σκηνοποιός (skēnopoios)
skēnopoios
tentmaker
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun skēnopoios refers to a tentmaker, specifically one who crafts small, portable shelters from goat’s hair or linen for travelers. The word combines skēnē, meaning "tent," with poieō, meaning "to make." In the ancient world, this trade involved producing durable, movable housing suitable for nomadic life or military campaigns.
This term appears only once in the New Testament, in Acts 18:3. The passage identifies Paul as a skēnopoios by trade, noting that he worked alongside Aquila and Priscilla. This single occurrence provides rare concrete detail about Paul’s vocational background, showing him engaged in manual labor rather than solely in teaching or preaching.
Translators consistently render the word as "tentmaker." While some modern debates question whether Paul actually made tents or merely repaired them, the lexicon data supports the meaning of making. The term highlights the physical reality of Paul’s ministry, grounding his theological work in everyday economic activity.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Paul’s identity as a tentmaker reminds us that faith is not confined to pulpit or prayer meeting. It lives in the workshop, the office, and the daily grind of ordinary work. By choosing manual labor alongside preaching, Paul showed that spiritual calling does not require separation from honest toil.
This word invites you to see your own job as part of God’s story. Whether you build, teach, or serve, your skills can carry grace into the world. Like Paul, you do not need a special title to participate in God’s mission; your faithful presence in everyday tasks is enough.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- tentmakers1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- σκηνοποιοὶ1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 18:3
and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers.
This verse uniquely identifies Paul's trade as tentmaking, grounding his apostolic ministry in shared manual labor with Aquila and Priscilla.