Bible Word Study
Σμύρνα
smyrna · Smyrna
Σμύρνα
Smyrna
Definition
Σμύρνα (Smyrna) is the name of a major ancient port city in the Roman province of Asia, located on the western coast of modern-day Turkey. In the New Testament, it refers specifically to the city that was home to one of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:11, 2:8-11). The name is also the Greek word for the aromatic resin 'myrrh,' but in its sole biblical usage, it is exclusively a proper noun denoting the city. The church in Smyrna is commended for its faithfulness amid poverty and persecution.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only in the Book of Revelation. It appears as the name of the city in the list of the seven churches (Revelation 1:11) and is the recipient of the second of the seven letters (Revelation 2:8-11). The usage is strictly as a geographical identifier, providing the specific context for Christ's message to that local congregation.
Etymology
The word Σμύρνα is of Greek origin, identical to the common noun meaning 'myrrh,' the valuable aromatic gum resin. The city likely derived its name from this association, perhaps due to the local trade in spices. As a place name, it lost its direct connection to the substance and functioned solely as a proper noun in its New Testament context.
Semantic Range
Theologically, Smyrna represents a church undergoing severe tribulation and poverty, yet spiritually rich and faithful unto death (Revelation 2:9-10). Christ's message to Smyrna, containing no words of condemnation but a call for endurance, highlights the theme of victorious suffering and the promise of the 'crown of life.' Understanding this as a real, persecuted community in a prosperous pagan city enriches the reading of Revelation's letters as concrete pastoral messages, not merely abstract symbols. Smyrna was a wealthy, influential commercial center and a proud city loyal to Rome, hosting a major imperial cult. This context made Christian refusal to participate in emperor worship socially and economically costly, leading to persecution and poverty ('slander from those who say they are Jews and are not,' Revelation 2:9). The 'crown' (Revelation 2:10) may allude to the city's crown-like architecture or athletic games, subverting a symbol of civic pride into a promise of eternal victory. μύρον (myron, G3464) — a general term for ointment or perfumed oil, which could be made from myrrh. Σμύρνα as a place name has no direct synonyms, but its root meaning connects to the spice trade.
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]