Ἑλληνιστί=Ἑλληνικός (Hellēnisti)
Hellēnisti
Greek
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adverb Hellēnisti simply means "in Greek." It appears only twice in the New Testament, serving as a straightforward linguistic marker rather than carrying deep theological weight. In John 19:20, it describes the language of the notice placed on the cross, which was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek so that many people could read it.
Its second occurrence is in Acts 21:37, where Paul asks the Roman commander if he is permitted to speak. The commander’s reply, "Do you know Greek?" uses this word to confirm Paul’s ability to communicate in the common tongue of the Eastern Mediterranean. This usage highlights the practical reality that Greek was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire, allowing the gospel message to cross cultural and ethnic boundaries with ease.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word Ἑλληνιστί simply means "in Greek." It appears only twice in the New Testament, serving as a straightforward linguistic marker rather than carrying deep theological weight. In John 19:20, it describes the language of the notice placed on the cross, which was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek so that many people could read it.
Its second occurrence is in Acts 21:37, where Paul asks the Roman commander if he is permitted to speak. The commander’s reply, "Do you know Greek?" uses this word to confirm Paul’s ability to communicate in the common tongue of the Eastern Mediterranean. This usage highlights the practical reality that Greek was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire, allowing the gospel message to cross cultural and ethnic boundaries with ease.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- in Greek.1×
- Greek1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- Ἑλληνιστί.¶1×
- ἑλληνιστὶ1×
Key Verses
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John 19:20
Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
This verse uses the term to specify that the inscription on the cross was written in Greek, ensuring it could be read by a broad audience.
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Acts 21:37
As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, “May I speak to you?” He said, “Do you know Greek?
Here the word identifies the language Paul used to address the Roman commander, demonstrating his fluency in the common tongue of the region.