noun · feminine
adelfas
Greekἀδελφή (adelfē)
Strong’sG79
a sister
stem adelf-25 times in the New Testamentin 11 of 27 books6 of 10 forms occur
Translated as
What it means
ἀδελφή, -ῆς, ἡ
(< ἀδελφός), [in LXX for אָחוֹת;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G79 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidad-el-fay'
a sister (naturally or ecclesiastically)
Fromfeminine of G80;
King Jamessister.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Every form
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | adelfas8×ἀδελφὴ | adelfais3×ἀδελφαὶ |
| object accusative | adelfan5×ἀδελφὴν | adelfain5×ἀδελφὰς |
| direct address vocative | adelfar | adelfair |
| of, belonging to genitive | adelfau3×ἀδελφῆς | adelfaiu |
| to, for dative | adelfa1×ἀδελφῇ | adelfai |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
adelfa is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Words built on the same stem
Where it appears
25 occurrences, every one of them listed
adelfas“sister”subjectnominative singular8×
Matthew 12:50“sister”hotinos gar an poiateia tem thelēmem tou patērou mu tou en ouranoi, autos mu adelfos kai adelfas kai mētēras atō.For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:35“sister”hos gar an poiateia tem thelēmem tou theou, houtos adelfos mu kai adelfas kai mētēras atō.For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”
Luke 10:39“sister”kai hōda ate adelfas kalirōtas Mariam, has kai parakatheziratas pros toin podoin tou Iēsu akouate ton logon autou.She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
Luke 10:40“sister”tas de Marthas perispite peri pollan diakonian; efistanaratas de legata; Kurior, ouk meleiatō si hoti tas adelfas mu monan min kataleipate diakonarō? legasar oun auta hina mi sunantilambeteia.But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
John 11:39“sister”legatō tos Iēsus; Airavar ton lithon. legatō auto tas adelfas tou teleutarētou Marthas; Kurior, ēdē ozatō, tetartaios gar atō.“Take away the stone,” Jesus said. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”
John 19:25“sister”Histanalelē de para to stauro tou Iēsu tas mētēras autou kai tas adelfas tau mētērau autou, Marias tas tou Klōpaou kai Marias tas Magdalēnas.Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.
1 Corinthians 7:15“sister”ei de tos apistos chōrizitō, chōrizitōr; ouk doulitē tos adelfos ē tas adelfas en tei toioutei, en de eirēna kalatē nin tos theos.But if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The believing brother or sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace.
James 2:15“sister”ean adelfos ē adelfas gumnois huparchaleiō kai leiperōtois tau efēmerau trofēau,Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
adelfan“sister”objectaccusative singular5×
John 11:5“sister”agapate de tos Iēsus tan Marthan kai tan adelfan autau kai ton Lazaron.Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 11:28“sister”Kai houtem legaratas aperchata kai fōnata Mariam tan adelfan autau lathra legaratas; Tos didaskalos pareiatō kai fōnatō sin.After Martha had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”
Romans 16:1“sister”Sunistanamō de vi Foiban tan adelfan nu, arōtan kai diakonan tau ekklēsau tau en Kenchreai,I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
Romans 16:15“sister”aspazevar Filologon kai Ioulian, Nēreuon kai tan adelfan autou, kai Olumpaon kai toin sun autoi pantoin hagioin.Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them.
1 Corinthians 9:5“believing”mē ouk echanō exousian adelfan gunaikan periagarō, hōs kai tois loipois apostolois kai tois adelfois tou kuriou kai Kēfos?Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
adelfau“sister”of, belonging togenitive singular3×
John 11:1“sister”Ate de tinos asthenarōtos, Lazaros apo Bēthaniau ek tau kōmau Mariau kai Marthau tau adelfau autau.At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Acts 23:16“sister”Akouaratos de tos huios tau adelfau Paulou tan enedran paragineratos kai eisercharatos eis tan parembolan apangellata to Paulo.But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.
2 John 1:13“sister”Aspazetō sin teim tekneim tau adelfau su tau eklektau.The children of your elect sister send you greetings.
adelfa“sister”to, fordative singular1×
Philemon 1:2“sister”kai Apfia ta adelfa kai Archippo to sustratiōto nu kai ta kata oikon su ekklēsa;to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your house:
adelfais“sisters”subjectnominative plural3×
Matthew 13:56“sisters”kai tais adelfais autou ouchi pantais pros nin alō? pothen oun houto houteim panteim?Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?”
Mark 6:3“sisters”ouk houtos atō tos tektōnos, tos huios tau Mariau kai adelfos Iakōbou kai Iōsou kai Ioudaou kai Simōnou? kai ouk alō tais adelfais autou hōde pros nin? kai skandalizile en auto.Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
John 11:3“sisters”apostelala oun tais adelfais pros auton legarōtais; Kurior, ide hon filasō asthenatō.So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
adelfain“sisters”objectaccusative plural5×
Matthew 19:29“sisters”kai pantos hotinos afiēkata oikiain ē adelfoin ē adelfain ē patēron ē mētēran ē gunaikan ē tekneim ē agroin heneken teu onomeu mu, hekatontaplasiōneim lambeti kai zōan aiōnian klēronomati.And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
Mark 10:29“sisters”fēate tos Iēsus; Amēn legamō vi, oudenos atō hos afiēkata oikian ē adelfoin ē adelfain ē mētēran ē patēron ē tekneim ē agroin heneken mu kai heneken teu euangelieu,“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel
Mark 10:30“sisters”ean mē lambateia hekatontaplasiōneim nun en to kairo houto oikiain kai adelfoin kai adelfain kai mētērain kai tekneim kai agroin meta diōgmoiu, kai en to aiōno to ercherōto zōan aiōnian.will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life.
Luke 14:26“sisters”Ei tinos erchetō pros min kai ouk misatō ton patēron heautou kai tan mētēran kai tan gunaikan kai teim tekneim kai toin adelfoin kai tain adelfain, ēti tē kai tan psuchan heautou, ouk dunetō arō mu mathētos.“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be My disciple.
1 Timothy 5:2“sisters”presbuterain hōs mētērain, neoterain hōs adelfain en panta hagneia.older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.