Βερνίκη
Berníkē
G959 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name, Bernice (Berníkē), meaning 'carrier of victory' or 'bringer of victory.' In Greek literary tradition, the name conveys a sense of triumph or conquest, and in New Testament and related Hellenistic contexts, it refers specifically to a notable woman in the Herodian dynasty.
Semantic Range
personal name; 'bringer of victory'; specifically, the Herodian noblewoman Bernice; a Hellenistic-era feminine given name
Root / Etymology
From φέρω ('to bear, to carry') and νίκη ('victory'); the name is a Macedonian (northern Greek) form of Φερενίκη (Phereníkē). The form Βερνίκη reflects a phonetic variation common in Macedonian or Koine dialects, where φ (ph) shifts to β (b).
Historical & Contextual Notes
Βερνίκη was a prominent feminine name in the Hellenistic world, carried especially by women of royal or noble lineage. In the New Testament (Acts 25:13, 23; 26:30), it most notably refers to the daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Herod Agrippa II, who appears in the narrative as a political and social figure in first-century Judaea. The usage of the name, and other variants like Pherenice, was common across Greek-speaking regions from the classical through the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Modern English translations use 'Bernice' as a personal name, which obscures the original meaning of the name as 'carrier of victory.' There is no substantial lexical difference between the Macedonian form (Berníkē) and the standard Greek (Phereníkē) in terms of meaning, but the spelling in the New Testament follows the northern Greek tradition.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a provincial form of φέρω and νίκη; victorious; Bernice, a member of the Herodian family:--Bernice.
Root Family
Βερνίκη (Bernikē) — to carry, victory
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G959-01 |
Βερνίκη | bernike | N NOM F SG |
Bernice | Victory-Bringer | Bernike | 2 |
G959-02 |
Βερνίκης | bernikes | N GEN F SG |
Bernice | of Bernice | Bernike | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G959-01 |
Acts 25:13 | Βερνίκη | bernike | N NOM F SG |
Bernice | Victory-Bringer | Bernike |
G959-02 |
Acts 25:23 | Βερνίκης | bernikes | N GEN F SG |
Bernice | of Bernice | Bernike |
G959-01 |
Acts 26:30 | Βερνίκη | bernike | N NOM F SG |
Bernice | Victory-Bringer | Bernike |