A thorn
ἄκανθαStrong’s G0173akantha
Appears in 11 verses of the New Testament
In short
Akantha is the Greek word usually translated “thorns”. It appears in 11 verses of the New Testament.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”
Meaning
Usually translated “thorns”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- thorns 14
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Matthew 4
- Luke 3
- Mark 2
- John 1
- Hebrews 1
5 books in all.
Related words
Explore in Scripture
- Matthew 13:7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
- Matthew 13:22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
- Matthew 27:29And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
- Mark 4:7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
- Mark 4:18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
- Luke 6:44For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
Greek dictionary
ἄκανθα akantha · a thorn
ἄκανθα, -ης, ἡ (ἀκή, a point), [in LXX chiefly for קוֹץ, also for סִיר, שַׁיִת, etc. ;] a prickly plant, thorn, brier; in NT always pl.: Mat.7:16 13:7,22 27:29, Mrk.4:7,18, Luk.6:44 8:7,14, Jhn.19:2, Heb.6:8 (see MM, VGT, see word).† (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “thorn” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
THORN, noun
- A tree or shrub armed with spines or sharp ligneous shoots; as the black thorn; white thorn etc.
- A sharp ligneous or woody shoot from the stem of a tree or shrub; a sharp process from the woody part of a plant; a spine. thorn differs from prickle; the latter being applied to the sharp points issuing from the bark of a plant and not attached to the wood, as in the rose and bramble.
- Any thing troublesome. 2 Corinthians 12:7Numbers 33:55
- In Scripture, great difficulties and impediments.
All definitions and other forms of “thorn”
- Worldly cares; things which prevent the growth of good principles. Matthew 13:7
THORN'-APPLE, noun
[thorn and apple.]
A plant of the genus Datura; a popular name of the Datura Stramonium, or apple of Peru.
THORN'-BACK, noun
[thorn and back.]
A fish of the ray kind, which has prickles on its back.
THORN'-BUSH, noun
A shrub that produces thorns.
THORN'-BUT, noun
A fish, a but or turbot.
THORN'-HEDGE, noun
[thorn and hedge.]
A hedge or fence consisting of thorn
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.