φυλή
tribe
‘tribe’ 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 Genitive-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
- Genitive
- The case of source, possession, or “of” — answers “whose / from what.”
- 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
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one.
Grammatical forms
- Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine 20 times (65%)
- Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine 3 times (10%)
- Noun, Genitive, Plural, Feminine 3 times (10%)
- Noun, Accusative, Plural, Feminine 2 times (6%)
- Noun, Nominative, Plural, Feminine 2 times (6%)
- Noun, Dative, Plural, Feminine 1 time (3%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (Robinson–Tischendorf, public domain), counted across 31 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where G5443 appears — 23 distinct verses across 8 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 2 verses
- Matthew 19:28 φυλὰς n acc pl fem Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Matthew 24:30 φυλαὶ n nom pl fem and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
Luke 2 verses
- Luke 2:36 φυλῆς n gen sg fem There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,
- Luke 22:30 φυλὰς n acc pl fem that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. You will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Acts 1 verse
Romans 1 verse
Philippians 1 verse
Hebrews 2 verses
James 1 verse
Revelation 13 verses
- Revelation 1:7 φυλαὶ n nom pl fem Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.
- Revelation 5:5 φυλῆς n gen sg fem One of the elders said to me, "Don't weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome; he who opens the book and its seven seals."
- Revelation 5:9 φυλῆς n gen sg fem They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, And to open its seals: For you were killed, And bought us for God with your blood, Out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
- Revelation 7:4 φυλῆς n gen sg fem I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
- Revelation 7:5 φυλῆς φυλῆς φυλῆς n gen sg fem n gen sg fem n gen sg fem Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
- Revelation 7:6 φυλῆς φυλῆς φυλῆς n gen sg fem n gen sg fem n gen sg fem Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
- Revelation 7:7 φυλῆς φυλῆς φυλῆς n gen sg fem n gen sg fem n gen sg fem Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
- Revelation 7:8 φυλῆς φυλῆς φυλῆς n gen sg fem n gen sg fem n gen sg fem Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
- Revelation 7:9 φυλῶν n gen pl fem After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
- Revelation 11:9 φυλῶν n gen pl fem From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
- Revelation 13:7 φυλὴν n acc sg fem It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.
- Revelation 14:6 φυλὴν n acc sg fem I saw an angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal Gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
- Revelation 21:12 φυλῶν n gen pl fem having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
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.
φυλη (phylḗ) is a Greek noun most often rendered “tribe.” Revelation dominates its distribution — 13 of 23 verses. Spanning 23 verses in 8 books, it ranks among the uncommon words of the Greek New Testament. It first appears in Matthew 19:28. Its lexical range runs to 2 senses. 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 G5443 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 →
- 23
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 23 distinct verses.
- 8 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 8 of 27 New Testament books.
- #448
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Greek words (rank 448 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 23 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Revelation 13 verses 57%
- Matthew 2 verses 9%
- Luke 2 verses 9%
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 23 distinct verses.
- Johannine 13 verses · 57%
- Revelation 13 verses · 57%
- Gospels 4 verses · 17%
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 3 verses · 13%
- Pauline corpus 2 verses · 9%
- Hebrews 2 verses · 9%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 1 verse · 4%
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: Tribe 19×, Tribes 6×, Kindreds 4×
- American Standard Version: Tribe 22×, Tribes 7×
- Berean Standard Bible: Tribe 23×, Tribes 8×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Tribe 25×, Tribes 6×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G5443 across 31 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G5443 across 32 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 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 G5443 across 31 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G5443 across 33 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.
- in the NT all the persons descending from one of the twelve sons of the patriarch, Jacob
- a nation, people
Word origin
Derived from φυω (phýō) (G5453) — to grow.
Forms in the corpus
The 6 distinct written forms G5443 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that case’s occurrences in the concordance.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| φυλῆς phylē̂s | Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine | Luke 2:36 | 20 |
| φυλὴν phylḕn | Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine | Hebrews 7:14 | 3 |
| φυλῶν phylō̂n | Noun, Genitive, Plural, Feminine | Revelation 7:9 | 3 |
| φυλαὶ phylaì | Noun, Nominative, Plural, Feminine | Matthew 24:30 | 2 |
| φυλὰς phylàs | Noun, Accusative, Plural, Feminine | Matthew 19:28 | 2 |
| φυλαῖς phylaîs | Noun, Dative, Plural, Feminine | James 1:1 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G5443, 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
Derived from this word
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 φυλη appears 369 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 314 verses in 27 books.
- 369
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 314
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 27 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 27 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 10:5 φυλή
- Exodus 2:1 φυλή
- Leviticus 24:11 φυλή
- Numbers 1:4 φυλή
- Deuteronomy 1:13 φυλή
- Joshua 1:12 φυλή
- Judges 18:1 φυλή
- Ruth 3:11 φυλή
- 1 Samuel 9:21 φυλή
- 2 Samuel 5:1 φυλή
- 1 Kings 7:2 φυλή
- 2 Kings 17:18 φυλή
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G5443) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 314. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 10:5 φυλή Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
- Genesis 10:18 φυλή the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.
- Genesis 10:20 φυλή These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, in their nations.
- Genesis 10:31 φυλή These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, after their nations.
- Genesis 10:32 φυλή These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
- Genesis 12:3 φυλή I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. In you will all of the families of the earth be blessed."
- Genesis 24:4 φυλή But you shall go to my country, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
- Genesis 24:38 φυλή but you shall go to my father's house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.'
- Genesis 24:40 φυλή He said to me, 'Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son of my relatives, and of my father's house.
- Genesis 24:41 φυλή Then will you be clear from my oath, when you come to my relatives. If they don't give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.'
- Genesis 28:14 φυλή 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 36:40 φυλή These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esau, according to their families, after their places, and by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,
- Genesis 49:16 φυλή "Dan will judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
- Exodus 2:1 φυλή A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.
- Exodus 24:4 φυλή Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Exodus 28:21 φυλή The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.
- Exodus 31:2 φυλή "Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
- Exodus 31:6 φυλή I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
- Exodus 35:30 φυλή Moses said to the children of Israel, "Behold, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
- Exodus 35:34 φυλή He has put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
- Exodus 36:21 φυλή Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.
- Exodus 37:20 φυλή In the lampstand were four cups made like almond-blossoms, its buds and its flowers;
- Exodus 37:21 φυλή and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it.
- Leviticus 24:11 φυλή The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
- Leviticus 25:49 φυλή or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any who is a close relative to him of his family may redeem him; or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself.
- Numbers 1:4 φυλή With you there shall be a man of every tribe; everyone head of his fathers' house.
- Numbers 1:16 φυλή These are those who were called of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.
- Numbers 1:21 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
- Numbers 1:23 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
- Numbers 1:25 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Gad, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.
- Numbers 1:27 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Judah, were sixty-four thousand six hundred.
- Numbers 1:29 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
- Numbers 1:31 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
- Numbers 1:33 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand five hundred.
- Numbers 1:35 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
- Numbers 1:37 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
- Numbers 1:39 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Dan, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
- Numbers 1:41 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Asher, were forty-one thousand five hundred.
- Numbers 1:43 φυλή those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
- Numbers 1:44 φυλή These are those who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: they were each one for his fathers' house.
- Numbers 1:47 φυλή But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
- Numbers 1:49 φυλή "Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, neither shall you take a census of them among the children of Israel;
- Numbers 2:5 φυλή Those who encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and the prince of the children of Issachar shall be Nethanel the son of Zuar.
- Numbers 2:7 φυλή The tribe of Zebulun: and the prince of the children of Zebulun shall be Eliab the son of Helon.
- Numbers 2:12 φυλή "Those who encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon. The prince of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
- Numbers 2:14 φυλή "The tribe of Gad: and the prince of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
- Numbers 2:20 φυλή "Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the prince of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
- Numbers 2:22 φυλή "The tribe of Benjamin: and the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
- Numbers 2:27 φυλή "Those who encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the prince of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ochran.
- Numbers 2:29 φυλή "The tribe of Naphtali: and the prince of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G5443) 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.
