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Greek

Clay

ὀστράκινοςStrong’s G3749

ostrakinos

Appears in 2 verses of the New Testament

In short

Ostrakinos is the Greek word usually translated “earthen”. It appears in 2 verses of the New Testament.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “earthen”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • earthen 2

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • 2 Corinthians 1
  • 2 Timothy 1

2 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
Greek dictionary

ὀστράκινος ostrakinos · clay

ὀστράκινος -η, -ον (ὄστρακον, an earthen vessel or potsherd), [in LXX chiefly for חֶרֶשׂ ;] made of clay, earthen: 2Co.4:7, 2Ti.2:20.† (AS)

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “clay” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

CLAY, noun

  1. The name of certain substances which are mixtures of silex and alumin, sometimes with lime, magnesia, alkali and metallic oxyds.
  2. In poetry and in scripture, earth in general.
  3. In scripture, clay is used to express frailty, liableness to decay and destruction.“They that dwell in houses of clay” Job 4:19
All definitions and other forms of “clay”

    CLAY, verb transitive

    1. To cover or manure with clay
    2. To purify and whiten with clay as sugar.

    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.