Ῥόδος
Rhodes
Definition
Ῥόδος (Rhodes) refers to a significant island in the southeastern Aegean Sea, near the coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). In the biblical context, it is mentioned as a stopping point during the Apostle Paul's third missionary journey (Acts 21:1). The island was historically famous for its Colossus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and was a major center of commerce and culture in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The New Testament reference simply denotes the geographical location as part of Paul's travel itinerary from Miletus to Patara.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 21:1, where it functions strictly as a proper noun identifying the island of Rhodes. The usage is purely geographical, describing a segment of Paul's sea voyage after departing from Miletus and before sailing to Patara. There are no symbolic or metaphorical uses in the biblical text; it simply marks a physical location on his journey toward Jerusalem.
Etymology
The name Ῥόδος (Rhod-os) is of ancient Greek origin, meaning 'rose.' It is derived from the Greek word ῥόδον (rhodon), which means 'rose.' According to ancient mythology and historical accounts, the island was named for its alleged abundance of roses or for a nymph named Rhode. The name has remained consistent in its reference to the island throughout classical and Koine Greek.
Semantic Range
In the 1st century AD, Rhodes was a prosperous Roman province and a vital maritime hub in the Aegean. It was renowned for its strategic port, skilled sailors, and its legendary history, including the fallen Colossus—a giant bronze statue of the sun god Helios that had been destroyed by an earthquake centuries earlier but remained a point of cultural memory. For readers of Acts, mentioning Rhodes would have evoked an image of a significant, well-known island along common sea routes, underscoring the reality and scope of Paul's travels in the Greco-Roman world.
νῆσος (nēsos, G3520) — A general Greek term for 'island,' whereas Ῥόδος is the specific proper name for the island of Rhodes.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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