MiracleOld Testament
Verb: פָּלָא (pālāʾ), GK 7098 (S <H6381>), 71x. In its participle form, pālāʾ means “miracles, wonders,” and refers to the extraordinary deeds of God. God is going to smite Egypt with mighty miracles (Exod. 3:20), and as he takes the people into the land, he will do wonders before them (Jos. 3:5). See wonders.
New Testament
Noun: δύναμις (dynamis), GK 1539 (S <G1411>), 119x. dynamis essentially means “power,” but it can also denote acts of power (“miracles”) or a person’s “ability.” See power.
Noun: σημεῖον (sēmeion), GK 4956 (S <G4592>), 77x. A shmei:on is a “sign” that marks or distinguishes something. It is also used of a miraculous indicator, often a “miracle.” See sign.
Noun: τέρας (teras), GK 5469 (S <G5059>), 16x. teras means “wonder, miracle, miraculous occurrence.” See wonder.--Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of OT/NT Words: Expository Dictionary [1]
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SignOld Testament
Noun: אוֹת (ʾôt), GK 253 (S <H226>), 79x. ʾôt refers to a “sign” or symbol that communicates meaning; it can be used of supernatural signs (i.e., miracles) from God. Nearly half of the uses of this word are in the Pentateuch.
(1) A sign is a communicative device that points to something. It does not have to have a deep spiritual significance, however. For example, ʾôt is used for “the mark” God put on Cain (Gen. 4:15). Signs are built into the creation, as the lights in the sky “serve as signs to mark the seasons and days and years” (1:14). There were also signs (banners) for each of the tribes of Israel (Num. 2:2).
(2) But many times the ʾôt is a significant element in the salvation history of God’s people. The covenant(s) God makes with his people are accompanied by signs. The rainbow in the sky is the “sign” (KJV, “token”) of the covenant that God will never send another worldwide flood (Gen. 9:12, 13, 17). Circumcision is the sign of the Abrahamic covenant (17:11) that these people belong to the Lord God. The sign God gives to Moses that he will indeed deliver Israel from Egypt is the promise that they would worship the Lord at Horeb (Exod. 3:12). The blood on the doorposts is the sign for the destroyer to pass over Israelite homes (Exod. 12:13). Remembrance of the Passover is a sign for coming generations (Exod. 13:9), as is the dedication of the firstborn (Exod. 13:16). The Sabbath is a sign between Israel and God (Exod. 31:13; Ezek. 20:12). None of these signs is designed to draw attention to itself but to God’s covenant relationship with his people.
(3) Esp. in the historical books, a sign could serve as an authentication that God is acting or certification of the word of a prophet (cf. Ps. 74:9). Gideon asks for a “sign” that God has really been talking with him (Jdg. 6:11). Hezekiah receives a sign that the Lord will indeed heal him (2 Ki. 20:8). The birth of Immanuel is a sign to Ahaz that God will destroy those who are attacking the nation of Judah (Isa. 7:14). The symbolic actions of Ezekiel are a sign to Israel of God’s presence in his prophet (Ezek. 4:3).
Sometimes a sign is an extraordinary demonstration of God’s power, such as the signs God gave to Moses to convince the people of Israel (Exod. 4:8, 9, 17, 28, 30). In such cases this word is translated as “miraculous sign(s)” (e.g., Exod. 10:1; Neh. 9:10; Ps. 74:9). These especially relate to the “signs and wonders” God performed to authorize his demand that Egypt let Israel go, and he hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he could show more signs (Exod. 7:3; 8:23; cf. Deut. 4:34). God expects his people to remember the signs he has shown them (Num. 14:11, 22).
New Testament
Noun: σημεῖον (sēmeion), GK 4956 (S <G4592>), 77x. A shmei:on is a “sign” that marks or distinguishes something. It is also used of a miraculous indicator, often a “miracle.”
(1) On the most basic level, a sign is nothing more than a communicative indicator between persons. Judas gave the sign of the kiss to those who sought to apprehend Jesus (Mt. 26:48). Paul also spoke of the sign of genuineness in all his letters—a greeting in his own hand (2 Thess. 3:17).
(2) Jesus himself is referred to as a sign. The angel gives the shepherds the sign of a baby in newborn clothes in a manger (Lk. 2:12). Simeon tells Mary that her child will be a sign that will be opposed (Lk. 2:34).
(3) Signs are sought as verification of claims being made. The scribes and Pharisees seek a sign from Jesus that will validate his identity as the Messiah (Mt. 12:38; 16:1). In response to this request, Jesus makes reference to their inability to recognize the “signs of the times” (see 5, below), which appears to be his way of identifying himself as the Messiah by pointing to all that is taking place in and through him (Mt. 16:3). John makes this explicit by referring to the miracles of Jesus as “signs” showing him to be the Messiah (cf. Jn. 2:11, 18, 23; 3:2; 4:48, 54; 6:2, 14, 26, 30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18, 37; 20:30). Herod, too, is seeking a sign from Jesus, but it seems he is hoping less for verification that Jesus is the Messiah than for a spectacular trick (Lk. 23:8). The sign of Jonah appears to be a cryptic reference to Jesus’ death and resurrection, which Jesus offers to an evil and unbelieving generation as verification of his messianic identity (Mt. 12:38-39; 16:1-4).
(4) Signs also serve to demonstrate God’s approval of persons or groups. In the longer ending of Mark, miraculous signs are promised to the disciples (Mk. 16:17, 20). These things are then accomplished in Acts. This book itself points to these signs as verifying that the apostles and members of the early church have God’s approval (Acts 2:19, 22, 43; 4:16, 22, 30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12; cf. Heb. 2:4). Stephen speaks of the signs and wonders done by Moses (7:36). Paul testifies that signs and wonders accompany his ministry (Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12), and he recognizes the Jewish desire for divine verification through signs (1 Cor. 1:22).
(5) Signs can indicate progress in salvation history. The disciples ask Jesus for the “sign of his coming,” which will signal the “consummation of the age” (Mt. 24:3). Jesus then describes various signs, such as that false christs will do great signs and wonders (24:24). Finally, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven (24:30). Satan will offer counterfeit signs and wonders at the coming of the lawless one (2 Thess. 2:9). See also Rev. 12:1, 3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:20.
(6) Abraham’s circumcision is a sign (Rom. 4:11), indicating his subjection and the subjection of his seed to God. See NIDNTT-A, 522-524.--Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of OT/NT Words: Expository Dictionary [2]
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σημεῖον, ου n miraculous sign, miracle; sign, that by which something is known or distinguished, indication, mark, signal; portent, warning sign
--Barclay Newman: NT Greek-English Dictionary [3]
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σημεῖον
σημεῖον [See Stg: <G4592>]
sēmeíon; gen. sēmeíou, neut. noun. Sign, mark, token, miracle with a spiritual end and purpose. In the pl., miracles which lead to something out of and beyond themselves; finger-marks of God, valuable not so much for what they are as for what they indicate of the grace and power of the Doer (Mark 16:20).
(I) Particularly a sign by which something is designated, distinguished, known (Matt. 26:48; Rom. 4:11, circumcision as a sign [cf. Gen. 9:12, 13; 17:11]). Specifically a sign by which the character and truth of any person or thing is known, a token, proof (Luke 2:12; 2 Cor. 12:12; 2 Thess. 3:17; Sept.: 1 Sam. 14:10; 2 Kings 19:29; 20:8).
(II) A sign by which the divine power in majesty is made known, a supernatural event or act, a token, wonder, or miracle by which the power and presence of God is manifested, either directly or through the agency of those whom He sends (Sept.: Ex. 4:8, 17, 28, 30).
(A) As wrought of God (1 Cor. 14:22), a token to the unbelieving of God's presence and power (cf. v. 25); or perhaps a sign of divine displeasure (cf. v. 21). "The sign of the prophet Jonah" means the miracle which God wrought in the case of Jonah concerning the great fish that swallowed him and the three days therein that followed (Matt. 12:39 [cf. v. 40]; Matt. 16:4; Luke 11:29). Metonymically of persons sent from God, whose character and acts are a manifestation of the divine power (Luke 11:30). In Luke 2:34 for a sign which shall be spoken against. Of signs, wonders, miracles which God did through someone, joined with térata <G5059>, things out of the ordinary, wonders (Acts 2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 14:3; 15:12). Specifically as revealing future events, a sign of future things, a portent, presage (Matt. 16:3), the miraculous events and deeds which reveal the coming of the Messiah in His kingdom (Matt. 24:3, 30; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7, 11, 25; Acts 2:19; Rev. 12:1, 3; 15:1; Sept.: Deut. 13:1, 2).
(B) Of signs, wonders, miracles wrought by Jesus and His Apostles and the prophets in proof and furtherance of their divine mission (Matt. 12:38, 39; 16:1, 4; Mark 8:11, 12; 16:17, 20; Luke 11:16, 29; 23:8; Acts 4:16, 22; 8:6; 1 Cor. 1:22). In John the word is used only in this sense (John 2:11, 18, 23; 3:2; 4:54; 6:2, 14, 26, 30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18, 37; 20:30). Joined with térata, wonders, and dunámeis <G1411>, mighty works (John 4:48; Acts 6:8; 7:36; 8:13; 14:3; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:4).
(C) Spoken analogically of signs, wonders, wrought by false prophets claiming to act by divine authority (Rev. 13:13, 14; 16:14; 19:20); with térata (Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22; 2 Thess. 2:9).
Deriv.: sēmeióō <G4593>, to denote, signify.
Syn.: megaleía <G3167>, great work; thaúma <G2295>, wonder; thaumásios <G2297>, a miracle, wonderful things (pl.); dúnamis <G1411>, mighty work, miracle; téras <G5059>, wonder.--Complete Word Study Dictionary, The [4]
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σημειον, 4592σημειον <G4592>, σημειου, το (σημαινω (or σημα)), from Aeschylus and Herodotus down, Hebrew אוֹת, “a sign, mark, token”;
1. universally, that by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others and known: Matthew 26:48; Luke 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 3:17; σημειον περιτομης (explanatory genitive (cf. Buttmann, sec. 123, 4)), equivalent to σημειον, ὁεστι περιτομη, circumcision which should be a sign of the covenant formed with God, Romans 4:11; τα σημεια του αποστολου, the tokens by which one is proved to be an apostle, 2 Corinthians 12:12; a sign by which anything future is pre-announced, Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7; το σημειον της σης παρουσιας, genitive of the object, Matthew 24:3; του ὑιουτου ανθρωπου, the sign which indicates that the Messiah will shortly, or forthwith, come from heaven in visible manifestation, Matthew 24:30; with a genitive of the subjunctive τα σημεια των καιρων, i.e. the indications of future events which ὁι καιροι furnish, what ὁικαιροι portend, Matthew 16:3 (T brackets WH reject the passage); a sign by which one is warned, an admonition, 1 Corinthians 14:22. used of noteworthy personages, by whom God forcibly admonishes men and indicates to them what he would have them do: thus σημειον αντιλεγομενον is said of Jesus Christ, Luke 2:34; Ιωνας εγενετο σημειον τοις Νινευιταις (Jonah 3:4), Luke 11:30; hence, το σημειον Ιωνα, Luke 11:29, is equivalent to το σημειον like to that ὁςην Ιωνας, i.e. to the sign which was given by the mission and preaching of Jonah, to prompt men to seek salvation (Winer’s Grammar, 189 (177)); in the same sense, ὁὑιοςτου ανθρωπου says that he will be a σημειον, to the men of his generation, Luke 11:30; but in Matthew 12:39; 16:4 το σημειον Ιωνα is the miraculous experience which befell Jonah himself, cf. Matthew 12:40; that Luke reproduces Christ’s words more correctly than Matthew is shown by De Wette and Bleek on Matthew 12:40, by Neander, Leben Jesu, p. 265f edition 1 (English translation, (3rd edition N. Y. 1851) sec. 165, p. 245f), and others; (but that Luke’s report is less full than Matthew’s, rather than at variance with it, is shown by Meyer, Weiss, Keil, and others (on Matthew, the passage cited)).
2. “a sign, prodigy, portent,” i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature;
a. of signs portending remarkable events soon to happen: Luke 21:11,25; Acts 2:19; Revelation 12:1,3; 15:1.
b. of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God’s: Matthew 12:38f; 16:1,4; Mark 8:11f; 16:17,20; Luke 11:16,29; 23:8; John 2:11,18,23; 3:2; 4:54; 6:2,14,26,30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18,37;574 20:30; Acts 2:22,43; 8:6; 1 Corinthians 1:22; but time power διδοναι σημεια, by which men are deceived, is ascribed also to false teachers, false prophets, and to demons: Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; Revelation 13:13f; 16:14; 19:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:9. σημεια και τερατα (וּמֹפְתִים אֹתוֹת) or (yet less frequent) τερατα και σημεια (terms which differ not in substantial meaning but only in origin; cf. Fritzsche, Romans, vol. iii., p. 270f; (Trench, sec. xci.)) are found conjoined: Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; John 4:48; Acts 2:19,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12; Romans 15:19; 2 Thessalonians 2:9, (Deuteronomy 28:46; 34:11; Nehemiah 9:10; Isaiah 8:18; 20:3; Jeremiah 39:20 (Jeremiah 32:20); Sap. 8:8; 10:16; Polybius 3, 112, 8; Philo, vit. Moys. 1:16; Josephus, Antiquities 20, 8, 6; b. j. prooem. 11; Plutarch, Alex. 75; Aelian v. h. 12,57); with και δυναμεσιν added, 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4; σημεια και δυναμεις, Acts 8:13; δυναμεις και τερατα και σημεια, Acts 2:22; διδοναι σημεια (see διδωμι, B. II. 1 a.): Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22 (here Tdf. ποιειν, σημειον, see ποιεω, I. 1 c.); σημεια are said γινεσθαι δια τινος in Acts 2:43; 4:(16),30; 5:12; 14:3; 15:12 (here ποιειν σημειον, see above); το σημειον της ιασεως, the miracle, which was the healing, Acts 4:22.*--Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon [5]
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σημεῖον sēmeíon [sign, mark] <G4592>,
σημαίνω sēmaínō [to signify, indicate] <G4591>,
σημειόω sēmeióō [to denote, signify] <G4593>,
ἄσημος ásēmos [insignificant] <G767>,
ἐπίσημος epísēmos [distinguished] <G1978>,
σύσσημον sýssēmon [signal, standard] <G4953>
sēmeíon.
A. The Greek World.
I. Linguistic Data.
sēmeíon develops from sḗma and shares with it the sense of “sign” or “mark.”
II. Usage.
1. Early Epic.
a. In Homer sḗma denotes optical impressions that convey insights, e.g., signs like lightning that indicate the will of Zeus. The signs, which may, of course, be simply pointers, are characterized by prominence and visibility. At first the word contains an active element, sēmeíon perhaps develops because of the need for a more abstract term.
b. Acoustic omens come to be included among signs (e.g., thunder), although at first the visible aspect remains strong, as may be seen from the use of phaínō for perceiving the sign, and from the continuing emphasis on the clarity of the sḗma.
c. The general sense of a mark by which someone or something is recognized makes possible a varied use, e.g., for monuments, finishing posts in races, of identifying marks on the body.
d. Despite divergent use, the sense is uniform. What is meant is an object or circumstance that conveys a perception or insight. The perception may be moral or religious, but the term as such is not intrinsically a religious one.
2. Other Works.
a. Direct Use. In its direct use the sḗma or sēmeíon may be the symptom of an illness, the scent of an animal, the ensign of a ship, the certifying mark on an animal for sacrifice, the diadem of a ruler, the signet of a ring, the device on a shield, the brand on flocks, etc. sēmeíon tends to crowd out sḗma, but the latter continues to be used for monuments. In every instance one thing makes possible the correct identification and classification of another.
b. Transferred Use. In the military sphere the sēmeíon becomes a command to depart. It is a manifestation of will that impresses itself on others. In the religious1016 sphere the gods give such manifestations of their will, although in this case interpretations must be given. In philosophy sēmeíon takes on the sense of demonstration with a logical reference. Everywhere the term is a technical one with a stress on perception and resolve.
c. sēmeía kaí térata. At first these terms come together to denote omens that the superstitious perceive in times of crisis. Two things that are not really the same combine in the formula because both are significant in times of human helplessness.
III. Gnosticism.
sēmeíon plays no independent role in Gnosticism. In the Hermetic writings it has such varied senses as “constellation,” “proof,” “mark,” and “form in which the nature of a thing comes to expression.” The equivalent in Mandaean works simply means “sign,” “mark,” or “characteristic.” Baptism is a “pure sign” or a “sign of life.”
B. The Jewish World.
I. The Greek OT.
1. General Material. sēmeíon occurs in the Greek OT some 125 times. The main usage is in the Pentateuch and the prophets. In Ezek. 9:4, 6 sēmeíon conveys the sense of the original, as also perhaps in Jer. 6:1. In Num. 21:8-9; Isa. 11:12 the reference is to something easily perceived. In some four-fifths of the instances in the canon, however, sēmeíon is used for Heb. ʾôṯ.
2. ʾôṯ in the OT.
a. Linguistic Data. The term is of uncertain etymology and meaning. Attempts to link it with an Akkadian ittu for “oracular sign,” of to construe it commercially as “advice,” or to find an original sense of a “fixed time,” are all unsuccessful.
b. The Lachish Ostraca. In this military report the term obviously means the “signal” that can be given by some signaling device for the transmission of information.
c. General OT Use. Found some 79 times in the OT, mostly in the Pentateuch, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the term often (18 times) goes together with that for “wonders,” which always comes second and which occurs alone only in later books.
d. An Object of Sense Perception. The term denotes something that may be perceived, and especially seen. Thus Ps. 86:17 prays for a visible sign of favor. In Gen. 9:12ff. the rainbow is a covenant sign. Num. 14:22 refers to signs done in Egypt. Circumcision is a visible sign in Gen. 17:10ff. So is the blood daubed on the doorposts at the exodus in Ex. 12:7ff. Each tribe has its sign in Num. 2:2. The stones that mark the crossing of the Jordan are visible signs and a lasting memorial in Josh. 4:6ff. Hearing is associated with a sign only in Ex. 4:8, and even here the hearing follows a visible sign that validates Moses and thus gains a hearing for him. The verbs used with ʾôt stress its visible character (cf. Ex. 10:1-2; Gen. 4:15; Ps. 135:9; 1 Sam. 2:34), and so does the reference to God’s hand in connection with the signs in Egypt. The concept is a formal one that derives its more precise sense from the circumstances in which it occurs, whether these be secular or sacral. It does not in itself denote divine revelation, but in its function of indicating, confirming, and promising insight it may be a pointer to revelation.
e. A Means of Confirmation. In some cases the sign does not merely indicate but establishes a certainty not previously present and thus serves to confirm. This is the point in Job 21:29, where experience shows that the doctrine of retribution does not hold water. In Josh. 2:1ff. the sign confirms the oath to Rahab that her family will be saved. In Josh. 4:1ff. (cf. Gen. 9:15) the signs serve as reminders and are thus a basis of confidence. The mark of Cain in Gen. 4:15 serves as a sign of protection rather1017 than a mark of guilt. The expression “to be [as] a sign” (Ex. 13:8; Num. 16:38) makes a similar point. Thus in Ex. 8:18-19 the plague makes it plain to Pharaoh with whom he has to do, although in this instance it has the effect of hardening rather than instructing. In Num. 14:11 faith ought to be the result (cf. also Ex. 4:8). In the OT the sign is an external reality in history that is directed to eyewitnesses and points them to something else with a view to conveying insight, granting confirmation, and evoking decisions that have historical consequences.
f. God’s Signs and Wonders. Relative to God’s signs and wonders the style takes on almost a hymnic character. The reference is usually to the exodus and the combination is especially common in Deuteronomy. The emphasis in it is on God’s action in a revolutionary intervention in human affairs (cf. also Isa. 8:18).
g. Symbolical Prophetic Actions. Actions claiming to be signs are common in the prophets. God commands these signs, they presuppose eyewitnesses, they have an intrinsic quality of proclamation, and they acquire force from the prophetic word. Unlike oracular signs, they do not try to read the future but to extract the future from the present.
h. Daniel and the Targums. The Aramaic equivalent occurs three times in Daniel (Daniel 3:32-33; Daniel 6:28) in a way that confirms the general OT use. In the Targums the reference is to the plagues of Egypt and the usage preserves the formal character of the term.
i. Summary. The survey brings to light the formal nature of the Hebrew term that the LXX renders sēmeíon and also the tendency of the term to lose its original breadth in the postexilic period.
3. sēmeíon in the LXX.
a. Formal Character. Being also formal, sēmeíon serves well as an equivalent for the Hebrew, e.g., as a mark, an emblem, a monument, the Passover blood, a covenant sign (the rainbow, circumcision, the sabbath), a prophetic sign, or a divine action. Under Hebrew influence the formal character becomes stricter. This limits the use but increases the interpretative aptness.
b. Interpretatively. In some passages sēmeíon adds precision where the Hebrew does not use ʾôṯ, e.g., Ex. 7:9; 11:9-10; 2 Chron. 32:24; Isa. 11:12; Ezek. 9:4, 6, etc. In Josh. 2:18 the translation uses sēmeíon to show why Rahab is to hang out the cord that she is given.
c. sēmeía kaí térata. This formula, based on the parallel Hebrew in Deuteronomy, denotes God’s wonders in Egypt. It may be noted that Τ drops the verse Dan. 4:2 in which Nebuchadnezzar speaks of signs and wonders to himself, but retains 6:27 (Darius).
II. Greek Judaism outside the Bible.
1. Philo. Philo follows LXX usage at times (e.g., the mark of Cain or the stars as sēmeía). Yet he also uses sēmeíon in wider Greek senses, e.g., for symptom or proof. In allegory it has the meaning “pointer.” The Bible is for Philo a treasury of sēmeía. Miracles, however, play little part in his usage and he uses sēmeía kaí térata only traditionally for the wonders in Egypt.
2. Josephus. Like Philo, Josephus follows the LXX (e.g., the mark of Cain) but also uses sēmeía for military “signals” or “passwords.” As a formal term sēmeíon can also denote for Josephus something that produces knowledge or certainty by means of impressions, e.g., an experience that carries with it intimations. The sēmeíon might be a miracle (a téras) but does not have to be. Wishing to protect the wonders in Egypt from a magical understanding, Josephus simply calls them sēmeía, not sēmeía kaí térata. When God works a téras, it is important only as a sēmeíon whereby God shows that he is the one and only true God.1018
3. Apocalyptic. A common idea in later Jewish apocalyptic is that visible cosmic changes will precede the beginning of the end; these are sēmeía.
C. Postbiblical Judaism.
I. Dead Sea Scrolls.
1. Biblical Usage. In the Qumran material we find instances of the use of ʾôṯ for visible phenomena that serve to confirm or indicate. These range from heavenly luminaries to battle standards (perhaps influenced by Lat. signum).
2. A New Sense? In one place the meaning “letter” is possible, but the common “sign” is also a possibility.
II. Rabbinic Literature.
1. Mark. ʾôṯ plays only a modest role in the rabbis. It first has the sense of a distinguishing mark or sign, but the term is rare in this sense.
2. Letter. The main use of ʾôṯ in the rabbis is for a single letter of the Hebrew alphabet, whose characters reveal God’s will and are thus regarded sacrally.
III. sîmān in Rabbinic Usage.
1. General Considerations. This word, which may be a loanword, and is shaped by ʾôṯ, tends to replace the latter for “mark” or “sign.”
2. Mark. It serves to denote symptoms of an illness, features of a place, characteristics of a person, intimations of the future, signs of God’s favor or disfavor, astronomical signs whereby to fix the calendar.
3. Special Use. A special academic use is for a “cue” or “catchword,” for a “proof text,” or for “n” as a kind of diacritical mark.
D. The NT.
I. General Data.
1. Statistics. In the NT sēmeíon occurs some 73 times, ten in Matthew, seven in Mark, ten in Luke, 24 in Johannine works, 13 in Acts 1-15 (mostly plural and nine times with téras), eight in Paul, and one in Hebrews.
2. Parallels.
a. téras. This word occurs only in the plural with sēmeía.
b. dýnamis. This occurs with sēmeía kaí térata in Acts 2:22; 2 Th. 2:9, but also independently in the plural for miracles, especially in Matthew, but not at all in John (though cf. the verb in Jn. 3:2; 9:16).
c. érgon. This word lies alongside sēmeíon in John, and one has thus to define the exact relation between them.
3. Preliminary Remarks. On the one side sēmeíon occurs with verbs that denote human activity or that objectify it so that one can ask for it, see it, or accept or deny it. On the other side it is from heaven or from God. In two instances (the sign of healing in Acts 4:22 and that of the Son of Man in Matt. 24:30) what is signified is beyond human competence but comes into the human sphere by means of the sēmeíon. When a sēmeíon occurs in the NT, humans are always involved and there is a pointer to human responsibility, but the variety of possibilities makes classification difficult.
II. The Synoptic Gospels and Acts.
1. Sign or Mark. In the OT phrase that Luke uses in 2:12, the sign demonstrates the truth of the message. Perception of certain data serves a purpose of confirmation. The sēmeíon given to the shepherds sets them in motion (v. 15) so that they themselves implicitly become a sign to Mary. In Matt. 26:48 Judas uses the kiss as a sign indicating whom the guard should arrest. In Matt. 24:3 the disciples ask for a sign of Christ’s1019 parousia. This does not have to be a miraculous or apocalyptic sign. In itself it simply makes the parousia recognizable. The sēmeía in Luke 21:25 are astronomical signs but even these signs of the parousia are not apocalyptic as such.
2. The Sign of Jonah. In Matt. 12:39-40 Jesus applies to himself the sign of Jonah. The point of this obscure statement is that Jonah himself is the sign in the sense that God chooses him and works through him and through his call for repentance. The stress on the person comes out in the added saying that a greater than Jonah is now present (12:41). The sign takes on added significance with Christ’s death and resurrection (cf. the future in Luke 11:30), but in any case Jesus in his prophetic self-portrayal bursts through prophetic categories (cf. also the enigmatic comparatives in Matt. 11:9 and 12:6; Luke 7:26).
3. The Demand for a sēmeíon. The saying in Matt. 12:38ff. is the reply to the demand for a sēmeíon (cf. Matt. 16:1; Luke 23:8). This demand arises primarily in scribal circles and is for one sign, with God as the author, that will convincingly authenticate the ministry of Jesus and refute all doubts concerning him. The Synoptists use dýnamis, not sēmeíon, for the miracles of Jesus, and it is these dynámeis (which opponents attribute to sorcery) that prompt the demand for a sign; for the rabbis, who ground their authority in Scripture, suspect miracles if they are purely human acts that lack a specific divine commission. The demand seems natural inasmuch as Jesus acts in his own power and asserts his freedom from tradition. Yet it is a wrong demand inasmuch as it seeks to impose its own principles on God and is thus an attack on the divine freedom (cf. Luke 11:29; Matt. 12:39).
4. The Sign of the Son of Man. This phrase occurs only in Matthew (24:30), where the sign appears prior to the coming and the gathering of the elect. Although mysterious, it is clearly terrifying and brings the present order to an ineluctable end. Like Rev. 1:7, Matt. 24:30 combines Zech. 12:12, 14 and Dan. 7:13-14, but Revelation puts Daniel first, whereas Matthew puts Zechariah first. Possibly the sign is given so that there may be a last chance to repent. The sign can hardly be the cross, nor the Son of Man himself, but it plainly intimates the imminent parousia.
5. sēmeíon antilegómenon (Luke 2:34). In a passage that has an OT coloring Simeon calls the child Jesus a sign that is spoken against. God posits this sign for the disclosure of inner thoughts as some accept it and others contest it. It is in relation to this sign, therefore, that there is falling and rising in Israel in fulfilment of the messianic mission of Jesus.
6. Acts. In Acts 4:16, 22 sēmeíon occurs in connection with the healing of the lame man, and in 8:6, 13 (with dynámeis in v. 13) it describes the work of Philip. As in the nine instances of sēmeía kaí térata, the usage is much the same as in the Synoptics. The works are signs inasmuch as they are evident happenings that point to him in whose name and power they are performed. By them, as by the word, Jesus shows that he is the living Lord whom God himself authenticates. The new feature in Acts is that in the new situation inaugurated by Christ’s death and resurrection there is now a chain of sēmeía, i.e., of indications that no one can miss. The mighty works are not marvels. They demand interpretation and are thus subordinate to the word (by which faith lives) as obedient and unselfish acts that are done in the power of Jesus and for his sake.
7. sēmeía kaí térata. This phrase occurs in Matt. 24:24/Mark 13:22, nine times in Acts 1-8, three times in Paul, and once in Jn. 4:48.
a. In Matt. 24:24/Mark 13:22 the doing of sēmeía kaí térata is projected into the future1020 as part of the picture of pseudo-messiahs, although this does not rule out their performance by the true Messiah as the promised prophet.
b. In Acts present sēmeía kaí térata mark the new age of eschatological redemption as they previously marked the time of Mosaic liberation. Acts 2:19 and 7:36 carry allusions to Joel 2:30 and Ex. 7:3 and typologically demonstrate that the predicted eschatological age has come.
(a) In a first group of sēmeía kaí térata references Jesus, Moses, and the apostles all have a place (cf. 6-7).
(b) In a second group the spotlight is on the apostles but in such a way that it moves from Jesus to them, for he it is who is at work in their acts (4:30; 14:3). Where typology is to the fore, the order térata kaí sēmeía occurs (cf. 6:8; 7:36), although in view of the common theme it is not wholly clear why this should be so.
III. sēmeíon in the Johannine Writings.
1. General Features.
a. John has sēmeíon in the formal sense of “sign” or “pointer” (cf. “portent” in Rev. 12:1, 3, “proof” in Jn. 2:18, “wonderful act” in Rev. 13:13-14).
b. The common reference is to visual perception and the confirmation it gives (cf. Jn. 2:23; 6:14; Rev. 15:11; Jn. 10:32ff.; 14:9ff.).
c. As in the Synoptics, people ask Jesus for a sēmeíon (even after the miracle of feeding in 6:1ff.; cf. also 2:18).
d. The phrase sēmeía kaí térata occurs in 4:48 in a polemical context, but perhaps echoing again the Mosaic redemption. The point is that now that Jesus is himself present sēmeía kaí térata are superfluous and must not be made a basis of faith. Jesus does not have to perform signs and wonders in self-authentication even though he comes as the new Moses; at this point there is perhaps a difference between the type and the antitype. At any rate the resurrection grants the church independence of sēmeía kaí térata (cf. 20:29).
2. Distinctive Aspects.
a. In both John and Revelation sēmeíon takes over the role of dýnamis in the Synoptics. Johannine sēmeía are acts related to him who does them (Jn. 3:2). Their quality derives from the quality of their author (9:16). Thus the beast, too, performs great signs but these lead into idolatry (13:13ff.). The many signs of Jesus are distinctly miraculous (2:23; 3:2; 11:47; 12:37), but they bear a messianic character (2:11; 4:54; 6:14) inasmuch as they put an end to disease and want. John does not refer to the curing of lepers or to exorcisms; he mentions sēmeía that seem designed to present Jesus as the Messiah.
b. John never calls a saying of Jesus a sēmeíon.
c. It is mostly the author (2:11, 23, etc.) or others (3:2; 7:31; 9:16) who use the term sēmeíon, Jesus himself only in 6:26. In John, as distinct from the Synoptics, Acts, or the surrounding world, the term is a key one in theological interpretation.
3. sēmeíon and érgon.
a. General. In John the 27 érga passages bear a clear relation to the sēmeía (cf. 5:20, 36; 6:29; 7:3, 21; 9:3-4; 10:25, etc.). The érga are sēmeía as God’s own érga (4:34; 5:36; 9:3-4). Jesus uses érgon for what the author calls sēmeíon.
b. Sign Character of the érga.
(a) Although the érga are Jesus’ own, he does not call them his. He does them (5:36 etc.) in a unique fellowship with the Father (3:35; 8:19; 12:45; 14:9ff.). He does them only when his hour comes (2:4), but he knows this hour (13:1) and in it does God’s own acts (2:1ff.; 6:1ff.; 11:1ff.), i.e., the acts God gives him to do (5:36).1021
(b) The érga are sēmeía because as his they serve God’s self-revelation. They are not just miracles; they bring a new view of God inasmuch as the Father may be known only through the Son (8:19, 54-55; 14:7). Only Jesus can truly interpret the sēmeía, as he does in the revelatory discourses that follow them.
c. The sēmeía as God’s Witness to the Son. In Jn. 12:37ff. (cf. Isa. 53:1) the sēmeía are attributed to God. In Jesus human destiny is decided here and now according to God’s will. His érga have divisive power. Promoting God’s self-revelation, they also characterize Jesus as the Son. They are not mere symbols imparting knowledge; reflecting the nature of Jesus, they call for faith, into which, of course, knowledge is integrated.
4. sēmeíon and Faith. The aim of the gospel is faith in Jesus as the Christ, God’s Son (Jn. 20:31). The sēmeía establish faith, but God is the content of this faith, not the sēmeía. The sēmeía are the Son’s revelation of the Father and the Father’s confession of the Son. As such they are a basis of faith in God. Although discourses often expound the sēmeía, in 2:1ff. and 4:47ff. there is a causal connection between faith and the sēmeíon. Encounter with the person of Jesus in the sēmeíon leads to seeing or knowing (2:11; 4:53). The added words of revelation confer on the sēmeía an enduring power to establish faith, so that they become a permanent part of the divine message. The sēmeía neither relate to mere compassion nor to prophetic claims. They are signs that Jesus is the Christ as both Revealer and Revealed. They take precedence over the word so long as Jesus is in the flesh (1:14; 7:39). After Easter the community has the word, and new sēmeía are not essential.
5. sēmeíon and Word. In John the sēmeía point indirectly to the one Jesus really is, while the lógoi give direct information. The lógoi display the same freedom as the érga. They interpret the sēmeía; the sēmeía confirm the lógoi. They both find their unity in the person of him who shows himself to be he who acts and who has the right to say “I am.” Whereas in the OT human interpreters say who God is and what he wills and does, in John Jesus himself interprets what he does with reference to himself and the Father (cf. 5:17; 8:25; 11:1ff.).
6. sēmeíon and dóxa. The glory of Christ or God is manifested at Cana and in the raising of Lazarus, and the faith of the disciples is linked with this manifestation. Faith arises when it sees the glory in the sēmeíon (1:14; 12:37ff.). The glory of Jesus is that of his true being. It is the presupposition of his doing God’s work and hence a sign of his preexistence. The glory manifests his omnipotence and impresses the disciples with his majesty. The link with glory shows that for John a sēmeíon is no mere symbol. The term is a central one both theologically and christologically. Since it discloses human sin, its anthropological bearing is ethical (9:41). In the sēmeía of Jesus the eschatological krísis that he brings becomes unmistakable and unavoidable.
7. sēmeía of the Risen Lord. The reference in Jn. 20:30-31 is not to the resurrection or the resurrection appearances, for in John these are more directly the work of God, and the issue in Jn. 20 is the self-witness of the risen Lord (vv. 17, 20, 27), not the giving of new sēmeía. Nor do we have here a reference to the crucifixion, which in John does not present a sign even though the Father glorifies the Son therein. The “many other signs,” then, are the various works that Jesus did from which the author has made a selection; the number as such is unimportant. The “many other things” (not signs) of 21:25 might include the events of ch. 21, but John seems careful not to number the crucifixion and resurrection among the signs.1022
8. John’s Special Use of sēmeía.
a. Distinctiveness. The use of sēmeía for Jesus’ self-manifestation in his works is peculiar to John. It finds a negative counterpart in Revelation with its use of the term for the miracles of the prophet of antichrist.
b. OT Background. The use derives, not from Hellenistic Gnosticism, but from the LXX. Here sēmeíon points to the self-declaration of the one God as Israel’s God, and it bears a relation to faith on the one side and glory on the other. The works of Jesus are of the same kind as God’s works at the exodus. The glory of the works, as in the OT, lies in the manifestation of the divine power. The difference is that the reference is now to Jesus, who unites with God those who unite themselves to him.
c. The Typological Character of Johannine sēmeía. John gives the sēmeía a typological accent, emphasizing that Jesus is the “prophet” (4:19) and the Passover lamb of eschatological redemption. The sēmeía thus have a similar function to the sēmeía of the exodus. Yet as Jesus surpasses Moses, so his work surpasses that of Moses. Hence the sēmeía acquire enhanced significance. Jesus is a new Moses but he is more, for he acts as God and thereby shows himself to be the Son of God.
IV. The Rest of the NT.
1. Paul.
a. General. Paul uses sēmeíon only eight times. sēmeía kaí térata occurs in Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12; 2 Th. 2:9. The usage is traditional. In the new situation of apostolic witness, the problem of the sēmeíon that arises for Jesus now arises for his authorized representatives.
b. Specific. In Rom. 4:11 the meaning is “sign” or “mark,” perhaps indicating that circumcision is a covenant sign (cf. the reading peritomḗn rather than peritomḗs). In 2 Cor. 12:12 the signs of an apostle are visible things that identify an apostle, i.e., the mighty works of the age of redemption. In 1 Cor. 1:22 Paul rejects the Jewish demand that he should prove his claim with signs. In 1 Cor. 14:22 tongues are a sign for unbelievers inasmuch as they make evident to them their unbelief. In 2 Th. 3:17 the sēmeíon is a proof of authenticity. It is something visible that confers assurance. Why Paul adds his own greeting as a sēmeíon is not immediately clear. In Rom. 15:19 Paul applies sēmeía kaí térata to the works that he does as an apostle in the power of the Spirit (cf. 2 Cor. 12:12). In 2 Th. 2:9, however, the parousia of antichrist, aping that of Christ, is accompanied by pretended signs and wonders.
2. Hebrews. Heb. 2:4 uses an expanded form of the sēmeía kaí térata formula to describe the things that God does to accredit apostolic preaching and to show the superiority of the gospel to the law. The reference of the sēmeía kaí térata is to the credibility of preachers. Their supporting function is rooted in God’s will.
E. The Apostolic Fathers.
The term is rare in the apostolic fathers, and the few instances conform to ordinary usage. Lot’s wife is a sign in 1 Clem. 11.2, the mark on Rahab’s house is a sign in 12.7, a verse of Scripture is a pointer in 2 Clem. 15.4, the phenomena of the parousia are proofs in Did. 16.4, the phoenix myth is a sign in 1 Clem. 25.1ff. 1 Clem. 51.5 uses sēmeía kaí térata for the wonders in Egypt, and Barn. 5.8 uses the phrase in a typological understanding of the age of Moses relative to that of Jesus. Barn. 12.5 refers the serpent typologically to Jesus as a sēmeíon. Did. 16.6 is obscure: The opening of heaven, or the outstretching of the arms of Jesus on the cross, may be the sēmeíon intended.1023
sēmaínō.
A. Greek Use.
This word means “to indicate,” often in the sense “to order,” “to direct.” It is used in such senses as “to give a sign or signal,” “to signify,” “to announce,” “to declare,” and “to mean.”
B. Greek Judaism.
1. sēmaínō is used for various Hebrew terms meaning “to impart,” “to point,” “to intimate,” and even “to blow [the trumpet] as a sign.”
2. In Philo the term means “to signify,” “to represent,” “to denote,” “to mean” (especially with reference to the deeper signification of the OT).
3. In Josephus the meanings are “to tell,” “to notify,” “to intimate,” “to make known,” “to signify,” and, with reference to documents, “to seal.”
C. The NT.
1. In Acts 25:27 Festus needs to examine Paul further in order that he may be able to “indicate” or “show” what the charges against him are.
2. In Acts 11:28 Agabus “signifies by the Spirit,” i.e., foretells, that there will be a famine. In Rev. 1:1 the thought is similar: God gives Jesus the revelation to show his servants what must take place, and Jesus then “makes it known” to John through the angel, i.e., “indicates” or “declares” it.
3. Jn. 12:33; 18:32; 21:19 contain intimations of Jesus concerning the manner of death, first of himself, then of Peter. None of us knows either the time or the manner of death unless God shows it, but Jesus can tell how both he and Peter will die. Hence sēmaínō in this context points to his divine dignity even while retaining its purely formal character.
D. The Apostolic Fathers.
In these works sēmaínō occurs only in some versions of Barn. 15.4, where, in an exposition of Gen. 2:2, it has the sense “to have the deeper meaning” (cf. Philo).
sēmeióō.
1. This word means “to denote,” “to signify,” “to seal,” “to signal,” “to mark for oneself,” “to diagnose,” “to certify.”
2. The LXX uses the word only in Ps. 4:6: In God’s turning worshippers receive a sign that good things are present for them in God.
3. Philo uses only the middle in such senses as “to characterize,” “to show,” “to signify,” “to get proof.”
4. In the NT 2 Th. 3:14 contains the admonition to note those who refuse to obey the apostolic injunctions. The shunning probably applies to spiritual fellowship or common meals, not to everyday matters.
5. 1 Clem. 43.1 uses the word for “to note” with reference to Moses and the hieraí bíbloi written by him.
ásēmos.
1. This word means “without sḗma or characteristic,” and takes on such senses as “unstamped,” “without emblems,” “inarticulate,” “obscure,” “insignificant,” but also “without blemish,” i.e., distinguishing mark.
2. In the LXX the meanings are “unimportant” and “insignificant” (Gen. 30:42; Job 42:11).1024
3. Philo refers to an “insignificant” family, and Josephus speaks of those who are of “obscure or doubtful” lineage.
4. Acts 21:39 has Paul use a common literary device when he calls his native Tarsus “no mean city”; the deliberately restrained description gives the greater emphasis.
epísēmos.
1. This word means “having a distinguishing mark” and takes on such senses as “stamped,” “labeled,” “showing symptoms.”
2. In the LXX it denotes a feast day in Esth. 5:4, an outstanding person in 3 Macc. 6:1, and a generally visible place in 1 Macc. 11:37.
3. Philo uses the word in such senses as “recognizable,” “distinguished,” “superior,” and “clear.” In Josephus it means “stamped,” “distinguished,” “significant,” and also “infamous” or “notorious.”
4. Rom. 16:7 uses the term in a good sense when it refers to Andronicus and Junias as “significant” or “highly regarded” men in the apostolic circle. In Matt. 27:16, however, Barabbas is outstanding in the bad sense of “notorious.” The word is not here a technical one for the leader of a band of Zealots.
5. In the apostolic fathers the word occurs only in the Martyrdom of Polycarp, in which it reflects incipient martyr terminology (3.1) as well as describing Polycarp as an “outstanding” teacher (li.1).
sýssēmon.
1. This late word has such senses as “signal,” “standard,” and in the plural “insignia.”
2. In the LXX it means “signal” in Judg. 20:38 and “banner” in Isa. 5:26.
3. Mark 14:44 calls Judas’ kiss a sýssēmon, thus showing that it is a “prearranged sign.”
4. The apostolic fathers use the term only once in Ignatius Smyrneans 1.2, which gives Isa. 5:26 a christological reference.
[K. H. RENGSTORF, VII, 200–269]
-Bromiley, Geoffrey W., trans., Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, ed. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in One Volume [6]
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§ xc. λὸγος, μῦθος·Λόγος is quite as often 'sermo' as 'verbum,' a connected discourse as a single word. Indeed, as is well known, there was once no little discussion whether Λόγος in its very highest application of all (John 1:1) should not rather be rendered by 'Sermo' than by 'Verbum'; on which controversy see Petavius, De Trin. vi. 1. 4-6. And, not to dwell on this exceptional and purely theological employment of λόγος, it is frequently in the N. T. employed to express that word which by supereminent right deserves the name, being, as it is, "the word of God" (Acts 4:31), "the word of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:15); thus at Luke 1:2; Jam. 1:22; Acts 6:4. As employed in this sense, it may be brought into relations of likeness and unlikeness with μῦθος, between which and λόγος there was at one time but a very slight difference indeed, one however338 which grew ever wider, until in the end a great gulf has separated them each from the other.: There are three distinctly marked stages through which μῦθος has passed; although, as will often happen, in passing into later meanings it has not altogether renounced and left behind its earlier. At the first there is nothing of the fabulous, still less of the false, involved in it. It stands on the same footing with ῥῆμα, ἔπος, λόγος, and, as its connexion with μύω, μυέω, μύζω, sufficiently indicates, must have signified originally the word shut up in the mind, or muttered within the lips (see Creuzer, Symbolik, vol. iv. p. 517); although of this there is no actual trace; for already in Homer it appears as the spoken word (Il. xviii. 252), the tragic poets with such other as form their diction on Homer continuing so to employ it (thus Æschylus, Eumen. 582; Euripides, Phœn. 455), and this at a time when in Attic prose it had nearly or altogether exchanged this meaning for another.
At the second stage of its history μῦθος is already in a certain antithesis to λόγος, although still employed in a respectful, often in a very honourable, sense. It is the mentally conceived as set over against the actually true. Not literal fact, it is often truer than the literal truth, involves a higher teaching; λὸγος ψευδής, εἰκονίζων τὴν ἀλήθειαν (Suidas); λόγου μῦθος εἰκὼν καὶ εἴδωλόν ἐστι (Plutarch, Bell, an Pace clar. Athen. 4). There is a λόγος ἐν μύθῳ ('veritas quæ in fabulæ involucro latet,' as Wyttenbach, Annott. in Plutarch, vol. ii. part I, p. 406, gives it), which may have infinitely more value than much which is actual fact, seeing that oftentimes, in Schiller's words,
'a deeper import
Lurks in the legend told our infant years
Than lies upon the truth we live to learn.'
Μῦθος had already obtained this significance in Herodotus (ii. 45) and in Pindar (Olymp. i. 29; [Diss. 47 Heyn.]);339 and Attic prose, as has been observed, hardly knows any other (Plato, Gorg. 523 a; Phædo, 61 a; Legg. ix. 872 d; Plutarch, De Ser. Num. Vind. 18; Symp. i. 1. 4).
But in a world like ours the fable easily degenerates into the falsehood.
'Tradition, Time's suspected register,
That wears out truth's best stories into tales,'
is ever at work to bring such a result about; 'story,' 'tale,' and other words not a few, attest this fact; and at its third stage μῦθος is the fable, but not any more the fable undertaking to be, and often being, the vehicle of some lofty truth; it is now the lying fable with all its falsehood and all its pretences to be what it is not: Eustathius: μῦθος παρʼ Ὁμήρῳ ὁ ἁπλῶς λόγος, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ὕστερον, ὁ ψευδὴς καὶ πεπλασμένος, καὶ ἀληθείας ἔχων ἔμφασιν λόγος: this being the only sense of μῦθος which the N. T. knows (in the Apocrypha it occurs but once, Ecclus. 20:19; in the Septuagint never). Thus we have there μῦθοι βέβηλοι καὶ γραώδεις (1 Tim. 4:7); Ἰουδαϊκοί (Tit. 1:14); σεσοφισμένοι (2 Pet. 1:16; cf. μῦθοι πεπλασμένοι, Diodorus Siculus, i. 93); the other two occasions of the word's use (1 Tim. 1:4; 2 Tim. 4:4) being not less slighting and contemptuous. 'Legend,' a word of such honourable import at the beginning, meaning, as it does, that worthy to be read, but which has ended in designating 'a heap of frivolous and scandalous vanities' (Hooker), has had much the same history as μῦθος; very similar influences having been at work to degrade the one and the other. J. H. H. Schmidt (Synonymik, vol. i. p. 100) traces the history of μῦθος briefly and well: Μῦθος ist zu der Bedeutung einer erdichteten Erzählung gekommen, weil man den naiven Glauben an die alten Ueberlieferungen, die ihren hergebrachten Namen behielten, allmälig verloren hatte. So wird denn μῦθος wie λόγος der Wirklichkeit entgegengesetzt, 340jedoch so dass man zugleich auf die Albernheit und Unwahrscheinlichkeit der Erdichtung hindeutet.'
It will thus be seen that λόγος and μῦθος, which begin their journey together, or at all events separated by very slight spaces, gradually part company, the antagonism between them becoming ever stronger, till in the end they stand in open opposition to one another, as words no less than men must do, when they come to belong, one to the kingdom of light and of truth, the other to that of darkness and of lies.
--Trench's Synonyms of the New Testament [7]
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σημεῖονσημεῖον, τό, Ion. σημήιον, Dor. σαμᾷον, (σῆμα) a sign, a mark, token, Herodotus, Att.
2. a sign from the gods, an omen, Sophocles, Plato: especially of the constellations, Euripides.
3. a sign or signal to do a thing made by flags, Herodotus; αἴρειν, κατασπᾶν τὸ σ. to make or take down the signal for battle, Thucydides; τὰ σημεῖα ἤρθη the signals agreed upon were made, Id.
4. an ensign or flag, on the admiral’s ship, Herodotus; on the general’s tent, Xenophon:—then, generally, a standard, ensign, Euripides: hence, a boundary, limit, Demosthenes.
5. a device upon a shield, Herodotus, Euripides; upon ships, a figure-head, Aristophanes.
6. a signal, watchword, Thucydides.
II. in reasoning, a sign or proof, Aristophanes, Thucydides, etc.:—σημεῖον δέ: or σημεῖον γάρ: (to introduce an argument) this is a proof of it, Demosthenes, etc.
Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon [8][
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appendix / Bibliography
[1]
Mounce, William D., ed. Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words: Expository Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.Mounce, William D., ed. Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words: Hebrew/Greek-English Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[2] Mounce, William D., ed. Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words: Expository Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[5] Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon
Joseph Henry Thayer (November 7, 1828—November 26, 1901), an American biblical scholar, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Thayer's Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament is one of the greatest achievements in biblical scholarship
[7.]Trench, Richard. Trench's Synonyms of the New Testament. Eleventh ed. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1890. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
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