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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #3189 - μέλας
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- black ink
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μέλᾱς
(μέλᾰς Rhian. 58, where μέγας is corrupt for μέλας), μέλαινα, μέλᾰν; gen. μέλᾰνος, μελαίνης, μέλᾰνος, etc.; dat. μείλανι (metri gr.) Il. 24.79: Aeol. nom. μέλαις, from Μέλανς, Choerob. in Theod. 1.123, Greg.Cor. p.599 S., hence restored in Sapph. 57: —
I black, dark: in Hom. generally, dark in colour, οἶνος Od. 5.265; μέλαν αἷμα, κῦμα, Il. 4.149, 23.693; γαῖα μέλαινα 2.699, cf. Sapph. Supp. 5.2; ὕδωρ μέλαν Αἰσήποιο Il. 2.825, cf. Od. 4.359, νηῦς μ., from its being pitched over, Il. 1.300, al.; of men, dark, swarthy, μέλανας δὲ ἀνδρικοὺς ἰδεῖν Pl. R. 474e; ἰσχυρός τις ἦν, μ. D. 21.71; τὰ μ. black marks about the ears of dogs, X. Cyn. 5.23.
II dark, murky, ἕσπερος Od. 1.423; εὐφρόνα Pi. N. 7.3.
III metaph.,
1. black, dark, θάνατος Il. 2.834, etc.; κήρ ib. 859, etc.; ὀδύναι 4.117, etc. (the origin of the metaphor is seen in the phrases θανάτου μ. νέφος, ἄχεος νεφέλη μ., 16. 350, 18.22); μ. τύχα, ἀρά, A. Supp. 89 (lyr.), Th. 832 (lyr.); Ἐρινύς ib. 993 (lyr.), cf. Eu. 52; ἄτα Id. Ag. 769 (lyr.); Ἄρης ib. 1511 (lyr.); Ἅιδης S. OT 29; Ἅιδου μ. ἀνάγκα E. Hipp. 1388 (lyr.), etc.; ἡμέραι μέλαιναι, = Lat. dies atri, Plu. Luc. 27.
2. of the voice, indistinct, Arist. Top. 106a25, Philostr. VA 4.44; βραχὺ καὶ μ. φώνημα, of Nero, D.C. 61.20.
3. dark, obscure, enigmatical, ἱστορίη AP 11.347 (Phil.).
4. of character, dark, malignant, μ. φρήν, καρδία, Sol. 42.4, Pi. Fr. 123.4; μ. ἄνθρωποι Plu. 2.12d; μ. ἦθος M. Ant.4.28. Comp. μελάντερος, α, ον, blacker, very black, τοῦ δ' οὔ τι μελάντερον ἔπλετο ἔσθος Il. 24.94: prov. of thick darkness, [ νέφος] μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα (v. ἠΰτε) 4.277: Sup. μελάντατος Hp. VC 14, Ar. Fr. 580, etc.: — Comp. also μελανώτερος Str. 16.4.12: Sup. μελαινότατος AP 11.68 (Lucill.), Epigr.Gr. 320.4 (Thyatira). μέλαινα (sc. νοῦσος), ἡ, Medic., of diseases causing black secretions (such as melaena), Hp. Morb. 2.73. μέλαν, τό, v. sub voc. (Cf. Skt. málam 'dirt', malinás 'dirty', Lett. melns 'black'.)
μέλας, μέλαινα, μέλαν, genitive μέλανος, μελαινης, μέλανος (from Homer down), the Sept. several times for שָׁחֹר, black: Revelation 6:5, 12; opposed to λευκός, Matthew 5:36. Neuter τό μέλαν, substantive black ink (Plato, Phaedr., p. 276 c.; Demosthenes, p. 313, 11; Plutarch, mor., p. 841 e.; others): 2 Corinthians 3:3; 2 John 1:12; 3 John 1:13; (cf. Gardthausen, Palaeographie, Buch i. Kap. 4; Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, ii., 270f; B. D. under the word
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μέλας , -αινα , -αν ,
gen., -ανος , -αίνης , -ανος ,
[in LXX: , Zechariah 6:2 (H7838), etc.;]
black: Revelation 6:5; Revelation 6:12; opp. to λευκός , Matthew 5:36; neut., τὸ μ ., ink : 2 Corinthians 3:3, 2 John 1:12, 3 John 1:13.†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
μέλας is used in the neut. ";ink,"; as in 2 Corinthians 3:3, 2 John 1:12, 3 John 1:13, in P Grenf II. 38.8 (B.C. 81) μ [έ ]λαν στατηροῦ ὀκτώ, P Oxy II. 326 τὸ βροχίον τοῦ μέλανος, ";the ink-pot,"; and P Leid X x. 1 ff. (iii/ivA.D.) (= II. p. 229 f.) where a recipe for making ink is found—τρίψας τὸ ἴδιον (l. τὸ ἰὸν ?), καὶ τὸ θεῖον, καὶ τὴν στυπτηρίαν λείαν, εὖ μάλα μεῖξας (l. μίξας) ἐπιμελῶς τρίβε, καὶ χρῶ ὡς μέλανι γραφικῷ, ";trita rubiginem (?), et sulphur, et alumen contusum, et probe mixta diligenter terito, et utitor prouti atramento scriptorio"; (Ed.), see s.v. μετά (1 f.). For other applications of the adj. cf. P Meyer 7.9 (A.D. 130) κυάμο (υ) μέλανο (ς), ";black beans,"; P Oxy XIV. 1631.23 (A.D. 280) ἐλαι [ῶ ]ν μελαινῶν, ";black olives,"; P Par 574.1247 (iii/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 114) παραδίδωμί σε εἰς τὸ μέλαν χάος ἐν ταῖς ἀπωλίαις, and Kaibel 274.6 μέλας θάνατος. Μέλας is used as a distinguishing epithet in P Amh II. 62.6 (ii/B.C.) (cited s.v. λευκός), and as a proper name in P Oxy XIV. 1682.3 (iv/A.D.) ἀπέστειλα [[τινα ]] Μέλανα, ";I am sending Melas,"; and in P. Grenf II. 77 (iii/iv A.D.). For the form μέλανος,—η,—ον see P Iand 35.5 (ii/iii A.D.) βοῦν μελ [ά ]νην with the editor’s note, and for μελάγχρως see Mayser Gr. p. 296.
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.