Bible Word Study
Νίγερ
niger · Niger
Νίγερ
Niger
Definition
Νίγερ (Niger) is a proper name, specifically a Latin cognomen meaning 'black' or 'dark-skinned'. In the New Testament, it is used as the surname of Simeon, one of the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1). The name likely describes his physical appearance or origin, distinguishing him from others in the list. It functions solely as a personal identifier and carries no additional semantic meaning beyond being a name.
Biblical Usage
Νίγερ is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 13:1, as part of a list of five leaders in the Antioch church: 'Simeon who was called Niger'. It is paired with the Hebrew name Simeon, suggesting this individual may have been a Hellenistic Jew or a Gentile convert known by this Latin nickname. The usage is purely referential, identifying a specific person within the early Christian community.
Etymology
Νίγερ is a direct transliteration of the Latin adjective 'niger' (feminine 'nigra', neuter 'nigrum'), meaning 'black', 'dark', or 'swarthy'. It entered Greek as a loanword used as a personal name or nickname. As a cognomen in Roman society, it often referred to a person's hair color, complexion, or possibly place of origin.
Semantic Range
In the Roman world, 'Niger' was a common Latin surname (cognomen) often describing physical characteristics like dark hair or a tanned complexion. Its use for Simeon in Acts 13:1 highlights the multicultural nature of the early church in Antioch, which included Jews (like Simeon/Νίγερ and Lucius of Cyrene), a Gentile (Manaen), and possibly a proselyte (Simeon called Niger). The name itself does not necessarily indicate ethnic origin (e.g., African), as Romans applied it to various dark-featured individuals across the Empire.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]