noun · masculine
chronos
Strong’sG5550
time, a particular time, season
stem chron-53 times in the New Testamentin 15 of 27 books7 of 10 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
χρόνος denotes a space or period of time, whether long or short, considered simply as duration - to be distinguished from a fixed or special occasion, or from a particular defined age or epoch 1234. It covers ordinary time in general: a stretch of days, months, or years, time passing or elapsing, time within which or during which something happens, and the many idiomatic ways of marking such duration (a short time, a long time, in due course, after an interval, and so on) 3.
By extension the word can also mean an individual opportunity, and by implication it can carry the sense of a delay 2.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
χρόνος, -ου, ὁ
[in LXX chiefly for יוֹם, also for עֵת, etc.;]
SYN.: v.s. καιρός
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G5550 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidkhron'-os
a space of time (in general, and thus properly distinguished from G2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; and from G165, which denotes a particular period) or interval; by extension, an individual opportunity; by implication, delay
Fromof uncertain derivation;
King James+ years old, season, space, (X often-)time(-s), (a) while.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
time, Refs 8th c.BC+; τῶν δὲ πεπραγμένων ἀποίητον οὐδ᾽ ἂν χ. δύναιτο θέμεν τέλος P.Refs 5th c.BC+; but in Prose, τοῦ χ. τὸν πλεῖστον Refs 5th c.BC+; χρόνου πολλοῦ δέονται take a long time, Refs 5th c.BC+
b time in the abstract, ἀμερὴς χ. Timo 76; τριμερής Refs 4th c.BC+
2 a definite time, period, δεκέτης, τρίμηνος, Refs 5th c.BC+; χ. βίου, ἥβης χ., Refs 5th c.BC+ with chronological accuracy, Refs 5th c.BC+; τοῖς χ. by the dates, Refs 5th c.BC+; μετενεγκόντα τοὺς χ. altering the dates, Refs 5th c.BC+; χρόνων μῆκος (uncertain, to be read χρόνου) Refs 6th c.AD+
2.b date, term of payment due, Refs
2.c year, Ἑλληνικά 1.233 Refs 1st c.BC+
2.d equatorial degree, Refs 2nd c.AD+
3 Special phrases:
3.a accusative, χρόνον for a while, for a long or short time, Refs 8th c.BC+; πολὺν χρόνον for a long time, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐς τὸν αἰὲν χ. for ever, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐ πολὺς χ. ἐξ οὗRefs 5th c.BC+; ἦν χρόνος ἐν ᾧ.., or ὅτε.., Linusap.Refs 5th c.BC+once for all, Refs 8th c.BC+
3.b genitive, χρόνου περιιόντος as time came round, Refs 5th c.BC+; so χ. ἐπιγενομένου, διεξελθόντος, προβαίνοντος, Refs; χρόνου γενομένου after a time, Refs 1st c.BC+; ὀλίγου χρόνου in a short time, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐ μακροῦ χ., τοῦ λοιποῦ χ., Refs 5th c.BC+; πόσου χ.; after how long? Refs 5th c.BC+
3.c dative, χρόνῳ in process of time, Refs 6th c.BC+; χρόνῳ, χρόνοις ὕστερον, long after, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐ χρόνῳ immediately, Ps.Democr.Alch.p.49B.: also with Article, τῷ χ. Refs 5th c.BC+
3.d ὁ ἄλλος χ., in Attic dialect, of past time, Refs 4th c.BC+ of future, see at {λοιπός} 3; so χ. ἐφέρπων, ἐπαντέλλων, μέλλων, Refs 5th c.BC+; also κατὰ χ. ἱκνούμενον or κατὰ χ. [τὸν] ἱ. at a later (or the fitting) time, Refs 2nd c.AD+
4 with Preps.:—ἀνὰ χρόνον in course of time, after a time, Refs 5th c.BC+
4.b ἀφ᾽ οὗ χρόνου from such time as.., Refs 5th c.BC+
4.c διὰ χρόνου after a time, after an interval, Refs 5th c.BC+ means one space of time after another, day after day, Refs 5th c.BC+
4.d ἐκ πολλοῦ τευ χ. a long time since, long ago, Refs 5th c.BC+
4.e ἐν χρόνῳ, like{χρόνῳ}, in course of time, at length, Refs 4th c.BC+; for a long time, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν χρόνοισι perhaps formerly, [Refs 5th c.BC+
4.f ἐντὸς χρόνου within a certain time, Refs 5th c.BC+
4.g ἐπὶ χρόνον for a time, for a while, Refs 8th c.BC+; παυρίδιον or παῦρον ἐπὶ χ., Refs 8th c.BC+
4.h ἐς χρόνον hereafter, Refs 5th c.BC+
i μετὰ χρόνον after a time, Refs; μέχρι τοῦ αὐτοῦ χ. up to the same time, Refs 5th c.BC+
k πρὸ τοῦ καθήκοντος χ. Refs 5th c.BC+
l σὺν (ξὺν) χρόνῳ, like{χρόνῳ} or διὰ χρόνου, Refs 4th c.BC+
m ὑπὸ χρόνου by lapse of time, Refs 5th c.BC+ about the same time, Refs 5th c.BC+
II lifetime, age, ὁ μακρὸς ἀνθρώπων χρόνος Refs 5th c.BC+; τοσόσδε τῷ χ. so far gone in years, Refs 5th c.BC+
III season or portion of the year, περιγράψαι τοῦ ἔτους χρόνον Refs 5th c.BC+
IV delay, οὐδ᾽ ἐποίησαν (perhaps ἐνεποίησαν) χ. οὐδένα Refs 4th c.BC+linger, Refs 3rd c.BC+; χρόνους ἐμποιεῖν to interpose delays, Refs 4th c.BC+
V Grammars,
V.1 tense of a verb, Refs 2nd c.BC+
V.2 time or quantity of a syllable, Refs 2nd c.AD+; of the augment, Refs
V.3 in Rhythmic and Music, time, διαιρεῖται ὁ χ. ὑπὸ τῶν ῥυθμιζομένων Refs 4th c.BC+ W., etc.; ὁ πρῶτος [χ.] time-unit, Refs 1st c.AD+; χρόνος κενός Refs 4th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | chronos7×χρόνος | chronois |
| object accusative | chronon27×χρόνον | chronoin3×χρόνους |
| direct address vocative | chronor | chronoir |
| of, belonging to genitive | chronou4×χρόνου | chronoiu6×χρόνων |
| to, for dative | chrono5×χρόνῳ | chronoi1×χρόνοις |
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
chrono 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
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
53 occurrences, every one of them listed
chronos“time”subjectnominative singular7×
Mark 9:21“time”kai eperōtata ton patron autou; Posos chronos atō hōs houtem genatē auto? tos …Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said.
Luke 1:57Ta de Elisabet pimplēita tos chronos teu tiktara autan, kai gennata huion.When the time came for Elizabeth to have her …
Acts 7:17Kathōs de engizate tos chronos tau epangeliau hau homologata tos theos …As the time drew near for God to fulfill …
Acts 7:23“time”Hōs de plērote auto tesserakontaetos chronos, anabainata epi tan kardian autou episkeptera …When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the …
Hebrews 11:32… legameiō? epileipati min gar diēgorōnton tos chronos peri Gedeōn, Barak, Sampsōn, Iefthae, David …And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell …
1 Peter 4:3arketos gar tos parercharēntos chronos tem boulēmem teiu ethneiu katergazorē, poreuorēntoin …For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the …
Revelation 10:6… thalassan kai teim en auta, hoti chronos ouketi eti;… it: “There will be no more delay!
chronon“time”objectaccusative singular27×
Matthew 2:7… toin magoin akribata para autoiu ton chronon tou fanorōntou asterou,… and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.
Matthew 2:16… apo dietou kai katōterō, kata ton chronon hon akribata para toiu magoiu.… old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
Matthew 25:19meta de pollon chronon erchotō tos kurios toiu douloiu ekeinoiu …After a long time the master of those servants returned …
Mark 2:19“time”… numfios meta autoiu atō nēsteuarō? hoson chronon echalō ton numfion meta autoiu ouk …… He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast.
Luke 18:4kai ouk thelate epi chronon, meta houteim de legata en heauto; …For a while he refused, but later he said …
John 5:6… katakeiorōnton, kai gnōskarantos hoti pollon ēdē chronon echatō, legatō auto; Thelasō hugios genera?… that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked him …
John 7:33“time”legata oun tos Iēsus; Ēti chronon mikron meta vu amō kai hupagamō …So Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the …
John 12:35… oun autoi tos Iēsus; Ēti mikron chronon tem fōtem en vi atō. peripatavōr …… Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among …
Acts 13:18“time”kai, hōs tesserakontaeton chronon tropoforata autoin en ta erēma,… conduct for about forty years in the wilderness.
Acts 14:3hikanon men oun chronon diatribala parrēsiazorōntois epi to kurio to …So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord …
Acts 14:28diatribale de chronon ouk oligon sun toi mathētoi.And they spent a long time there with the disciples.
Acts 15:33poiarantois de chronon apoluila meta eirēnau apo toiu adelfoiu …After spending some time there, they were sent off by …
Acts 18:20“time”erōtarōntoiu de autoiu epi polloteron chronon menara ouk epineuata,When they asked him to stay for a while longer, he declined.
Acts 18:23kai poiarantos chronon tinon exerchata, dierchorōntos kathexēs tan Galatikan …After Paul had spent some time in Antioch, he traveled from place …
Acts 19:22… auto, Timotheon kai Erastoson, autos epechata chronon eis tan Asian.… Macedonia, while he stayed for a time in the province of Asia.
Acts 20:18… Asian pōs meta vu ton panton chronon genema,… know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the …
Romans 7:1“time”… nomos kurieuatō tou anthrōpou epi hoson chronon zōatō?… who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?
1 Corinthians 7:39“time”Gunaikas dotē epi hoson chronon zōatō tos andros autau; ean de …A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she …
1 Corinthians 16:7… arti en paroda horara, elpizamō gar chronon tinon epimenara pros vin, ean tos …… passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
Galatians 4:1“time”Legamō de, epi hoson chronon tos klēronomos nēpios atō, oudenem diaferatō …… is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave …
Hebrews 4:7… Sēmeron, en David legarōntos meta tosouton chronon, kathōs prolegotē, Sēmeron ean tau fōnau …… day as “Today,” when a long time later He spoke through David as …
Hebrews 5:12… gar ofeilarōntois arō didaskalois dia ton chronon, palin chreian echavō teu didaskarō vin …Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you …
1 Peter 1:17“time”… en fobo ton tau paroikiau vu chronon anastrefivar;… work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.
1 Peter 4:2… theou ton epiloipon en sarka biara chronon.… does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but …
Revelation 2:21kai dōama auta chronon hina metanoateia, kai ouk thelatō metanoara …Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she …
Revelation 6:11… kai legita autoi hina anapaueli ēti chronon mikron, heōs plērileia kai tois sundoulois …… and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of …
Revelation 20:3… meta houteim datō luira auton mikron chronon.… released for a brief period of time.
chronou“time”of, belonging togenitive singular4×
Luke 4:5“time”… tain basileiain tau oikoumenau en stigma chronou;… showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
Acts 27:9Hikanou de chronou diagenerantou kai arōntou ēdē episfalou tou …By now much time had passed, and the voyage had …
Galatians 4:4hote de erchata tem plērōmem tou chronou, exapostelata tos theos ton huion autou, …But when the time had fully come, God sent His …
Jude 1:18“time”hoti legale vi; Epi eschatou chronou eli empaiktois kata tain heautoiu epithumiain …when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.”
chrono“time”to, fordative singular5×
Luke 8:27… ek tau polau echarōntos daimoneim; kai chrono hikano ouk endueta himatiem, kai en …… from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing …
John 14:9legatō auto tos Iēsus; Tosouto chrono meta vu amō kai ouk gnōskasē …… have been with you all this time, and still you do not know …
Acts 1:6… auton legarōntois; Kurior, ei en to chrono houto apokatastēasō tan basileian to Israēl?… Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts 1:21… toiu sunercharantoiu ni androiu en panto chrono ho eiserchata kai exerchata epi nin …… who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and …
Acts 8:11prosechale de auto dia tem hikano chrono tai mageiai ekstēarē autoin.… had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.
chronoin“times”objectaccusative plural3×
Luke 20:9… kai ekdōeta auton geōrgoi, kai apodēmata chronoin hikanoin.… and went away for a long time.
Acts 1:7… pros autoin; Ouk vu atō gnōskara chronoin ē kairoin hoin tos patros titheta …… is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has …
Acts 17:30toin men oun chronoin tau agnoiau huperorarantos tos theos teim …… God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere …
chronoiu“time”of, belonging togenitive plural6×
Luke 23:8… chairita liōs, ate gar ek hikanoiu chronoiu thelarōntos horara auton dia tem akouarō …… to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him …
Acts 3:21hon datō ouranon men dechera achri chronoiu apokatastasiau panteiu heiu lalata tos theos …… must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all …
1 Thessalonians 5:1Peri de toiu chronoiu kai toiu kairoiu, adelfoir, ouk chreian …Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not …
2 Timothy 1:9… dōirantan ni en Christo Iēso pro chronoiu aiōnioiu,… granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Titus 1:2“ages”… han epangeleta tos apseudos theos pro chronoiu aiōnioiu… eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
1 Peter 1:20… kosmou, fanerirantou de epi eschatou toiu chronoiu dia vin… but was revealed in the last times for your sake.
chronoi“times”to, fordative plural1×
Luke 8:29… exerchara apo tou anthrōpou. polloi gar chronoi sunarpazatelē auton, kai desmeuote halusiai kai …… come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though …