- ἑπτά
- ἑπτά indecl. (Hom.+; loanw. in rabb.) seven in dating an event MPol 21. As a sacred number (WRoscher, D. Sieben-u. Neunzahl in Kultus u. Mythus der Griechen 1904; JGraf, D. Zahl ‘Sieben’ 1917; JHehn, Z. Bed. der Siebenzahl: Marti Festschr. [=Beih. ZAW 41] 1925, 128–36; RGordis, JBL 62, ’43, 17–26.—Jos., Bell. 7, 149 παρὰ τ. Ἰουδαίοις ἑβδομάδος ἡ τιμή), perhaps at times determining the choice of a number (Pla., Theaet. 174e τὶς ἑπτὰ πάππους πλουσίους ἔχων; Diod S 4, 27, 2 ἑπτὰ θυγατέρας; 4, 61, 3f): seven spirits Mt 12:45; Mk 16:9; Lk 8:2; 11:26; loaves of bread Mt 15:34, 36f; 16:10; Mk 8:5f, 20; baskets Mt 15:37; Mk 8:8; brothers Mt 22:25f, 28; Mk 12:20, 22f; Lk 20:29, 31, 33; sons Ac 19:14; nations 13:19 (Dt 7:1); years Lk 2:36; days 20:6; 21:4, 27; 28:14; Hb 11:30. Seven church officials (PGaechter, Petrus u. seine Zeit ’58, 106–35) Ac 6:3; cp. 21:8, where οἱ ἑπτά ‘the seven’, corresp. to οἱ δώδεκα, designates a definite fixed group (οἱ ἑπτά=the seven wise men: Diog. L. 1, 40; 82;=the seven against Thebes: Aeschyl.; Diod S 4, 64, 1; 4, 66, 1). Esp. in Rv: seven churches 1:4, 11, 20; lampstands vss. 12, 13 v.l., 20; 2:1; stars 1:16, 20; 2:1; 3:1; torches 4:5; horns, eyes 5:6; seals 5:1; 6:1 (cp. GPt 8:33); angels 8:2, 6; 15:1, 6–8; 17:1; 21:9 (cp. En 20:8); trumpets 8:2, 6; thunders 10:3f; heads 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7, 9; crowns 12:3; bowls 15:7; 16:1; 17:1; 21:9; heads of state 17:9; cp. v. 11; plagues 15:1, 6, 8; 21:9; 22:18 v.l.; mountains 17:9 (En 18:6; 24:2). Seven virtues Hv 3, 8, 2 al. χιλιάδες ἑ. seven thousand. Rv 11:13. On ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά Mt 18:22 s. ἑβδομηκοντάκις.—BHHW III 1785. On ἕβδομας s. the entry; cp. ζ´.—DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW.
Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά παλαιοχριστιανική Λογοτεχνία. 2015.