δέκα (deka)
deka
ten
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 24 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The word deka simply means ten. It is a basic number used throughout the New Testament to count people, days, or coins. In Matthew 20:24 and Mark 10:41, it identifies the other nine disciples who were upset with James and John. In Luke’s parables, it often appears in stories about managing resources, such as the ten minas in Luke 19:13.
One interesting usage appears in Revelation 2:10. The text mentions a "ten days" of tribulation. Papyri from the same period show this phrase was commonly used to mean a short, indefinite time rather than exactly one hundred hours. This suggests the author may have been using a familiar idiom for a brief period of testing.
The word also forms part of compound numbers like dekaokto, meaning eighteen, as seen in Luke 13:4 and 13:11 when describing a woman bent over for that long. Its straightforward nature makes it easy to translate, but its context often clarifies whether the number is literal or symbolic.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word deka simply means ten. It is a basic number used throughout the New Testament to count people, days, or coins. In Matthew 20:24 and Mark 10:41, it identifies the other nine disciples who were upset with James and John. In Luke’s parables, it often appears in stories about managing resources, such as the ten minas in Luke 19:13.
One interesting usage appears in Revelation 2:10. The text mentions a "ten days" of tribulation. Papyri from the same period show this phrase was commonly used to mean a short, indefinite time rather than exactly one hundred hours. This suggests the author may have been using a familiar idiom for a brief period of testing.
The word also forms part of compound numbers like dekaokto, meaning eighteen, as seen in Luke 13:4 and 13:11 when describing a woman bent over for that long. Its straightforward nature makes it easy to translate, but its context often clarifies whether the number is literal or symbolic.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 24 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- ten19×
- ten,3×
- ten.2×
- eighteen2×
- to ten1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- δέκα20×
- δέκα,3×
- δέκα.2×
- δεκαοκτὼ2×
Key Verses
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Luke 17:12
As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance.
This verse introduces the parable of the ten lepers, setting up a story about gratitude and faith among a specific group.
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Revelation of John 2:10
Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Here 'ten days' functions as an idiom for a short period of testing rather than a literal twenty-four-hour count.
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Luke 19:13
He called ten servants of his and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, ‘Conduct business until I come.’
The master entrusts ten servants with minas, using the number to illustrate stewardship and accountability in his absence.