θάλασσα
sea
‘sea’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Thayer's Greek Lexicon
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Where this word appears
See every Accusative-case word in the Greek New Testament →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Case
- Accusative
- The case of the direct object and of extent.
- Genitive
- The case of source, possession, or “of” — answers “whose / from what.”
- Dative
- The case of the indirect object, means, or location — “to / for / with / in.”
- Nominative
- The case of the subject (and the predicate nominative).
Gender
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
1 verse where G2281 appears in the Genitive case in the Book of Luke. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Greek form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Greek New Testament; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences of this word are not indexed here.
Luke
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, θαλασσα (thálassa) means “sea.” It first appears in Matthew 4:15. Spanning 84 verses in 12 books, it ranks among the moderately common words of the Greek New Testament. Its uses concentrate in Revelation (27% of all occurrences). Ranging over 2 senses, it is not a single-sense word. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G2281 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 84
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 84 distinct verses.
- 12 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 12 of 27 New Testament books.
- #188
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Greek words (rank 188 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 84 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Revelation 23 verses 27%
- Matthew 16 verses 19%
- Mark 15 verses 18%
By section of the New Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 84 distinct verses.
- Gospels 43 verses · 51%
- Johannine 32 verses · 38%
- Revelation 23 verses · 27%
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 13 verses · 15%
- Pauline corpus 4 verses · 5%
- Hebrews 2 verses · 2%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 2 verses · 2%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Sea 86×, Sea side 5×
- American Standard Version: Sea 83×, Sea side 5×, The 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: Sea 84×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Sea 92×, Of 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G2281 across 92 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 1 rendering that appears only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G2281 across 95 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 2 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders G2281 across 85 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 1 rendering that appears only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 5 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G2281 across 96 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 2 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in Thayer's
The 2 senses Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- used of the sea in general
- used specifically of the Mediterranean Sea or the Red Sea
Word origin
Derived from αλς (háls) (G251) — salt.
Probably prolonged from G251 ; the sea (generally or specifically): - sea.
— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.
Forms in the corpus
The 4 distinct written forms G2281 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that case’s occurrences in the concordance.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| θάλασσαν thálassan | Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine | Matthew 4:18 | 43 |
| θαλάσσης thalássēs | Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine | Matthew 4:15 | 30 |
| θαλάσσῃ thalássē | Noun, Dative, Singular, Feminine | Matthew 8:24 | 13 |
| θάλασσα thálassa | Noun, Nominative, Singular, Feminine | Matthew 8:27 | 6 |
Same root — word family
Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G2281, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- αιγιαλος aigialós G123 shore
- αλας hálas G217 salt
- αλιευς halieús G231 fisherman
- αλιζω halízō G233 to salt
- αλυκος halykós G252 salt
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word θαλασσα appears 376 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 326 verses in 33 books.
- 376
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 326
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 33 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 33 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 1:10 θάλασσα
- Exodus 10:19 θάλασσα
- Leviticus 11:9 θάλασσα
- Numbers 2:18 θάλασσα
- Deuteronomy 1:40 θάλασσα
- Joshua 1:4 θάλασσα
- Judges 5:17 θάλασσα
- 1 Samuel 13:5 θάλασσα
- 2 Samuel 8:8 θάλασσα
- 1 Kings 2:35 θάλασσα
- 2 Kings 14:25 θάλασσα
- 1 Chronicles 9:24 θάλασσα
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G2281) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 326. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 1:10 θάλασσα God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. God saw that it was good.
- Genesis 1:22 θάλασσα God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
- Genesis 1:26 θάλασσα God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
- Genesis 1:28 θάλασσα God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
- Genesis 9:2 θάλασσα The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand.
- Genesis 12:8 θάλασσα He left from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh, and called on the name of Yahweh.
- Genesis 13:14 θάλασσα Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, "Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,
- Genesis 14:3 θάλασσα All these joined together in the valley of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea).
- Genesis 22:17 θάλασσα that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.
- Genesis 28:14 θάλασσα Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.
- Genesis 32:13 θάλασσα He lodged there that night, and took from that which he had with him, a present for Esau, his brother:
- Genesis 41:49 θάλασσα Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.
- Exodus 10:19 θάλασσα Yahweh turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt.
- Exodus 13:18 θάλασσα but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 14:2 θάλασσα "Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You shall encamp opposite it by the sea.
- Exodus 14:9 θάλασσα The Egyptians pursued after them: all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army; and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
- Exodus 14:16 θάλασσα Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.
- Exodus 14:21 θάλασσα Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
- Exodus 14:22 θάλασσα The children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.
- Exodus 14:23 θάλασσα The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea: all of Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
- Exodus 14:26 θάλασσα Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen."
- Exodus 14:27 θάλασσα Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it. Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
- Exodus 14:28 θάλασσα The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Pharaoh's army that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them.
- Exodus 14:29 θάλασσα But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.
- Exodus 14:30 θάλασσα Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
- Exodus 15:1 θάλασσα Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said, "I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
- Exodus 15:4 θάλασσα Pharaoh's chariots and his host has he cast into the sea; His chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
- Exodus 15:8 θάλασσα With the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
- Exodus 15:10 θάλασσα You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
- Exodus 15:19 θάλασσα For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.
- Exodus 15:21 θάλασσα Miriam answered them, "Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."
- Exodus 15:22 θάλασσα Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
- Exodus 20:11 θάλασσα for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.
- Exodus 23:31 θάλασσα I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
- Exodus 26:22 θάλασσα For the far part of the tent westward you shall make six boards.
- Exodus 26:27 θάλασσα and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tent, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tent, for the far part westward.
- Exodus 27:12 θάλασσα For the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
- Exodus 37:10 θάλασσα He made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, and its breadth was a cubit, and its height was a cubit and a half.
- Leviticus 11:9 θάλασσα These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat.
- Leviticus 11:10 θάλασσα All that don't have fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you,
- Numbers 2:18 θάλασσα "On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.
- Numbers 3:23 θάλασσα The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
- Numbers 10:6 θάλασσα When you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.
- Numbers 11:22 θάλασσα Shall flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
- Numbers 11:31 θάλασσα There went forth a wind from Yahweh, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the earth.
- Numbers 13:29 θάλασσα Amalek dwells in the land of the South: and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill-country; and the Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan.
- Numbers 14:25 θάλασσα Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.
- Numbers 21:4 θάλασσα They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
- Numbers 33:8 θάλασσα They traveled from before Hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness: and they went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and encamped in Marah.
- Numbers 33:10 θάλασσα They traveled from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G2281) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.
