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Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #3444 - μορφή
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- the form by which a person or thing strikes the vision
- external appearance
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μορφ-ή, ἡ,
1. form, shape, twice in Hom. (not in Hes.), σοὶ δ' ἔπι μὲν μορφὴ ἐπέων thou hast comeliness of words, Od. 11.367 (cf. Eust. ad loc.); so prob. ἄλλος μὲν.. εἶδος ἀκιδνότερος πέλει ἀνήρ, ἀλλὰ θεὸς μορφὴν ἔπεσι στέφει God adds a crown of shapeliness to his words, Od. 8.170: freq. later, μορφὰς δύο ὀνομάζειν Parm. 8.53; μορφὴν ἀλλάξαντα Emp. 137.1; μορφὰν βραχύς Pi. I. 4(3).53; μορφῆς μέτρα shape and size, E. Alc. 1063: periphr., μορφῆς φύσις A. Supp. 496; μορφῆς σχῆμα, τύπωμα, E. Ion 992, Ph. 162; τὴν αὐτὴν τοῦ σχήματος μορφήν Arist. PA 640b34; καὶ Γαῖα, πολλῶν ὀνομάτων μ. μία A. Pr. 212; ὀνειράτων ἀλίγκιοι μορφαῖσιν ib. 449; νυκτέρων φαντασμάτων ἔχουσι μορφάς Id. Fr. 312; προὔπεμψεν ἀντὶ φιλτάτης μ. σποδόν S. El. 1159; of plants, Thphr. HP 1.1.12 (pl.); esp. with ref. to beauty of form, ὑπέρφατον μορφᾷ Pi. O. 9.65; οἷς ποτιστάξῃ χάρις εὐκλέα μ. ib. 6.76, cf. IG 42 (1).121.119 (Epid., iv B. C.), LXX To. 1.13, Vett.Val. 1.6, etc.; σῶμα μορφῆς ἐμῆς OGI 383.41 (Commagene, i B. C.); μορφῆς εἰκόνας ib.27; χαρακτῆρα μορφῆς ἐμῆς ib.60.
2. generally, form, fashion, appearance, A. Pr. 78, S. Tr. 699, El. 199 (lyr.); outward form, opp. εἶδος, ἑκατέρω τῶ εἴδεος πολλαὶ μ. Philol. 5; ἀλλάττοντα τὸ αὑτοῦ εἶδος εἰς πολλὰς μορφάς Pl. R. 380d; μ. θεῶν X. Mem. 4.3.13, cf. Philippians 2:6, Dam. Pr. 304; ἡρώων εἴδεα καὶ μορφάς A.R. 4.1193; κατά τε μορφὰς καὶ φωνάς gesticulations and cries, D.H. 14.9; τὴν μ. μελάγχρους, τῇ μ. μελίχροας, in complexion, Ptol. Tetr. 143, 144.
3. kind, sort, E. Ion 382, 1068 (lyr.), Pl. R. 397c, etc. (Possibly cogn. with Lat. forma for morg[uglide]hmâ, with f by dissimilation, cf. μύρμηξ.)
μορφή, μορφῆς, ἡ (from root signifying 'to lay hold of', 'seize' (cf. German Fassung); Fick, Part i., p. 174; Vanicek, p. 719), from Homer down, the form by which a person or thing strikes the vision; the external appearance: children are said to reflect ψυχῆς τέ καί μορφῆς ὁμοιότητα (of their parents), 4 Macc. 15:3 (4); ἐφανερώθη ἐν ἑτέρα μορφή, Mark 16:12; ἐν μορφή Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, Philippians 2:6; μορφήν δούλου λαβών, Philippians 2:7; — this whole passage (as I have shown more fully in the Zeitschr. f. wissensch. Theol. for 1873, pp. 33ff, with which compare the different view given by Holsten in the Jahrbb. f. protest. Theol. for 1875, p. 449ff) is to be explained as follows: who, although (formerly when he was λόγος ἄσαρκος) "he bore the form (in which he appeared to the inhabitants of heaven) of God (the sovereign, opposed to μορφή δούλου), yet did not think that this equality with God was to be eagerly clung to or retained (see ἁρπαγμός, 2), but emptied himself of it (see κενόω, 1) so as to assume the form of a servant, in that he became like unto men (for angels also are δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8f) and was found in fashion as a man". (God μένει ἀεί ἁπλῶς ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ μορφή, Plato, de rep. 2, p. 381 c., and it is denied that God φαντάζεσθαι ἄλλοτε ἐν ἀλλαις ἰδέαις ... καί ἀλλαττοντα τό αὐτοῦ εἶδος εἰς πολλάς μορφας ... καί τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἰδεας ἐκβαίνειν, p. 380 d.; ἡκιστ' ἄν πολλάς μορφας ἰσχοι ὁ Θεός, p. 381 b.; ἑνός σώματος οὐσίαν μετασχηματίζειν καί μεταχαράττειν εἰς πολυτροπους μορφας, Philo leg. ad Gaium § 11; οὐ γάρ ὥσπερ τό νόμισμα παρακομμα καί Θεοῦ μορφή γίνεται, ibid. § 14 at the end; God ἔργοις μέν καί χαρισιν ἐνεργής καί παντός ὁυτινοσουν φανερωτερος, μορφήν δέ καί μέγεθος ἡμῖν ἀφανεστατος, Josephus, contra Apion 2, 22, 2.) [SYNONYMS: μορφή, σχῆμα: according to Lightfoot (see the thorough discussion in his 'Detached Note' on Phil. ii.) and Trench (N. T. Synonyms, § lxx.), μορφή form differs from σχῆμα figure, shape, fashion, as that which is intrinsic and essential, from that which is outward and accidental. So in the main Bengel, Philippi, others, on Romans 12:2; but the distinction is rejected by many; see Meyer and especially Fritzsche, in the place cited Yet the last-named commentator makes μορφή δούλου in Philippians, the passage cited relate to the complete form, or nature, of a servant; and σχῆμα to the external form, or human body.]
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μορφή , -ῆς , ἡ ,
[in LXX: Judges 8:18 A (H8389), Job 4:16 (H8544), Isaiah 44:13 (H8403), Da LXX Daniel 3:19 (H6754), Da TH Daniel 4:33; Daniel 5:6; Daniel 5:9-10; Daniel 7:28 (H2122), Tobit 1:13, Wisdom of Solomon 18:1, 4 Maccabees 15:4 *;]
form, shape, appearance (Hom., Eur., . sch., al.); in philos. lang. the specific character or essential form (Arist., v. Gifford, Inc., 26 ff.) : Mark 16:12, Philippians 2:6-7.†
SYN.: μόρφωσις G3446, the outline, delineation, semblance of the μορφή G3444, as distinct from the μ . itself (Lft., Notes, 262); σχῆμα G4976, shape, fashion, disting. from μορφή as the outward and accidental from the inward and essential (cf. Tr., Syn., § LXX; Lft., Phi., 125 ff.; Gifford., Inc., l.c.).
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
Without entering into the discussion as to whether this term when applied to Zenas in Titus 3:13 implies in his case a knowledge of Roman or Hebrew law, it may be noted that exx. of the former sense can be readily produced from the papyri and inscrr. : see e.g. BGU I. 326ii. 22 (ii/A.D.) where a certain Gaius Lucius Geminianus, νομικὸς Ῥωμαϊκός, certifies that he bas examined the copy of a will, and finds that it corresponds with the original : cf. Mommsen’s commentary ad l. in the Berliner Sitzungsberichte, 1894, p. 4, n..1, where a number of instances of νομικός, ";lawyer,"; are cited from Greek inscrr. of the Imperial age. See also Magn 191.4 (time of Antonines) a decree honouring Ζώβιον Διοσκουρίδου νομικὸν ζήσαντα κοσμίως, and PAS ii. p. 137 (Imperial period) Λ. Μαλίῳ Μαξίμῳ νομικῷ. In P Oxy II. 237viii. 2 (A.D. 186) we have the copy of an answer by a νομικός —ἀντίγραφον προσφω ̣ν ̣[ήσεως νομ ]ικοῦ —to a technical question addressed to him by the presiding magistrate, which prepares us for the frequent appointment of νομικοί as ";assessors,"; where ";the judge was a soldier and therefore not a legal expert"; : see GH ad I. and cf. CPR I. 18.24 (A.D. 124) (= Chrest. II. p. 93) Βλαίσιος Μαριανὸς ἔπαρχος. . συνλαλήσας Ἀρτε [μι ]δ [ώρῳ τ ]ῷ νομ [ι ]κῷ [π ]ε [ρὶ το ]ῦ πράγματος, ὑ [πη ]γόρευσεν ἀπό [φασιν ἣ καὶ ἀν ]ε [γ ]νώσθ [η, P Cattaouiiii. 18 (ii/A.D.) (= Archiv iii. p. 59, Chrest. II. p. 421) Λοῦπ [ος ] λαλήσας μετὰ τῶν νομικῶν εἶπεν κτλ. The term is also applied to a private notary, as in BGU I. 361iii. 2 (A.D. 184) ὁ νομικὸς ὁ τὴν οἰκονομίαν γράψας : and for the corresponding νομογράφος cf. P Fay 28.15 (A.D. 150–1) ( = Selections, p. 82) ἔγραψ [ε ]ν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν Ἀμμώνιος νομογ (ράφος). On the late variant νομικάριος for νομικός see P Oxy XII. 1416.21 (c. A.D. 299) with the editors’ note.
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
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