σηρικός (sērikos)
sērikos
silk
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective sērikos describes something made of silk or a fabric woven from it. Its root traces back to the Seres, an ancient people known to Greeks and Romans as the source of this luxurious material. In the New Testament, the word appears only once, serving as a precise descriptor for high-value goods.
In Revelation 18:12, it modifies "purple and fine linen" within a list of merchandise traded by Babylon. This single usage highlights silk’s status as an exotic commodity in the first century, imported from distant regions rather than produced locally. The text uses it to paint a picture of immense wealth and global commerce.
Translators consistently render sērikos as "silk," reflecting its specific reference to this particular textile. The word carries no metaphorical or spiritual symbolism in Scripture; it functions purely as a concrete noun modifier. Its rarity in the biblical text underscores how unusual such material was for the average reader, marking it as a symbol of earthly opulence.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sērikos appears only once in the New Testament, found in Revelation 18:12. It describes silk, a luxurious fabric imported from distant lands during the first century. In this context, it is listed alongside gold, silver, and purple cloth as part of Babylon’s vast trade goods. The text uses these items to illustrate immense earthly wealth and global commerce.
For your faith, this single mention reminds us that material riches are temporary. While silk represents beauty and status in human eyes, Scripture places it within a warning about the fleeting nature of worldly power. We are invited to reflect on what we truly value, looking beyond temporary treasures to eternal hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- of silk1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- σιρικοῦ1×
Key Verses
-
Revelation of John 18:12
merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;
This is the only New Testament occurrence, where silk joins other luxury goods to depict the commercial wealth of Babylon before its judgment.