δευτεραῖος (deuteraios)
deuteraios
the next day
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective deuteraios literally means "belonging to the second," but in biblical Greek it functions adverbially to indicate time. It translates most naturally as "on the second day" or, depending on context, "the next day." This specific term appears only once in the New Testament, marking a precise moment in a travel narrative rather than serving as a general word for tomorrow.
Its sole occurrence is in Acts 28:13, where Paul and his companions describe their journey from Syracuse to Rhegium. The text notes that after catching a favorable wind, they arrived at Rhegium on the deuteraios. This usage highlights the practical rhythm of ancient travel, where distances were measured in days rather than miles, anchoring the reader in the physical reality of the apostle’s movements.
While English often uses "tomorrow" for the day following today, deuteraios is strictly ordinal. It points to the second day in a sequence, providing a clear chronological marker. Translators must choose between "the next day" and "on the second day" based on whether the narrative flow favors immediacy or strict sequencing, though both capture the original sense of moving forward in time.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word δευτεραῖος simply means "the next day" or "on the second day." It appears just once in the New Testament, in Acts 28:13. Here, it marks a specific moment in Paul’s journey to Rome. After leaving Syracuse, the wind changed, and on the second day, they reached Rhegium.
This small detail reminds us that God was with Paul every step of the way. Even in the ordinary rhythm of travel, God’s plan unfolded steadily. The word helps us see the reality of Paul’s journey, showing how God guided him through each day.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- on the second day1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- δευτεραῖοι1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 28:13
From there we circled around and arrived at Rhegium. After one day, a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli,
This is the only occurrence of the word, marking the second day of travel after a wind change.