noun · neuter
skevem
Strong’sG4632
a vessel to contain liquid, utensil, tackle
stem skev-23 times in the New Testamentin 12 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
σκεῦος refers to a vessel or container, such as one used to hold liquid, and more broadly any implement or piece of equipment 1234.
In the plural the word commonly denotes goods, household stuff, or equipment collectively — furnishings, utensils, and belongings in general 13; it is also used, in both singular and plural, for the tackle or gear of a ship 13.
The word is also used figuratively of a person regarded as an instrument or tool, as when someone is called a chosen instrument, or a vessel of wrath, mercy, or honor 13. In one place it is applied to the body as the vessel that holds the soul 13. Strong's notes that it can also be used specially of a wife, viewed as contributing to her husband's household 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
σκεῦος, -ους, τό
[in LXX chiefly for כְּלִי;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4632 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidskyoo'-os
a vessel, implement, equipment or apparatus (literally or figuratively [specially, a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband])
Fromof uncertain affinity;
King Jamesgoods, sail, stuff, vessel.
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
vessel or implement of any kind, in singular, Refs 5th c.BC+:—but the plural is frequently used in a collective sense, all that belongs to a complete outfit, house-gear, utensils, chattels, opposed to live-stock and fixtures, Refs 5th c.BC+; σ. γεωργικά farming implements, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἱερὰ σ. sacred vessels and implements, Refs 5th c.BC+; a druggist's stores, Refs 4th c.BC+; σ. τὰ ἐπιτράπεζα table-furniture, Refs; military accoutrements, equipment, τὰ περὶ τὸ σῶμα σ. Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ τῶν ἵππων σ. Refs 5th c.BC+; baggage of an army, and, generally, baggage, luggage, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὄνοι αὐτοῖς σκεύεσι packs and all, Refs; tackle, gear of ships, naval stores, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ σκέα (σκεύη) τοῦ πλοίου Refs 3rd c.BC+ (so, collectively, in singular, NT
2 inanimate object, thing, opposed to ζῷον, σῶμα, Refs 5th c.BC+; opposed to ὄργανον, Refs 3rd c.AD+; Protagoras gave the name of σκεύη to neuter nouns, ἄρρενα καὶ θήλεα καὶ σκεύη Refs 4th c.BC+; ὑπηρετικὸν σ. a subordinate person, a mere tool or chattel, NT+2nd c.BC+ a chosen instrument, of Paul, NT
II τὸ σ. the body, as the vessel of the soul, a metaphorically clearly expressed in NT
III ={αἰδοῖον}, Refs 1st c.AD+
IV sarcophagus, Refs 2nd 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.
1 rarer rendering 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 | skevem4×σκεῦος | skeveim3×σκεύη |
| of, belonging to genitive | skeveu | skeveiu |
| to, for dative | skeve2×σκεύει | skevei1×σκεύεσιν |
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
skeve 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.
23 occurrences, every one of them listed
skevem“jar”subject or objectdirect singular4×
John 19:29skevem keiote oxeu mestem; spongon oun meston …A jar of sour wine was sitting there …
Acts 9:15… pros auton tos kurios; Poreuosōr, hoti skevem eklogau atō mi houtos teu bastazara …… Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the …
Acts 10:16“object”… epi tris, kai euthuos analabita tem skevem eis ton ouranon.This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven.
2 Timothy 2:21… tinos ekkathairateia heauton apo houteiu, eti skevem eis timan, hagiazorēntem, euchrēstem to despoto, …… is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the …
skeve“jar”to, fordative singular2×
Luke 8:16Oudenos de luchnon haptarantos kaluptatō auton skeve ē hupokatō klinau tithatō, alla epi …… lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed …
1 Peter 3:7… homoiōs sunoikarōntois kata gnōsian, hōs asthenotere skeve te gunaikeie aponemarōntois timan, hōs kai …… wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs …
skeveim“pots”subject or objectdirect plural3×
Luke 17:31“goods”… eti epi teu dōmeu kai teim skeveim autou en ta oikia, mē katabainatar …… no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return …
2 Timothy 2:20… mega de oikia ouk atō monem skeveim chrusoueim kai arguroueim alla kai xulineim …A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also …
Revelation 2:27“pots”… autoin en rabda sidēroua hōs teim skeveim teim keramikeim suntribotō,… will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery — just …
skevei“jars”to, fordative plural1×
2 Corinthians 4:7… de ton thēsauron houton en ostrakinei skevei, hina tas huperbolas tau dunamiau ateiō …Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this …
skevem8×
Mark 11:16kai ouk afiēkate hina tinos diaferateia skevem dia teu hiereu,… would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
Acts 10:11“object”… theōratō ton ouranon anoigorēnton kai katabainarōntem skevem tinem hōs othonan megan tessares archai …He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
Acts 11:5“object”… kai horama en ekstasia horamem, katabainarōntem skevem tinem hōs othonan megan tessares archai …… Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it …
Acts 27:17… eis tan Surtian ekpiptaleia, chalarantois tem skevem, houtōs ferole.… sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along.
Romans 9:21… furameu poiara hem men eis timan skevem hem de eis atimian?… the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for …
1 Thessalonians 4:4oidarē hekaston vu tem heautou skevem ktorō en hagiasmo kai tima,… know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
Revelation 18:12“articles”… kai pantem xulem thuinem kai pantem skevem elefantinem kai pantem skevem ek xuleu …… scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron …
Revelation 18:12“articles”… kai pantem skevem elefantinem kai pantem skevem ek xuleu timiotateu kai chalkou kai …… wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and …
skeveim5×
Matthew 12:29“property”… tan oikian tou ischurou kai teim skeveim autou harpazara, ean mē prōtem dateia …… enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up …
Mark 3:27“property”… tan oikian tou ischurou eisercharantos teim skeveim autou diarpazara ean mē prōtem ton …… one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man …
Romans 9:22… dunatem autou ferata en polla makrothumia skeveim orgau katartizorēnteim eis apōleian,… known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?
Romans 9:23… ton plouton tau doxau autou epi skeveim eleseu, heim proetoimazata eis doxan,… of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared …
Hebrews 9:21… tan skēnan de kai panteim teim skeveim tau leitourgiau te haime homoiōs rantizata.… blood the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship.