Bible Word Study
Στάχυς
stachys · Stachys
Στάχυς
Stachys
Definition
Στάχυς (Stachys) is a proper masculine noun used exclusively as a personal name in the New Testament. It refers to a specific Christian man greeted by Paul in his letter to the Romans. The name itself is a common Greek word meaning 'an ear of grain' or 'a head of wheat.' However, in its biblical usage (Romans 16:9), it carries no symbolic agricultural meaning; it functions solely as the identifier for an individual within the early Roman church. There are no other major senses or differing biblical passages for this term.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Romans 16:9. Paul includes Stachys in a list of fellow believers in Rome to whom he sends personal greetings. The usage is purely as a proper name, identifying a specific person within the Christian community. There are no patterns of usage across different books or contexts.
Etymology
The word Στάχυς (stachys) originates from a common Greek noun meaning 'an ear of grain,' such as wheat or barley. As a personal name, it follows the common ancient practice of using names derived from nature, agriculture, or common objects. The name was likely given to him at birth, not chosen for its meaning in the Christian context.
Semantic Range
In the Greco-Roman world, names like Stachys (meaning 'ear of grain') were ordinary personal names, similar to modern names like 'Rose' or 'Clay.' Its use in Romans 16 highlights the diverse, everyday people who made up the early church. There is no indication the name held special religious significance; it simply identified an individual. This contrasts with some modern Bible readers who might look for symbolic meaning in every name. σῖτος (sitos, G4621) — general term for 'grain' or 'wheat.' κόκκος (kokkos, G2848) — a 'seed' or 'grain,' often used figuratively. στάχυς as a common noun is synonymous with these agricultural terms, but as a proper name, it has no direct synonym.
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]