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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #2244 - ἡλικία
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- age, time of life
- age, term or length of life
- adult age, maturity
- suitable age for anything
- metaph. of an attained state fit for a thing
- stature, i.e in height and comeliness of stature
- Book
- Word
- Parsing
ἡλῐκί-α,
Ion. -ίη, Dor. ἁλικία, ἡ, (ἧλιξ)
I
1. time of life, age, ἤν πως ἡλικίην αἰδέσσεται ἠδ' ἐλεήσῃ γῆρας Il. 22.419; γηραιὸν μέρος ἁλικίας Pi. P. 4.157; παρὰ τὸν ἁλικίας ἐοικότα χρόνον Id. O. 4.29; τήνδ' ἡ. ἀστῶν, i.e. their old age, A. Pers. 914: acc. used adverbially, in age, νέος ἡλικίην Hdt. 3.134; ἐτέων ἐὼν ἡλικίην πέντε καὶ τριήκοντα Id. 1.26, cf. X. Cyn. 2.3: so in dat., ἡλικίᾳ ἔτι τότε ὢν νέος Th. 5.43; προεληλυθότες ταῖς ἡ. X. HG 6.1.4; also ὑπὸ τῆς ἡ. from our age, Pl. La. 180d; αἱ δι' ἡλικίαν ἄτοκοι Id. Tht. 149c; οἱ ἐν τῇ αὐτῆ ἡ. Th. 1.80; τὸ ἀχρεῖον τῆς ἡ. Id. 2.44; ὅταν.. τοῦ γεννᾶν ἐκβῶσι τὴν ἡ. Pl. R. 461b; πόρρω τῆς ἡ. to an advanced age, Id. Grg. 484c; προήκων ἐς βαθὺ τῆς ἡ. Ar. Nu. 514; προϊούσης τῆς ἡ, Pl. Phdr. 279a; ὁ παρ' ἡλικίαν νοῦς beyond one's age, Men. Mon. 690: in pl., ἐν ἁπάσαις ταῖς ἡ. Pl. R. 412e, cf. Lg. 625b, al.
2. prime of life, manhood, ἐν ἁλικίᾳ πρώτᾳ Pi. N. 9.42; αὐτὴ ἡ ἡ. τῶν νέων κατέκρινε Antipho 4.4.2; ἡλικίαν ἔχειν, εἰς ἡ. ἐλθεῖν, ἀφικέσθαι, Pl. Euthd. 306d, Tht. 142d, Men. 89b; ἡλικίην ἔχειν c. inf., to be of fit age for doing, Hdt. 1.209, cf. Pl. Tht. 146b; ἡλικίας μετέχειν Th. 7.60; οἱ ἐν τῇ ἡλικίᾳ men of military age, Id. 8.75; ἐν ἡλικίᾳ στρατεύεσθαι D. 4.7; ἐστρατευμένος ἁπάσας τὰς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ στρατείας Id. 21.95; οἱ τῆς ἡ. ἐντὸς γεγονότες Lys. 2.50; ἡ καθεστηκυῖα ἡ. maturity, Th. 2.36, cf. IG 12(7).239.21 (Amorgos); of women, womanhood, marriageable age, Hp. Prorrh. 2.30, D. 59.22; αἱ ἐν ἡ. γυναῖκες Pl. R. 461b; τὴν ἡλικίαν τὴν ἑαντοῦ καταμεμψάμενος Isaiah 7:14 : in pl., οἱ ταῖς ἡ. οὐ καλῶς κεχρημένοι Aeschin. 1.194.
3. youthful passion, ἡλικίῃ καὶ θυμῷ ἐπιτρέπειν Hdt. 3.36; εἴκειν Id. 7.18.
4. maidenhood, τὴν ἡ. οὐ καλῶς διαφυλάξασαν Aeschin. 1.182.
II as collective Noun,= οἱ ἥλικες, those of the same age, comrades, ὃς ἡλικίην ἐκέκαστο ἔγχεϊ Il. 16.808, cf. Pi. P. 1.74; esp. those of military age, τῆς ἡ. ἀπούσης ἐν ταῖς ναυσί Lys. 2.49, cf. Th. 3.67, 8.1, etc.; also, men of any age, παίδων τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν καὶ πάσης ἡ. Pl. Lg. 959e.
III time, ταῦτα ἡλικίην ἂν εἴη κατὰ Λάϊον about the time of Laius, Hdt. 5.59, cf. 60, 71; ἡ. τετρακοσίοισι ἔτεσι.. πρεσβυτέρους Id. 2.53. age, generation, ἐπὶ τῆς νῦν ἡ. Isoc. 4.167; πρὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἡ. Din. 1.38; εἰς τὴν νῦν ζῶσαν ἡ. D. 60.11; πολλαῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἡ. Plu. Per. 27, cf. D.L. 5.37. of the body, stature, as a sign of age, Hdt. 3.16, Pl. Euthd. 271b, D. 40.56; τῇ ἡ. μικρός Luke 19:3 (but προσθεῖναι ἐπὶ τὴν ἡ. πῆχυν ἕνα add a cubit to one's age (cf. πήχυιος), Matthew 6:27); ἄνδρας ἡμισταδιαίους τὰς ἡ. Luc. VH 1.40; height of a pillar, Id. Syr.D. 28.
ἡλικία, ἡλικίας, ἡ (ἧλιξ mature, of full age, Homer, Odyssey 18, 373 (others of the same age; cf. Ebeling, Lex. Homer under the word; Papes Lexicon under the word)); from Homer down;
1. age, time of life;
a. universally: Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:25 (in these passages, 'term or length of life'; but others refer them to 2 below; see Field, Otium Norv. Pars iii., p. 4; James Morison, Commentary on Matthew, the passage cited) cf. πῆχυς, and DeWette, Meyer, Bleek on Matthew, the passage cited; παρά καιρόν ἡλικίας, beyond the proper stage of life (A. V. past age), Hebrews 11:11 (2 Macc. 4:40; 4 Macc. 5:4).
b. adult age, maturity: ἔχειν ἡλικίαν (A. V. to be of age), John 9:21, 23.
c. suitable age for anything; with the genitive of the thing for which it is fit: τοῦ γάμου, Demosthenes; τοῦ ἤδη φρονεῖν, Plato, Eryx., p. 396 b.; metaphorically, of an attained state of mind fit for a thing: τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the age in which we are fitted to receive the fullness (see πλήρωμα, 1) of Christ, Ephesians 4:13 (others refer this to 2; cf. Ellicott, in the place cited).
2. stature (Demosthenes, Plutarch, others): τῇ ἡλικία μικρός, Luke 19:3; προκόπτειν ἡλικία, i. e. in height and comeliness of stature (Bengel, justam proceritatem nactus est et decoram), Luke 2:52; cf. Meyer, Bleek, at the passage.
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ἡλικία , -ας , ἡ
(< ἧλιξ , of the same age, mature),
[in LXX: Ezekiel 13:18 (H6967), Job 29:18, Wisdom of Solomon 4:9, Sirach 26:17, freq. in 2-4 Mac;]
always of age or maturity; "a stage of growth whether measured by age or stature";
1. (a) age: Matthew 6:27, Luke 12:25 (R, mg.), Hebrews 11:11;
(b) full age, maturity: John 9:21; John 9:23, Ephesians 4:13.
2. stature: Luke 19:3 (Matthew 6:27, Luke 12:25, AV, R, txt.; but the prevailing usage in LXX and Papyri favours the former meaning in these doubtful passages; cf., Ellic., ICC, AR, on Eph, l.c.; Milligan, NTD, 74 f., and esp., MM, Exp., xv; e contra, Field, Notes, 6).†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
Luke 19:8 is the only NT passage where the word must mean ";stature";; apart from it (and the rather different Ephesians 4:18) the NT represents the general usus loquendi of our vernacular sources. We are indeed unable to quote any example from these (for the word in a theological fragment see below) in which ";stature"; is the natural meaning, and hardly any in which it is possible; while for ";age"; we can present a long list. Thus the word is very common in connexion with being ";under age"; or coming ";of age,"; which in Egypt took place at the age of 14 years : see e.g. P Ryl II. 256.4 (late i/B.C.) νυὶ (l. νυνὶ) δ᾽ ἐμοῦ ἐν ἡλικι ̣ᾳ γεγονότος, P Oxy II. 247.13 (A.D. 90) ἀπογράφομ [αι τῷ ὁμογν ]η ̣σίῳ μου ἀδελ [φῷ ] . . . προστρέχοντι τῇ ἐννόμῳ ἡλικίᾳ, ";approaching the legal age,"; ib. 273.18 (A.D. 95) συνκεχωρηκέναι τῇ ἑαυτῆς θυγατρὶ. . . οὐδέπω οὔσῃ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ, ib. III. 496.12 (A.D. 127) τε ̣κ ̣νων παρὰ τῇ μητρὶ διαιτ [ο ]υμένων ἕως ἡλικίας γέ [ν ]ωντ [α ]ι, P Ryl II. 153.19 (A.D. 138–61) ἄχ ]ρ ̣ι ̣ ο ̣ὗ ̣ γένη ̣[ται τῆ ]ς ἐννό [μο ]υ ̣ [ἡ ]λικίας, BGU I. 86.19 (A.D. 155) μέχρι ἐὰν ἐν τῇ νόμῳ ἡλικείᾳ γένο [νται, and P Flor III. 382.11 (A.D. 222—3) where a man who has reached the age of 70 petitions to be freed from certain public duties (ἀπὸ τῶν λειτουργιῶν ἐλευθερωθῆναι) διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν. Other miscellaneous examples of the word are BGU I. 168.5 (ii/iii A.D.) τοῖς ἀτελέσι ἔχουσι τὴν ἡλικίαν, P Oxy VII. 1020.5 (A.D. 198–201) εἰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἡλικίας ἔχεις β ̣[οήθιαν,] ο ̣̔ ἡγούμ [ενος ] τοῦ ἔθνους τὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς ἀφέσεως ἐκδικ [ήσει, ";if you can claim the assistance due to immature age, the praefect of the province shall decide the suit for release"; (Ed.), P Tebt II. 326.3 (c. A.D. 266) ὑπὲρ θυγατρὸς ὀρφανῆς καὶ καταδεοῦς τὴν ἡλικίαν. . . ἱκετηρίαν τιθεμένη, ";making supplication for my orphan daughter who is under age."; The list of citations might be almost indefinitely increased, but it must be sufficient to summarize by stating that no one who reads the papyri can have any doubt that the word meant ";age"; in ordinary parlance. In the fragment of a lost Gospel referred to above, P Oxy IV. 655.14 (not later than A.D. 250) τίς ἂν προσθη (l. προσθείη) ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν ὑμῶν; αὐτὸ [ς δ ]ώσει ὑμῖν τὸ ἔνδυμα ὑμῶν, the editors translate ";who could add to your stature? He himself will give you your garment.";
We must not yield to the temptation of discussing the meaning of the word in ";Q";; but we cannot resist expressing amazement that anyone could call it ἐλάχιστον (Luke 12:26) to add half a yard to one’s height! The Twentieth Century translators boldly render, ";Which of you, by being anxious, can prolong his life a moment?";—and we cannot but applaud them. That worry shortens life is the fact which adds point to the irony. The desire to turn a six-footer into a Goliath is rather a bizarre ambition. See the admirable argument and citations in Wetstein ad Matthew 6:27.
A quotation from an inscription in honour of a wealthy young citizen of Istropolis, near the mouth of the Danube, should be given, as a most interesting parallel to Luke 2:52 : Syll 325.18 (i/B.C.) ὑπεστήσατό τε ἡλικίᾳ προκόπτων καὶ προαγόμενος εἰς τὸ θεοσεβεῖν ὡς ἔπρεπεν αὐτῷ πρῶτον μὲν ἐτείμησεν τοὺς θεούς κτλ.
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.
