σκεῦος
vessel
‘vessel’ is one of 3 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.
- Nominative
- The case of the subject (and the predicate nominative).
- Dative
- The case of the indirect object, means, or location — “to / for / with / in.”
Gender
- Neuter
- Grammatically neuter.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one.
Grammatical forms
- Noun, Accusative, Singular, Neuter 7 times (30%)
- Noun, Accusative, Plural, Neuter 5 times (22%)
- Noun, Nominative, Singular, Neuter 5 times (22%)
- Noun, Nominative, Plural, Neuter 3 times (13%)
- Noun, Dative, Singular, Neuter 2 times (9%)
- Noun, Dative, Plural, Neuter 1 time (4%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (Robinson–Tischendorf, public domain), counted across 23 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where G4632 appears — 22 distinct verses across 12 books. 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.
Matthew 1 verse
Mark 2 verses
Luke 2 verses
- Luke 8:16 σκεύει n dat sg neut "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light.
- Luke 17:31 σκεύη n nom pl neut In that day, he who will be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back.
John 1 verse
Acts 5 verses
- Acts 9:15 σκεῦος n nom sg neut But the Lord said to him, "Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.
- Acts 10:11 σκεῦός n acc sg neut He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth,
- Acts 10:16 σκεῦος n nom sg neut This was done three times, and immediately the vessel was received up into heaven.
- Acts 11:5 σκεῦός n nom sg neut "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me.
- Acts 27:17 σκεῦος n acc sg neut After they had hoisted it up, they used cables to help reinforce the ship. Fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis sand bars, they lowered the sea anchor, and so were driven along.
Romans 3 verses
- Romans 9:21 σκεῦος n acc sg neut Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?
- Romans 9:22 σκεύη n acc pl neut What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction,
- Romans 9:23 σκεύη n acc pl neut and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,
2 Corinthians 1 verse
1 Thessalonians 1 verse
2 Timothy 2 verses
- 2 Timothy 2:20 σκεύη n nom pl neut Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor, and some for dishonor.
- 2 Timothy 2:21 σκεῦος n nom sg neut If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master's use, prepared for every good work.
Hebrews 1 verse
1 Peter 1 verse
Revelation 2 verses
- Revelation 2:27 σκεύη n nom pl neut He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father:
- Revelation 18:12 σκεῦος σκεῦος n acc sg neut n acc sg neut merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;
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, σκευος (skeûos) means “vessel.” The King James Version usually renders it “vessel,” while modern versions prefer “container” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) — see the renderings breakdown. Spanning 22 verses in 12 books, it ranks among the uncommon words of the Greek New Testament. Scripture first uses it in Matthew 12:29. Catalogued under 3 senses, its meaning is not single-sense. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G4632 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 →
- 22
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 22 distinct verses.
- 12 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 12 of 27 New Testament books.
- #563
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Greek words (rank 563 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 22 occurrences in the concordance →
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 22 distinct verses.
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 7 verses · 32%
- Pauline corpus 7 verses · 32%
- Gospels 6 verses · 27%
- Johannine 3 verses · 14%
- Revelation 2 verses · 9%
- Hebrews 1 verse · 5%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 1 verse · 5%
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: Vessel 9×, Vessels 8×, Goods 2×
- American Standard Version: Vessel 10×, Vessels 6×, Goods 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: Vessels 4×, Possessions 3×, Vessel 3×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Container 7×, Vessel 4×, A 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G4632 across 23 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G4632 across 23 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 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 G4632 across 18 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 renderings that appear 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 4 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G4632 across 26 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 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 3 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.
- a vessel
- in the plural
- metaph.
Word origin
Origin: of uncertain affinity
Of uncertain affinity; a vessel implement equipment or apparatus (literally or figuratively [specifically a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband]): - goods sail stuff vessel.
— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.
Forms in the corpus
The 5 distinct written forms G4632 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that case’s occurrences in the concordance.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| σκεῦος skeûos | Noun, Accusative, Singular, Neuter | Mark 11:16 | 10 |
| σκεύη skeúē | Noun, Accusative, Plural, Neuter | Matthew 12:29 | 8 |
| σκεῦός skeûós | Noun, Accusative, Singular, Neuter | Acts 10:11 | 2 |
| σκεύει skeúei | Noun, Dative, Singular, Neuter | Luke 8:16 | 2 |
| σκεύεσιν skeúesin | Noun, Dative, Plural, Neuter | 2 Corinthians 4:7 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G4632, 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.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word σκευος appears 256 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 226 verses in 26 books.
- 256
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 226
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 26 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 26 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 24:53 σκεῦος
- Exodus 3:22 σκεῦος
- Leviticus 6:21 σκεῦος
- Numbers 1:50 σκεῦος
- Deuteronomy 1:41 σκεῦος
- Joshua 7:11 σκεῦος
- Judges 9:54 σκεῦος
- Ruth 2:9 σκεῦος
- 1 Samuel 6:8 σκεῦος
- 2 Samuel 1:27 σκεῦος
- 1 Kings 6:7 σκεῦος
- 2 Kings 4:3 σκεῦος
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G4632) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 226. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 24:53 σκεῦος The servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
- Genesis 27:3 σκεῦος Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison.
- Genesis 31:37 σκεῦος Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two.
- Genesis 45:20 σκεῦος Also, don't concern yourselves about your belongings, for the good of all of the land of Egypt is yours."
- Exodus 3:22 σκεῦος But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall despoil the Egyptians.
- Exodus 11:2 σκεῦος Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask every man of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold."
- Exodus 12:35 σκεῦος The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing.
- Exodus 22:6 σκεῦος "If fire breaks out, and catches in thorns so that the shocks of grain, or the standing grain, or the field are consumed; he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
- Exodus 25:9 σκεῦος According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tent, and the pattern of all of its furniture, even so you shall make it.
- Exodus 25:39 σκεῦος It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these accessories.
- Exodus 27:3 σκεῦος You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins, its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass.
- Exodus 30:27 σκεῦος the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense,
- Exodus 30:28 σκεῦος the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base.
- Exodus 31:8 σκεῦος the table and its vessels, the pure lampstand with all its vessels, the altar of incense,
- Exodus 35:13 σκεῦος the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the show bread;
- Exodus 35:14 σκεῦος the lampstand also for the light, with its vessels, its lamps, and the oil for the light;
- Exodus 35:16 σκεῦος the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of brass, it poles, and all its vessels, the basin and its base;
- Exodus 35:22 σκεῦος They came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought brooches, ear-rings, signet-rings, and armlets, all jewels of gold; even every man who offered an offering of gold to Yahweh.
- Exodus 38:12 σκεῦος For the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.
- Exodus 38:23 σκεῦος With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.
- Exodus 39:9 σκεῦος It was square. They made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its breadth a span, being double.
- Exodus 39:11 σκεῦος and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
- Exodus 39:13 σκεῦος and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold settings.
- Exodus 39:15 σκεῦος They made on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.
- Exodus 39:17 σκεῦος They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
- Exodus 39:19 σκεῦος They made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which was toward the side of the ephod inward.
- Exodus 40:9 σκεῦος You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tent, and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture: and it will be holy.
- Exodus 40:10 σκεῦος You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar will be most holy.
- Leviticus 6:21 σκεῦος It shall be made with oil in a baking pan. When it is soaked, you shall bring it in. You shall offer the meal offering in baked pieces for a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 8:11 σκεῦος He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them.
- Leviticus 11:32 σκεῦος On whatever any of them falls when they are dead, it shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it is, with which any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it will be clean.
- Leviticus 11:33 σκεῦος Every earthen vessel, into which any of them falls, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it.
- Leviticus 13:49 σκεῦος if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything made of skin; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be shown to the priest.
- Leviticus 13:52 σκεῦος He shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of skin, in which the plague is: for it is a destructive mildew. It shall be burned in the fire.
- Leviticus 13:53 σκεῦος "If the priest examines it, and, behold, the plague hasn't spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin;
- Leviticus 13:57 σκεῦος and if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire that in which the plague is.
- Leviticus 13:58 σκεῦος The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it is, which you shall wash, if the plague has departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and it will be clean."
- Leviticus 13:59 σκεῦος This is the law of the plague of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or in anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
- Leviticus 14:50 σκεῦος He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
- Leviticus 15:4 σκεῦος "'Every bed whereon he who has the discharge lies shall be unclean; and everything he sits on shall be unclean.
- Leviticus 15:6 σκεῦος He who sits on anything whereon the man who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
- Leviticus 15:12 σκεῦος "'The earthen vessel, which he who has the discharge touches, shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.
- Leviticus 15:22 σκεῦος Whoever touches anything that she sits on shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
- Leviticus 15:23 σκεῦος If it is on the bed, or on anything whereon she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until the evening.
- Leviticus 15:26 σκεῦος Every bed whereon she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her period: and everything whereon she sits shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her period.
- Numbers 1:50 σκεῦος but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle, and all its furnishings; and they shall take care of it, and shall encamp around it.
- Numbers 3:8 σκεῦος They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
- Numbers 3:31 σκεῦος Their charge shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service.
- Numbers 3:36 σκεῦος The appointed charge of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle's boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service,
- Numbers 4:10 σκεῦος They shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it on the frame.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G4632) 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.
