noun · neuter
merem
Strong’sG3313
a part, portion
stem mer-42 times in the New Testamentin 12 of 27 books3 of 6 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
A part, portion, or share of something 124. This covers a share in an object, task, or possession 13, and by extension the share or portion allotted to a person in life — that is, one's lot or destiny 13.
The word also denotes a part as distinguished from the whole 13, used of a section, division, or region (such as a district belonging to a province or a city) 13, and appearing in set adverbial phrases meaning "in part" or "in turn" 13.
It can further denote a class or category, used in phrases meaning "in respect of" or "in this respect" 1.
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
μέρος, -ους, τό
(< μείρομαι), [in LXX chiefly for קָצֶה;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3313 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidmer'-os
a division or share (literally or figuratively, in a wide application)
Fromfrom an obsolete but more primary form of μείρομαι (to get as a section or allotment);
King Jamesbehalf, course, coast, craft, particular (+ -ly), part (+ -ly), piece, portion, respect, side, some sort(-what).
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
(μείρομαι) first in Refs:— share, portion, Refs 5th c.BC+; of work put out to contract, allotment, Refs
2 heritage, lot, destiny, μεθέξειν τάφου μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; τοῦτο γὰρ.. σπάνιον μ. is a rare portion, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀπὸ μέρους προτιμᾶσθαι from considerations of rank or family, Refs 5th c.BC+
II one's turn, ἐπείτε αὐτῆς μ. ἐγίνετο τῆς ἀπίξιος Refs 5th c.BC+; ὅταν ἥκῃ μ. ἔργων the turn or time for.., Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀγγέλου μ. his turn of duty as messenger, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.2 with Preps., ἀνὰ μέρος in turn, successively, Refs 5th c.BC+; κατὰ μ. λέγειν severally, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ κατὰ μέρος the particulars, Refs 1st c.BC+ in turn, Refs 5th c.BC+; κλῦθί νυν ἐν μ., ἀντάκουσον ἐν μ., Refs 4th c.BC+; by turns, in succession, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν τῷ μέρει in one's turn, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν τῷ μ. καὶ παρὰ τὸ μ. in and out of turn, Refs 5th c.BC+; παρὰ μέρος in turn, by turns, ἄρχειν Refs 1st c.AD+ (but also, partially, Refs 4th c.AD+
III the part one takes in a thing, μέτεστι χὑμῖν τῶν πεπραγμένων μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑμέτερον μ. [ἐστί] with infinitive, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.2 frequently in periphrases, τοὐμὸν μέρος, τὸ σὸν μ., my or thy part, i.e. simply I or me, thou or thee, ὅσον τὸ σὸν μ. Refs 5th c.BC+ adverb, τοὐμὸν μ. as to me, οὐ καμῇ τοὐμὸν μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ σὸν μέρος as to thee, Refs 5th c.BC+
IV part, opposed to the whole, ὡρέων τρίτατον μ. Refs; τρίτον κασιγνητᾶν μ., i. e. one of three sisters, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ δύο μ. two-thirds,Refs 4th c.BC+; οὐδὲν ἂν μέρος οὖσαι φανεῖεν τῶν.. no fraction of.., i. e. infinitesimal compared with.., Refs 5th c.BC+; ὅσα ἄλλα μ. ἐντὸς τοῦ Ἴστρου parts of the country, regions, Refs 5th c.BC+; ξυγκαταδουλοῦν.. τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης μ., i. e. the sea as their part of the business, Refs: hence, branch, business, matter, Refs 4th c.BC+; τὰ τοῦ σώματος μέλη καὶ μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; division of an army, Refs 5th c.BC+; class or party, Refs 5th c.BC+; of the factions in the circus, πρασίνων μ. Refs 6th c.AD+; party in a contract or lawsuit, Refs 2nd c.AD+; caste, Refs 1st c.BC+:—special uses, in Geometry texts, direction, ἐπὶ θάτερον μ. interpolated in Refs 3rd c.BC+: Arith., submultiple, Refs; τὰ μ. the denominators of fractions, Refs 2nd c.BC+ part of speech, Refs 4th c.BC+; μ. λόγου, also, = word, Refs 5th c.BC+; section of a document, Mitteis Refs 3rd c.BC+
IV.2 _absolutely_ as adverb, μέρος τι in part, Refs 5th c.BC+; μέρος μέν τι.., μέρος δέ τι.. Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ πλεῖστον μ. for the most part, Refs 1st c.BC+
IV.2.b with Preps., κατά τι μέρος Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐκ μέρους in part, γινώσκομεν NT by the side of, LXX; ἐκ μ. τῶν ὁρίωνLXX; ἐκ τοῦ πλείστου μ. for the most part, Refs 2nd c.AD+; ἀπὸ μέρους in part, NT+1st c.AD+ special histories, Refs 2nd c.BC+; πρὸς μέρος in proportion, Refs 5th c.BC+
IV.3 ἐν μέρει τινὸς τιθέναι, etc., to put in the class of.., consider as so and so, εἰ ἐν ἀρετῆς τιθεῖς μέρει τὴν ἀδικίαν Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν οὐδενὸς εἶναι μ. to be as no one, Refs 2nd c.AD+; ἐν προσθήκης μ. as an appendage, Refs 5th c.BC+
IV.4 in local sense, district, Refs 4th c.AD+
IV.5 in Neo-Platonism, by way of species or element, ἐν μέρει καὶ ὡς στοιχεῖον Refs 5th c.AD+; οὕτω ὁ μέγας Ἰάμβλιχος ἐνόησεν τὸ ἓν ὂν ἐν μέρει ἑκάτερονRefs 3rd c.AD+
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.
9 rarer renderings are not shown; every occurrence below carries the English it was given there.
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 or object direct | merem2×μέρος | mereim |
| of, belonging to genitive | mereu12×μέρους | mereiu |
| to, for dative | mere3×μέρει | merei |
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
mere 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.
42 occurrences, every one of them listed
merem“part”subject or objectdirect singular2×
Acts 23:6“part”… de tos Paulos hoti tem henem merem atō Saddoukaioiu tem de heterem Farisaioiu …Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out …
Revelation 21:8“share”… eidōlolatroi kai pantoi toi pseudēsoi tem merem autoiu en ta limna ta kaiorōnta …… sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
mereu“part”of, belonging togenitive singular12×
Acts 23:9… kai anastēarantois tinois toiu grammatevoiu teu mereu toiu Farisaioiu diamachole legarōntois; Oudenem kakosem …… arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and …
Romans 11:25… aveiō heautoi fronimois, hoti pōrōsias apo mereu to Israēl genatē achri hou tem …… not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the …
Romans 15:15tolmēroteron de grafama vi apo mereu, hōs epanamimnēskarōntos vin, dia tan charitan …… written you a bold reminder on some points, because of the grace God …
Romans 15:24… propempira ekei ean vu prōtem apo mereu empimplēimeia… after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can equip me for my …
1 Corinthians 12:27“individual”… avō sōmem Christou kai meleim ek mereu.Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is …
1 Corinthians 13:9ek mereu gar gnōskanō kai ek mereu profēteuanō;For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
1 Corinthians 13:9ek mereu gar gnōskanō kai ek mereu profēteuanō;… in part and we prophesy in part,
1 Corinthians 13:10“part”… de erchateia tem teleiem, tem ek mereu katargiti.but when the perfect comes, the partial passes …
1 Corinthians 13:12… prosōpem pros prosōpem; arti gnōskamō ek mereu, tote de epignōskemi kathōs kai epignōskima.… to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even …
2 Corinthians 1:14kathōs kai epignōskava nin apo mereu, hoti kauchēmem vu anō kathaper kai …… you have already understood us in part, that you may boast of us …
2 Corinthians 2:5“*”… lupatē, ouk min lupatē, alla apo mereu hina mē epibarameiō pantoin vin.… he has not grieved me but all of you — to some degree, not to overstate …
Ephesians 4:16… kata energeian en metre heneu hekasteu mereu tan auxēsian teu sōmeu poiotō eis …… through the work of each individual part.
mere“case”to, fordative singular3×
2 Corinthians 3:10“case”… doxazotē tem doxazorēntem en houte te mere heineken tau huperballarōntau doxau;… has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.
2 Corinthians 9:3… tem huper vu keniteia en te mere houte, hina kathōs legame paraskeuazorēntois aveiō,… our boasting about you in this matter should not prove empty, but that …
Colossians 2:16“observing”… brōsia ē en posia ē en mere heortau ē noumēniau ē sabbateiu,… you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.
merem14×
Matthew 24:51kai dichotomati auton kai tem merem autou meta toiu hupokritoiu tithati; ekei …… to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will …
Luke 11:36… sōmem su holem fōteinem, mē echarōntem merem tinem skoteinem, eti fōteinem holem hōs …… is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will …
Luke 12:46… gnōskatō, kai dichotomati auton kai tem merem autou meta toiu apistoiu tithati.… to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
Luke 15:12… patro; Patror, dōasar mi tem epibalarōntem merem tau ousiau; tos de diairata autoi …… to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided …
Luke 24:42tois de epidōala auto ichthou optou merem;So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish,
John 13:8… Ean mē niptameia sin, ouk echasō merem meta mu.… I wash you, you have no part with Me.”
John 19:23“part”… kai poiala tessares mereim, hekasto stratiōto merem, kai ton chitōnon. ate de tos …… Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven …
Acts 5:2“part”… sunoidarēntau kai tau gunaikau, kai ferarantos merem tinem para toin podoin toiu apostoloiu …With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 19:27“trade”… monem de houtem kinduneuatō ni tem merem eis apelegmon erchara, alla kai tem …There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of …
1 Corinthians 11:18… akouamō schismeim en vi huparcharō, kai merem tinem pisteuamō.… there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
1 Corinthians 14:27… ē tem pollotatem treis, kai ana merem, kai henos diermēneuatōr;… at most three, should speak in turn, and someone must interpret.
Hebrews 9:5“by piece.”… heiu ouk atō nun legarō kata merem.… cannot discuss these things in detail now.
Revelation 20:6“part”makarios kai hagios tos echarōntos merem en ta anastasia ta prōta; epi …Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but …
Revelation 22:19… profēteiau houtau, afairati tos theos tem merem autou apo teu xuleu tau zōau …… prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and …
mereim11×
Matthew 2:22… de kata onarem anachōrata eis teim mereim tau Galilaiau,… a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
Matthew 15:21… ekeithen tos Iēsus anachōrata eis teim mereim Turau kai Sidōnau.… that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Matthew 16:13Ercharantos de tos Iēsus eis teim mereim Kaisareiau tau Filippou erōtate toin mathētoin …When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His …
Mark 8:10… toiu mathētoiu autou erchata eis teim mereim Dalmanoutha.… His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
John 19:23… teim himatieim autou kai poiala tessares mereim, hekasto stratiōto merem, kai ton chitōnon. …… they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the …
John 21:6… legata autoi; Balavar eis teim dexeim mereim teu ploieu tem diktuem, kai heuriskavi. …… Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will …
Acts 2:10… tē kai Pamfulian, Aiguptan kai teim mereim tau Libuau tau kata Kurēnan, kai …Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from …
Acts 19:1“regions”… en Korintha Paulon diercharanton teim anōterikeim mereim erchara eis Efesan kai heuriskara tinoin …… Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interior and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples
Acts 20:2“regions”diercharantos de teim mereim ekeineim kai parakalarantos autoin logo pollo …… traveling through that area and speaking many words of encouragement, he arrived …
Ephesians 4:9… hoti kai katabainata eis teim katōtereim mereim tau gēau?… He also descended to the lower parts of the earth?
Revelation 16:19… tas polas tas megas eis treis mereim, kai tais polais teiu ethneiu piptala; …… great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations …