adjective
mesos
Strong’sG3319
middle, in the middle
stem mes-58 times in the New Testamentin 13 of 27 books5 of 26 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
Middle, in the middle, describing something positioned centrally in space or time 1234. As a plain adjective it can describe a physical middle position, such as the midst of a place or the middle of a time period like midnight or midday 1. It also occurs constantly in set adverbial phrases built with prepositions (such as "in the midst of," "among," "between," "out of the midst," "through the midst") governing a following noun, used to express being among, between, or in the midst of people, things, or events 12.
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
μέσος, -η, -ον,
[in LXX chiefly for תָּוֶךְ;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3319 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidmes'-os
middle (as an adjective or (neuter) noun)
Fromfrom G3326;
King Jamesamong, X before them, between, + forth, mid(-day, -night), midst, way.
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
also Refs 4th c.AD+; Epic dialect μέσσος (also Aeolic dialect, Refs 7th c.BC+, Boeotian dialect, Cretan dialect μέττος, Refs 3rd c.BC+ ii b 2 Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, in the middle,
I of Space, especially with Nouns, of the middle point or part, μ. σάκος Refs 8th c.BC+; οὐρανός zenith, Refs 8th c.BC+; μ. ἀπήνης from mid chariot, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν αἰθέρι μ. in mid-air, Refs; μ. μετώπῳ in the middle of the forehead, Refs 1st c.AD+: in Prose frequently preceding the Article, κατὰ μέσον τὸν σταθμόν Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐκ μ. τῆς νήσου, κατὰ μ. τὴν νῆσον, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπὶ μέσου τοῦ τμάματος at the middle point of the segment, Refs 3rd c.BC+: sometimes following the Noun, ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ μέσῃ Refs 4th c.BC+: less frequently midmost, central, of three or more objects, μ. ὁδός Refs 6th c.BC+; ὁ μ. [δάκτυλος] Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ μ. στῖφος the central division of the army, Refs 5th c.BC+; μέσον, τό, centre, ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ μ. φορά Refs 4th c.AD+
I.b with a Verb, ἔχεται μ. by the middle, by the waist, proverbial from the wrestling-ring, Refs 5th c.BC+
I.c with genitive, midway between, ἑνὸς καὶ πλήθους τὸ ὀλίγον μ. Refs 5th c.BC+
I.2 of Time, Refs 8th c.BC+; μ. ἡλικία middle age, Refs 5th c.BC+; μέσος ἀκμῆς variant in Refs 3rd c.BC+
I.3 metaphorically, impartial, Refs 5th c.BC+
I.3.b inter-mediate, frequently with genitive, μ. τις γέγονα χρηματιστὴς τοῦ τε πάππου καὶ τοῦ πατρός Refs 5th c.BC+; indeterminate, Refs 2nd c.AD+; τὰ μ. things indifferent (neither good nor bad), Refs; of words such as τύχη, Refs; ζῴδια (neither lucky nor unlucky) Refs 2nd c.AD+
I.3.c Grammars, of Verbs, middle, Refs; μ. διάθεσις, σχήματα, Refs 2nd c.AD+; μ. ἐνεστώς present middle, Refs
I.3.d Grammars, of consonants, Latin mediae, i. e. β ¯ γ ¯ δ ¯, Refs 2nd c.BC+: but also of semi-vowels, Refs 5th c.BC+, i. e. the circumflex, Refs 4th c.BC+
II middling, moderate,
II.1 of size, μέσοι ὀφθαλμοί, ὦτα, γλῶττα, Refs; μ. μεγέθειRefs 3rd c.BC+; μ. alone, of middle height, Refs 2nd c.BC+
II.2 of class or quality, πάντων μέσ᾽ ἄριστα Refs 6th c.BC+; μ. ἀνήρ a man of middle rank, Refs 5th c.BC+; οἱ μ., between οἱ εὔποροι and οἱ ἄποροι, Refs 4th c.BC+; μ. [πολιτείαRefs 2nd c.AD+; mediocre, Refs 5th c.BC+ adverb μέσως, ἱκανόν fairly adequate, Refs 1st c.BC+
III μέσον, τό, midst, intervening space, mostly with Preps.,
III.a ἐν μέσσῳ, ={ἐν μεταιχμίῳ}, Refs 8th c.BC+in the midst, NT; ἡ 'ν μέσῳ [μοῖρα] σῴζει πόλεις the middle class, Refs 8th c.BC+; τὰ ἐν μ. what went between, Refs 5th c.BC+; οἱ ἐν μ. λόγοι the intervening words, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν μ. ἡμῶν καὶ βασιλέως between us and him, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν μ. νυκτῶν at midnight, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἆθλα κείμεν᾽ ἐν μέσῳ offered for competition (compare below b), Refs 6th c.BC+; ἡ τιμὴ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ἔστω deposited with the court, Refs 3rd c.BC+ both collectively and severally, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐν μέσῳ εἶναι τοῦ συμμεῖξαι to stand in the way of.., Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ γὰρ θάλαττα ἐν τῷ μ. is an obstacle, Refs 4th c.BC+; compare ἰμέσος.
III.b ἐς μέσον, ἐς μ. ἀμφοτέρων, frequently in Refs 8th c.BC+; ἀνδρὶ δὲ νικηθέντι γυναῖκ᾽ ἐς μέσσον ἔθηκε deposited her as a prize (compare above a),Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐς μ. ἵεσθαι, ἐλθεῖν, παρελθεῖν, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐς τὸ μ. φέρειν bring forward publicly, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐς μ. Πέρσῃσι καταθεῖναι τὰ πρήγματα to give up the power in common to all, Refs
III.c ἐκ τοῦ μέσου away, ἐκ μ. ἀνελεῖν NT+4th c.BC+; also ἐκ μ. a half, ἔτη ὀκτὼ καὶ ἔνατον ἐκ μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; also ἐκ μ. κατῆστο remained in the middle, i. e. neutral Refs 5th c.BC+
III.d διὰ μέσου between, τὸ διὰ μ. ἔθνος Refs 5th c.BC+; διὰ μ. γενέσθαι intervene, of an event, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ τούτων διὰ μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; also οἱ διὰ μέσου the middle party, the moderates, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ διὰ μ. the middle class, Refs 4th c.BC+; of Time, ὁ διὰ μ. χρόνος Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ διὰ μ. ξύμβασις an interim agreement, Refs 5th c.BC+; διὰ μέσου, as a figure of speech, use of parenthesis, Refs
III.e ἀν (ὀν) τὸ μ. in the midst, Refs 7th c.BC+; ἀνὰ μέσον midway between, Refs 4th c.BC+; θρὶξ ἀνὰ μέσσον Refs 3rd c.BC+; also ἀνὰ μέσον φέρε, ={μετρίως}, Refs 4th c.BC+
III.f κατὰ μέσσον, = {ἐν μέσῳ}, Refs 8th c.BC+ between, Refs
III.2 μέσον, τό, difference, τὸ μ. πρὸς τὰς μεγίστας καὶ ἐλαχίστας the average between.., Refs 5th c.BC+; πολλὸν τὸ μ., πολὺ τὸ μ., the difference is great, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ μ. οὐδὲν τῆς ἔχθρης ἐστί there is no middle course for our enmity, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.3 middle state, mean, τὸ μ. καὶ τὸ εὖ Refs 4th c.BC+; ποιήματα μέσα, opposed to ὀγκώδη, in the (correct) mean, Refs 1st c.BC+. adverb -ως, ἀναστρέφεσθαι Refs
III.4 in Logic, τὸ μ. the middle term of a syllogism, opposed to τὰ ἄκρα, Refs 4th c.BC+
III.5 in Mathematics texts, middle terms in a proportion, Refs 3rd c.BC+; μέση, or μέση (μέσος) ἀνάλογον a mean proportional (straight line or number), Refs; μέσης εὕρεσις Refs 4th c.BC+; μέση medial, a specific kind of irrational (straight line), Refs 3rd c.BC+; μέσον ὀρθογώνιον (χωρίον) medial rectangle (area), Refs
III.6 Astron., ὁ διὰ μέσων τῶν ζῳδίων κύκλος the ecliptic, Refs 4th c.BC+; but, ὁ μέσος [κύκλος] the equator of a rotating sphere, Refs 4th c.BC+
III.7 μέσα, τά, ={μέζεα}, Blaes. p.191 K.
III.7.b ={κοιλία} 1.3, Refs 4th c.BC+
III.8 Μέσον, τό, one of the law-courts at Athens, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.9 οὐ τοῖς μέσοις τῆς βίας χρωμένη no ordinary force,Refs 4th c.BC+
IV μέση, ἡ, as substantive, see at {μέση}.
V adverb μέσον, Epic dialect μέσσον, in the middle, Refs 8th c.BC+: with genitive, between, οὐρανοῦ μ. χθονός <τε> Refs 5th c.BC+; in the midst of, μ. τῆς θαλάσσης LXX+NT: also in plural, μέσα αἰετὸς οὐρανοῦ ποτᾶται Refs 5th c.BC+
V.2 regular adverb μέσως, πόλεώς τ᾽ οὐ μ. εὐδαίμονος Refs 5th c.BC+; καὶ μ. even in a moderate degree, even a little, Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. ἔχειν πρός or περί τι to be in the mean.., Refs 4th c.BC+; μ. βεβιωκέναι in a middle way, i. e. neither well nor ill, Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. διατιθέναι in an intermediate way, Refs 1st c.BC+
V.2.b Grammars, in the middle voice, Refs 2nd c.AD+
VI irregular comparative μεσαίτερος Refs 5th c.BC+: superlative μεσαίτατος Refs 5th c.BC+. (Cf. Sanskritmádhyas 'middle', Latin medius, etc.)
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 | masculine singular | feminine singular | neuter singular | masculine plural | feminine plural | neuter plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | mesos3×μέσος | mesas | mesem16×μέσον | mesois | mesais | meseim |
| object accusative | meson | mesan | mesoin | mesain | ||
| direct address vocative | mesor | mesar | mesoir | mesair | ||
| of, belonging to genitive | mesou | mesau2×μέσης | meseu8×μέσου | mesoiu | mesaiu | meseiu |
| to, for dative | meso | mesa | mese29×μέσῳ | mesoi | mesai | mesei |
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
mes 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
Other words sharing the exact same stem — not merely related in meaning.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
58 occurrences, every one of them listed
mesos“among”subjectnominative singular3×
Luke 22:55… aulau kai sunkathizarantoiu kathote tos Petros mesos autoiu.… sat down together, Peter sat down among them.
John 1:26… Iōannos legarōntos; Mis baptizamō en hude; mesos vu stēatē hon vis ouk oidavē,… baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not …
Acts 1:18… tau adikiau, kai prēnos generantos lakata mesos, kai ekchita panteim teim splanchneim autou.… headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.
mesau“middle”of, belonging togenitive singular2×
Matthew 25:6“middle”mesau de nuktau kraugas genatē; Idou tos …… Here is the bridegroom! Come …
Acts 26:13“middle”hēmerau mesau kata tan hodan horama, basilevor, ouranothen …… noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than …
mesem“midst”subject or objectdirect singular16×
Matthew 13:25“midst”… tos echthros kai epispeirata zizanieim ana mesem tou sitou kai aperchata.… asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.
Mark 3:3“middle”… cheiran echarōnto xēran; Egerasōr eis tem mesem.… with the withered hand, “Stand up among …
Mark 7:31“within”… eis tan thalassan tau Galilaiau ana mesem teiu horeiu Dekapoliau.… through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.
Mark 14:60“midst”kai anastēarantos tos archierevos eis mesem eperōtata ton Iēsun legarōntos; Ouk apokrinosō …So the high priest stood up before them and questioned Jesus, “Have You no answer? What are …
Luke 4:35“midst”… riptarantem auton tem daimonem eis tem mesem exerchata apo autou mēdenem blaptarantem auton.… At this, the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without harming him.
Luke 5:19… auton sun te klinidie eis tem mesem emprosthen tou Iēsu.… mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front …
Luke 6:8“middle”… cheiran; Egerasōr kai stēasar eis tem mesem; kai anastēarantos stēata.… the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.
Luke 17:11… eis Ierousalēm kai autos dierchote dia mesem Samareiau kai Galilaiau.… way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
Luke 23:45… schizita de tem katapetasmem tou naou mesem.… the temple was torn down the middle.
John 19:18“between”… autou allosoin duo enteuthen kai enteuthen, mesem de ton Iēsun.… and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the …
John 20:19“midst”… tos Iēsus kai stēata eis tem mesem, kai legatō autoi; Eirēnas vi.… the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.
John 20:26“midst”… thuraiu kleiorēntaiu, kai stēata eis tem mesem kai legata; Eirēnas vi.… with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
Acts 27:27“middle”… diaferorōntoiu nu en to Adrio, kata mesem tau nuktau huponoale tois nautois prosagarō …On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.
1 Corinthians 6:5… oudenos sofos hos duneti diakrinara ana mesem tou adelfou autou,… among you wise enough to arbitrate between his brothers?
Philippians 2:15“midst”… amemptois kai akeraiois, tekneim theou amōmeim mesem geneau skoliau kai diastreforēntau, en hoi …… may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which …
Revelation 7:17“midst”hoti tem arniem tem ana mesem tou thronou poimanati autoin, kai hodēgati …For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will …
meseu“among”of, belonging togenitive singular8×
Matthew 13:49“among”… angelois kai aforizali toin ponēroin ek meseu toiu dikaioiu… age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
Luke 4:30“midst”autos de diercharantos dia meseu autoiu poreuote.But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.
Acts 17:33“midst”houtōs tos Paulos exerchata ek meseu autoiu;At that, Paul left the …
Acts 23:10“among”… tem strateumem katabainarantem harpazara auton ek meseu autoiu, agarō tē eis tan parembolan.… He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove him by force and bring him into the barracks.
1 Corinthians 5:2“among”… ouchi mallon penthava, hina airiteia ek meseu vu tos tem ergem houtem poiarantos?… Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?
2 Corinthians 6:17“midst”dio exerchavar ek meseu autoiu, kai aforizivar, legatō kurios, kai …“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will …
Colossians 2:14“way”… ni, kai autem airatē ek teu meseu prosēlarantos autem to stauro;having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross!
2 Thessalonians 2:7… monem tos katecharōntos arti heōs ek meseu geneteia.… he is taken out of the way.
mese“midst”to, fordative singular29×
Matthew 10:16“midst”… mis apostelamō vin hōs probateim en mese lukoiu; genovōr oun fronimois hōs tois …Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as …
Matthew 14:6“midst”… tas thugatras tau Hērōdiadau en te mese kai areskata to Hērōdo,… birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod
Matthew 18:2“midst”kai proskalerantos paidiem stēata autem en mese autoiu… a little child to stand among them.
Matthew 18:20“midst”… tem ēmem onomem, ekei amō en mese autoiu.… together in My name, there am I with them.”
Mark 6:47… opsēau generantau ate tem ploiem en mese tau thalassau, kai autos monos epi …… came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was …
Mark 9:36“midst”kai labarantos paidiem stēata autem en mese autoiu kai enankalizerantos autem legata autoi;Then He had a little child stand among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them,
Luke 2:46“midst”… auton en te hiere kathezorōnton en mese toiu didaskaloiu kai akouarōnton autoiu kai …… they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them …
Luke 8:7“midst”kai heterem piptata en mese taiu akanthaiu, kai sumfuirantais tais akanthais …Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.
Luke 10:3“midst”… idou apostelamō vin hōs arnoin en mese lukoiu.… I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Luke 21:21“midst”… eis teim oreim, kai tois en mese autau ekchōralōr, kai tois en tai …… Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay …
Luke 22:27“midst”… ouchi tos anakeiorōntos? mis de en mese vu amō hōs tos diakonarōntos.… table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.
Luke 22:55periaptarantoiu de purem en mese tau aulau kai sunkathizarantoiu kathote tos …… had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down …
Luke 24:36“midst”… de autoiu lalarōntoiu autos stēata en mese autoiu.While they were describing these events, Jesus Himself stood among them and said, “Peace …
John 8:3“midst”… moicheia katalabirantan kai stēarantois autan en mese… caught in adultery. They made her stand before them
John 8:9“midst”… tos Iēsus kai tas gunaikas en mese arōntas.… was left, with the woman standing there.
Acts 1:15“midst”… tai hēmerai houtai anastēarantos Petros en mese toiu adelfoiu legata ate tē ochlos …In those days Peter stood up among the brothers ( a gathering of about a hundred and twenty ) and said,
Acts 2:22“midst”… poiata dia autou tos theos en mese vu, kathōs autois oidavē,… signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.
Acts 4:7“midst”kai stēarantois autoin en te mese punthanole; En poia dunamia ē en …… John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name …
Acts 17:22“midst”Stēirantos de Paulos en mese tou Areiou Pagosou fēate; Androir Athēnaioir, …Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see …
Acts 27:21“midst”… huparcharōntau tote stēirantos tos Paulos en mese autoiu legata; Date men, ō androir, …… without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would …
1 Thessalonians 2:7“midst”… Christou apostolois; alla genina ēpiois en mese vu, hōs ean trofas thalpateiō teim …… contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for …
Hebrews 2:12“midst”… onomem su toi adelfoi mu, en mese ekklēsau humnami sin;… will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing Your praises in the assembly.”
Revelation 1:13“midst”kai en mese taiu luchnaiu homoion huion anthrōpou, enduorēnton …and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long …
Revelation 2:1“midst”… ta dexa autou, tos peripatarōntos en mese taiu hepta luchnaiu taiu chrusouaiu;… stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Revelation 4:6“midst”… thalassas hualinas homoias krustallo. Kai en mese tou thronou kai kuklō tou thronou …… like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.
Revelation 5:6“midst”Kai horama en mese tou thronou kai teiu tessares zōeiu …Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes …
Revelation 5:6“midst”… kai teiu tessares zōeiu kai en mese toiu presbuteroiu arniem stēarēntem hōs sfazorēntem, …… have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes …
Revelation 6:6“midst”kai akouama hōs fōnan en mese teiu tessares zōeiu legarōntan; Choinixas sitou …And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a …
Revelation 22:2en mese tau plateiau autau; kai tou potamou …down the middle of the main street of the …