adjective
tessares
Strong’sG5064
four
stem tessare-40 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books10 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
Four, the cardinal number 1234.
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
τέσσαρες
(and Ion. and late -ερες, and late acc -ες; v. WH, App., 150; M, Pr., 36, 45 f.), οἱ, αἱ, -αρα, τά, gen., -ων,
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G5064 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidtes'-sar-es
four
Froma plural number;
King Jamesfour.
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
genitive ων: dative τέσσαρσι (ν) NT+5th c.BC+; poetry τέτρᾰσι Refs 8th c.BC+, and in late Prose, as LXX+1st c.BC+, variant in NT, and in good codices of Refs 4th c.BC+:—Attic dialect τέττᾰρες, τέττᾰρα, dative τέτταρσιν Refs 5th c.BC+; also τάρων (see. τάρες) for τεττάρω; Phocian dative τεττάροις Refs 2nd c.BC+:—Ionic dialect and later Gr. τέσσερες, τέσσερα, Refs 5th c.BC+, etc. (dative τέσσερσι LXX+8th c.BC+; since however τέσσερα(ς) and τεσσεράκοντα, apart from Ionic dialect, are not common in Papyri before 2nd c.AD, the LXX autographs probably had τέσσαρα(ς) and τεσσαράκοντ; the form τέσσερα(ς) is here due to avoidance by the copyists of the sequence ε-α-α:—Doric dialect τέτορες, τέτορα, Refs 8th c.BC+ —Epic dialect (probably _Aeolic dialect_) πίσῠρες [ῐ] Refs 8th c.BC+; genitive πισύρων Refs 5th c.AD+; dative πισύρεσσι, πισύροισι, -ῃσι, -αις, Refs 4th c.AD+: Aeolic dialect also πέσῠρες, neuter πέσῠρα Refs; and πέσσῠρες, πέσσῠρα, Refs 5th c.AD+:—Boeotian dialect πέττᾰρες, α (which see):—four, Refs 8th c.BC+; διὰ τεττάρων the musical interval of the fourth, Refs 4th c.BC+; τὰ τέσσαρα the four simple bodies of Empedocles, Refs 3rd c.AD+; the four kinds of quality or four Aristotelian senses of ποιόν, Refs; the four cardinal principles of Epicurus (compare τετραφάρμακος), Refs 1st c.BC+. (Cf. Sanskrit catvā´ras (accusative catúras), Latin quattuor, Lithuanian keturì, etc.: I.-Refs 5th c.BC+ q[uglide]et[uglide]or-.)
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 | tessares | tessares | tessares | tessares7×τέσσαρες | tessares4×τέσσαρες | tessares6×τέσσαρα |
| object accusative | tessares | tessares | tessares4×τέσσαρας | tessares3×τέσσαρας | ||
| direct address vocative | tessares | tessares | tessares | tessares | ||
| of, belonging to genitive | tessares | tessares | tessares | tessares4×τεσσάρων | tessares | tessares7×τεσσάρων |
| to, for dative | tessares | tessares | tessares | tessares1×τέσσαρσιν | tessares3×τέσσαρσιν | tessares1×τέσσαρσιν |
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
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
40 occurrences, every one of them listed
tessares“four”subjectnominative plural7×
Acts 21:23… hem si leganō; alō ni androis tessares euchan echarōntois apo heautoiu.… what we advise you. There are four men with us who have taken …
Revelation 4:4“four;”kai kuklothen tou thronou thronois eikosi tessares, kai epi toin thronoin eikosi tessares …Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four …
Revelation 4:10“four”pipteli tois eikosi tessares presbuterois enōpion tou kathorōntou epi tou …the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and …
Revelation 5:8“four”… teim tessares zōeim kai tois eikosi tessares presbuterois piptala enōpion teu arnieu, echarōntois …… the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls …
Revelation 9:15kai luila tois tessares angelois tois hetoimazorēntois eis tan hōran …So the four angels who had been prepared for …
Revelation 11:16“four”Kai tois eikosi tessares presbuterois tois enōpion tou theou kathorōntois …And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on …
Revelation 19:4kai piptala tois presbuterois tois eikosi tessares kai teim tessares zōeim, kai proskunala …And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped …
tessares“four”objectaccusative plural4×
Revelation 4:4“four”… tessares, kai epi toin thronoin eikosi tessares presbuteroin kathorōntoin peribalorēntoin en himatiei leukei, …… other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden …
Revelation 7:1Meta houtem horama tessares angeloin stēarēntoin epi tain tessares gōniain …After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners …
Revelation 7:1… tessares gōniain tau gēau, kratarōntoin toin tessares anemoin tau gēau, hina mē pnateiō …… of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would …
Revelation 9:14… tos echarōntos tan salpingan; Luasar toin tessares angeloin toin dorēntoin epi to potamo …… angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the …
tessares“four”of, belonging togenitive plural4×
Matthew 24:31… episunagali toin eklektoin autou ek toiu tessares anemoiu apo akreiu ouranoiu heōs teiu …… will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the …
Mark 2:3… ferarōntois pros auton paralutikon airorōnton hupo tessares.… was brought to Him, carried by four men.
Mark 13:27… kai episunagati toin eklektoin ek toiu tessares anemoiu apo akreu gēau heōs akreu …… to gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the …
Revelation 21:17“four”… metrata tem teichem autau hekaton tesserakonta tessares pēchoiu, metrem anthrōpou, hem atō angelou.And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.
tessares“four”to, fordative plural1×
Revelation 7:2… zōarōntou, kai krazata fōna mega toi tessares angeloi hoi dōita autoi adikara tan …… in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power …
tessares“four”subjectnominative plural4×
Acts 21:9houto de ale thugatrais tessares parthenais profēteuarōntais.He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
Revelation 7:4“four”… ton arithmon toiu sfragizorēntoiu, hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliadais, sfragizorēntois ek pantau fulau huioiu …… I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the …
Revelation 14:1“four”… Siōn, kai meta autou hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliadais echarōntais tem onomem autou kai …… on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s …
Revelation 14:3“four”… ōdan ei mē tais hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliadais, tois agorazorēntois apo tau gēau.… learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
tessares“four”objectaccusative plural3×
John 11:17Ercharantos oun tos Iēsus heuriskata auton tessares ēdē hēmerain echarōnton en te mnēmeie.… found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb.
Acts 27:29… topoin ekpiptaneia ek prumnau riptarantois ankurain tessares euchole hēmeran genera.… aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed …
Revelation 7:1… horama tessares angeloin stēarēntoin epi tain tessares gōniain tau gēau, kratarōntoin toin tessares …… saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back …
tessares“four”to, fordative plural3×
Acts 10:11… katabainarōntem skevem tinem hōs othonan megan tessares archai kathiēkorōntem epi tau gēau,… let down to earth by its four corners.
Acts 11:5… katabainarōntem skevem tinem hōs othonan megan tessares archai kathiēkorōntan ek tou ouranou, kai …… let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down …
Revelation 20:8… planara teim ethneim teim en tai tessares gōniai tau gēau, ton Gōg kai …… to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth — Gog and …
tessares“four”subject or objectdirect plural6×
John 19:23… labala teim himatieim autou kai poiala tessares mereim, hekasto stratiōto merem, kai ton …… Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with …
Revelation 4:6… tou thronou kai kuklō tou thronou tessares zōeim gemarōnteim ofthalmoiu emprosthen kai opisthen;… the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in …
Revelation 4:8kai teim tessares zōeim, henem kata henem auteiu echarōntos …And each of the four living creatures had six wings and …
Revelation 5:8kai hote labata tem bibliem, teim tessares zōeim kai tois eikosi tessares presbuterois …… He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders …
Revelation 5:14kai teim tessares zōeim legale; Amēn. kai tois presbuterois …And the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the …
Revelation 19:4“four”… presbuterois tois eikosi tessares kai teim tessares zōeim, kai proskunala to theo to …And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits …
tessares“four”of, belonging togenitive plural7×
Luke 2:37“*”kai autas chēras heōs eteiu ogdoēkonta tessares, has ouk apostēote teu hiereu nēsteiai …and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Revelation 5:6… en mese tou thronou kai teiu tessares zōeiu kai en mese toiu presbuteroiu …… of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The …
Revelation 6:1… sfragidaiu, kai akouama heneu ek teiu tessares zōeiu legarōnteu hōs fōna brontau; Erchosōr.… and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice …
Revelation 6:6… akouama hōs fōnan en mese teiu tessares zōeiu legarōntan; Choinixas sitou dēnarieu, kai …… like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of …
Revelation 7:11… thronou kai toiu presbuteroiu kai teiu tessares zōeiu, kai piptala enōpion tou thronou …… and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown …
Revelation 14:3… enōpion tou thronou kai enōpion teiu tessares zōeiu kai toiu presbuteroiu; kai oudenos …… before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And …
Revelation 15:7kai henem ek teiu tessares zōeiu dōata toi hepta angeloi hepta …Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels …
tessares“four”to, fordative plural1×
Acts 12:4… kai piazarantos titheta eis fulakan, paradōarantos tessares tetradiei stratiōtoiu fulassarō auton, boulorōntos meta …… him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod …