Bible Word Study
ὀγδοήκοντα
ogdoēkonta · eighty
ὀγδοήκοντα
eighty
Definition
The Greek word ὀγδοήκοντα is a cardinal number meaning 'eighty'. It is used exclusively in its literal, numerical sense in the New Testament to denote the quantity of eighty. In Luke 2:37, it describes the age of the prophetess Anna, specifying she was a widow for eighty-four years (literally 'until eighty-four years'). In Luke 16:7, it quantifies a debt of 'eighty measures of oil' in Jesus's parable. There are no figurative or symbolic meanings attached to this specific numeral in these contexts.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only twice in the New Testament, both in the Gospel of Luke. Its usage is strictly numerical and descriptive. In Luke 2:37, it provides a precise detail about the duration of Anna's widowhood, contributing to her characterization as a devout and persistent figure in the temple. In Luke 16:7, it specifies the amount in a financial transaction within the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, adding concrete detail to the narrative. No broader syntactic or thematic patterns exist due to its limited occurrence.
Etymology
ὀγδοήκοντα is a standard Greek cardinal number derived from ὄγδοος (ogdoos, G3590), meaning 'eighth'. The formation follows a common pattern for tens (e.g., εἴκοσι [twenty], τριάκοντα [thirty]). Its meaning is straightforward and did not undergo significant semantic development, retaining its core numerical sense from classical through Koine Greek.
Semantic Range
In the cultural context of Luke 2:37, Anna's age of 'eighty-four' (implied from her widowhood of eighty years) marked her as an exceptionally elderly woman, which amplified the cultural respect for her wisdom and prophetic witness. In the economic context of Luke 16:7, 'eighty measures (batos)' of oil represented a substantial debt, highlighting the scale of the manager's dealings. The number eighty itself held no particular symbolic weight in common Jewish or Greco-Roman thought, unlike numbers such as seven or forty. ὀκτώ (oktō, G3638) — the cardinal number 'eight', from which ὀγδοήκονta is derived. τεσσεράκοντα (tesserakonta, G5062) — the cardinal number 'forty', another example of the '-konta' suffix for tens.
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]