Bible Word Study
Πέργη
pergē · Perga
Πέργη
Perga
Definition
Perga was a significant city in the Roman province of Pamphylia, located on the southern coast of Asia Minor. It was situated on the river Cestrus, about 7 miles inland, and served as an important administrative and cultural center. In the New Testament, Perga is exclusively mentioned as a geographical location in the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas, where it functioned as a point of arrival, departure, and ministry (Acts 13:13, 14, 14:25). The name itself simply refers to the city, with no additional symbolic or metaphorical meanings attached in the biblical text.
Biblical Usage
The word Πέργη (Perga) is used three times in the New Testament, all within the book of Acts. Its usage is strictly geographical, marking key points in Paul's first missionary journey. In Acts 13:13, Paul and his companions arrive at Perga after sailing from Paphos. Acts 13:14 notes their departure from Perga to go to Antioch in Pisidia. Finally, Acts 14:25 records their return to Perga after ministering in other cities, before sailing from Attalia back to Antioch in Syria. The pattern shows Perga as a strategic transit hub for the missionary team.
Etymology
The name Πέργη (Pergē) is of Greek origin, though its precise meaning is uncertain. It is likely a pre-Greek or Anatolian place name adopted into the Greek language. The city's name is simply carried over into the New Testament without translation, as was common for proper nouns of locations. There are no known root words in biblical Greek that derive from it, and it functions solely as a toponym (place-name).
Semantic Range
In the 1st century, Perga was a prominent Hellenistic and Roman city, known for its temple to the local goddess Artemis Pergaia, a major religious center. Its location made it a gateway between the coastal ports and the interior of Asia Minor. For Paul's missionary team, arriving in Perga marked a significant transition from the island of Cyprus to the mainland of Asia Minor, entering a region steeped in Greco-Roman culture and pagan worship, which set the stage for their subsequent evangelistic work in the province. There are no direct synonyms for the proper noun Perga. Geographically related terms for 'city' in the New Testament include: πόλις (polis, G4172) — the general Greek word for a city or town. Παμφυλία (Pamphylia, G3828) — the name of the Roman province where Perga was located.
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]