κῆτος (kētos)
kētos
sea monster
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun kētos refers to a vast creature of the deep, translated variously as a sea monster, a huge fish, or a whale. Its roots lie in ancient descriptions of formidable marine life, capturing an image of immense size and power that inspires awe. In the Septuagint, it translates Hebrew terms for large aquatic beings, establishing a tradition of describing creatures that defy ordinary categorization.
This word appears only once in the New Testament, in Matthew 12:40. Jesus compares his time in the belly of the kētos to Jonah’s experience in the fish, using the term to emphasize the creature's capacity to contain him completely. The choice of this specific word highlights the miraculous nature of survival within such a vast and hostile environment.
While modern translations often use "fish" for simplicity, the original Greek carries a weightier connotation of a monstrous sea beast. This distinction preserves the dramatic tension of the narrative, reminding readers that the event involved a creature of extraordinary scale rather than a common aquatic animal.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word κῆτος evokes images of vast, untamed depths where ordinary rules seem to dissolve. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus uses this term for the creature that held Jonah, choosing language that emphasizes immense size and power rather than a simple fish. This choice highlights the miraculous nature of survival within such a hostile environment.
When we face situations that feel overwhelming or inescapable, this imagery reminds us that no circumstance is beyond God’s reach. The same power that preserved Jonah in the belly of the deep is at work in our own lives. It offers hope that even in the darkest places, we are held securely.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- great fish1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- κήτους1×
Key Verses
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Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
This verse uses κῆτος to describe the creature holding Jonah, emphasizing its massive scale and the miraculous nature of survival within it.