noun · neuter
probatem
Strong’sG4263
a sheep
stem probat-39 times in the New Testamentin 9 of 27 books4 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 sheep, the ordinary farm animal 413. The word is related to a verb meaning "to walk forward," sheep being reckoned among the animals that walk at the front of a herd 23.
In the New Testament the word is also used figuratively of people under the care of a leader or shepherd, especially those cared for by the Good Shepherd, and is set in contrast to goats in one passage 1.
In earlier Greek writers (Homer, Herodotus, and generally in classical usage) the same word could refer more broadly to livestock or cattle in general, particularly small cattle such as sheep and goats together, and was also used proverbially of timid, stupid, or lazy people 13.
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
πρόβατον, -ου, τό
(< προβαίνω), [in LXX chiefly for צֹאן, also for שֶׂה, more rarely for כֶּבֶשׂ (כֶּשֶׂב), רָחֵל;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4263 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidprob'-at-on
something that walks forward (a quadruped), i.e. (specially), a sheep (literally or figuratively)
Fromprobably neuter of a presumed derivative of G4260;
King Jamessheep(-fold).
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
frequently in plural πρόβατα (but also in singular, Refs 5th c.BC+; irregular dative πρόβασιRefs 5th c.AD+ — used (among the Ionians and Dorians) of all four-footed cattle, Refs 5th c.BC+; of Europa's bull, Refs 8th c.BC+ generally of cattle, flocks and herds, Refs 8th c.BC+; τὰ π. καὶ καρταίποδα Refs; opposed to ἄνθρωποι, Refs 8th c.BC+; τὰ λεπτὰ τῶν π. small cattle, i.e. sheep and goats, Refs 4th c.BC+; so later, π. ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρνῶν καὶ τῶν ἐρίφων λήψεσθε LXX almost invariably of sheep, Refs 5th c.BC+; so in later Boeotian dialect, Refs: generally, animals for slaughter, whether for sacrifices, Refs 5th c.BC+; or for food, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 proverbial of stupid, lazy people, ἀριθμός, πρόβατ᾽ ἄλλως Refs 5th c.BC+ more sheepish than a sheep, uncertain conjecture in Refs 5th c.BC+; χρυσοῦν π., = Latin pecus aurea, as nickname, Refs 2nd c.AD+: in other proverbs, τοὺς γευομένους κύνας τῶν π. κατακόπτειν φασὶ δεῖν Refs 4th c.BC+
II name of a sea-fish, Refs 2nd c.AD+. (Orig. of small cattle, sheep and goats, which in primitive mixed herds walk in front (προβαίνει) of the larger animals.)
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 or object direct | probatem1×πρόβατον | probateim12×πρόβατα |
| of, belonging to genitive | probateu1×προβάτου | probateiu9×προβάτων |
| to, for dative | probate | probatei |
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
probate 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.
39 occurrences, every one of them listed
probatem“sheep”subject or objectdirect singular1×
Acts 8:32… grafau han anagnōskate ate houtas; Hōs probatem epi sfagan agita, kai hōs amnos …… Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a …
probateu“sheep”of, belonging togenitive singular1×
Matthew 12:12pose oun diaferatō anthrōpos probateu. hōste exestinatō tei sabbatei kalōs poiarō.… valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do …
probateim“sheep”subject or objectdirect plural12×
Matthew 9:36… hoti ale skullorēntois kai riptorēntois hōsei probateim mē echarōnteim poimenon.… they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 18:12… dokatō? ean geneteia tino anthrōpo hekaton probateim kai planiteia henem ek auteiu, ouchi …… If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray …
Matthew 26:31… Pataxami ton poimenon, kai diaskorpizili teim probateim tau poimnau;… will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
Mark 6:34… splanchnizita epi autoin hoti ale hōs probateim mē echarōnteim poimenon, kai archeta didaskarō …… on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began …
Mark 14:27… grafotē; Pataxami ton poimenon, kai teim probateim diaskorpizili.… will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
John 10:3houto tos thurōros anoigatō, kai teim probateim tau fōnau autou akouatō kai teim …… the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls …
John 10:4… ekbalateia, emprosthen auteiu poreuotō, kai teim probateim auto akolouthatō, hoti oidalē tan fōnan …… on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his …
John 10:8… lēstois; alla ouk akouala autoiu teim probateim.… were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
John 10:12… arōntos poimenos, hou ouk atō teim probateim idieim, theōratō ton lukon erchorōnton kai …… is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he …
John 10:27teim probateim teim ēmeim tau fōnau mu akoualō, …My sheep listen to My voice; I know …
Romans 8:36… thanatonō holan tan hēmeran, logizina hōs probateim sfagau.… day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
1 Peter 2:25ave gar hōs probateim planorōntois, alla epistrefiva nun epi ton …For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have …
probateiu“sheep”of, belonging togenitive plural9×
Matthew 7:15… hotinois ercholō pros vin en endumei probateiu esōthen de alō lukois harpagois.… prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous …
John 10:1“sheep”… tau thurau eis tan aulan teiu probateiu alla anabainarōntos allachothen ekeinos kleptos atō …… not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a …
John 10:2… dia tau thurau poimenos atō teiu probateiu.… gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
John 10:7… hoti mis amō tas thuras teiu probateiu.… I am the gate for the sheep.
John 10:11… tan psuchan autou tithatō huper teiu probateiu;… lays down His life for the sheep.
John 10:13… kai ouk meleiatō auto peri teiu probateiu.… servant and is unconcerned for the sheep.
John 10:15… tan psuchan mu tithamō huper teiu probateiu.… lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:26… pisteuavō, hoti ouk avō ek teiu probateiu teiu ēmeiu.But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
Hebrews 13:20… anagarantos ek nekroiu ton poimenon teiu probateiu ton megon en haime diathēkau aiōniau, …… Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
probateim14×
Matthew 10:6poreuovōr de mallon pros teim probateim teim apolarēnteim oikou Israēl.Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
Matthew 10:16Idou mis apostelamō vin hōs probateim en mese lukoiu; genovōr oun fronimois …… I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd …
Matthew 15:24… Ouk apostelima ei mē eis teim probateim teim apolarēnteim oikou Israēl.… was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 25:32… allēloiu, hōsper tos poimenos aforizatō teim probateim apo toiu erifoiu,… another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Matthew 25:33kai stēati teim men probateim ek dexeiu autou teim de erifieim …He will place the sheep on His right and the goats …
Luke 15:4Tinos anthrōpos ek vu echarōntos hekaton probateim kai apolarantos ek auteiu henem ouk …… you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does …
John 2:14… te hiere toin pōlarōntoin bouoin kai probateim kai peristerain kai toin kermatistoin kathorōntoin,… courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated …
John 2:15… ekbalata ek teu hiereu teim tē probateim kai toin bouoin, kai toiu kollubistoiu …… all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the …
John 10:3… fōnau autou akouatō kai teim idieim probateim fōnatō kata onomem kai exagatō auteim.… his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
John 10:12… ton lukon erchorōnton kai afiēkatō teim probateim kai fugatō kai tos lukos harpazatō …… the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf …
John 10:16kai alloseim probateim echamō heim ouk atō ek tau …I have other sheep that are not of this fold …
John 21:16… filamō sin. legatō auto; Poimanasōr teim probateim mu.… You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
John 21:17… legatō auto tos Iēsus; Boskasōr teim probateim mu.… Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Revelation 18:13… semidalian kai siton kai ktēneim kai probateim, kai hippoiu kai redaiu kai sōmeiu, …… fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and …
probatem2×
Matthew 12:11… eti ek vu anthrōpos hos echati probatem henem, kai ean empiptateia houtem tei …… If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit …
Luke 15:6… autoi; Sunchairivar mi hoti heuriskama tem probatem mu tem apolarēntem.… for I have found my lost sheep!’