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αὐγή

augḗ

G827 noun

SILEX Entry

Root αὐγ- ray, beam, shine, radiance

Definition

Ray or beam of light; brightness or radiance, particularly referring to the light of dawn or morning; also, metaphorically, any luminous outpouring. While the central sense is 'ray (of light),' the term is frequently used for the light at dawn or daybreak, and occasionally in poetic and figurative contexts as a symbol of hope, newness, or arrival.

Semantic Range

ray (of light), beam, brightness, radiance, sunlight, dawn, break of day, (poetically) gleam, shimmer

Root / Etymology

Etymology uncertain; not clearly derived from any known Greek verb or noun, though some relate it to αὖ (again, anew) or ἀύω (to cry aloud/call), but these are speculative and not widely accepted. The formation may be native to poetic and elevated Greek.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, αὐγή is most often found in literary, poetic, and philosophical works, denoting rays of the sun, the first light of dawn, or general radiance (e.g., Homer, Sophocles, Plato). In the Hellenistic period, its use becomes less common and tends toward literary registers; in Koine Greek, including the Septuagint (LXX) and the New Testament, its occurrences are rare but retain the poetic sense of 'ray' or 'beam' of light—particularly the dawn. In the LXX, frequently translates Hebrew terms for morning or sunrise light (e.g., אור or שַׁחַר). In NT and later Christian usage, αὐγή acquires metaphorical senses of divine illumination or spiritual enlightenment, but the primary sense remains literal physical light. English translations often narrow the sense to 'dawn' or 'break of day,' but in Greek the word's semantic field includes any bright ray (sun, moon, lamp, etc.) and not merely the start of day.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; a ray of light, i.e. (by implication) radiance, dawn:--break of day.

Root Family

αὐγή (augē) — ray, beam, radiance, dawn-light

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G827-01 αὐγῆς auges N GEN F SG daybreak of radiance 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G827-01 Acts 20:11 αὐγῆς auges N GEN F SG daybreak of radiance
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