET NOM N PL thousand one thousand
G5507-01 Revelation 20:6 χίλια chilia DET ACC N PL thousand one thousand
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