Black
μέλαςStrong’s G3189melas
Appears in 3 verses of the New Testament
In short
Melas is the Greek word usually translated “black”. It appears in 3 verses of the New Testament.
“Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.”
Meaning
Usually translated “black”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- black 3
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Revelation 2
- Matthew 1
2 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Revelation 6:5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
- Revelation 6:12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Greek dictionary
μέλας melas · black
μέλας, -αινα, -αν genitive, -ανος, -αίνης, -ανος, [in LXX: Sng.1:5, Zec.6:2 (שָׁחֹר), etc. ;] black: Rev.6:5, 12; opposite to λευκός, Mat.5:36; neut., τὸ μ., ink : 2Co.3:3, II Jn 12, 3Jn.13.† (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “black” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
BLACK, adjective
- Of the color of night; destitute of light; dark.
- Darkened by clouds; as the heavens black with clouds.
- Sullen; having a cloudy look or countenance.
- Atrociously wicked; horrible; as a black deed or crime.
All definitions and other forms of “black”
- Dismal; mournful; calamitous.
BLACK, noun
That which is destitute of light or whiteness; the darkest color, or rather a destitution of all color; as, a cloth has a good black
- A negro; a person whose skin is black
- A black dress, or mourning; as, to be clothed in black
BLACK, verb transitive
To make black; to blacken; to soil.
BLACK'-ACT, noun
[black and act.]
The English statute 9.Geo.I. which makes it felony to appear armed in any park or warren, etc., or
BLACK'-BALL, noun
[black and ball.]
A composition for blacking shoes.
BLACK'-BALL, verb transitive
To reject or negative in choosing, by putting black balls into a ballot-box.
BLACK'-BAR, noun
[black and bar.]
A plea obliging the plaintiff to assign the place of trespass.
BLACK'-BERRY, noun
The berry of the bramble or rubus; a popular name applied, in different places, to different species, or varieties of this fruit.
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.