What does δεσμόν (desmón) mean in the Bible?
δεσμός (desmos), represented here by G1199, names a bond, fetter, or chain used to restrain a prisoner. Paul's letters make the physical reality impossible to romanticize.
Greek · G1199
δεσμόν
Chain
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δεσμόν G1199
Pronunciation desmón
What does δεσμόν (desmón) mean in the Bible?
δεσμός (desmos), represented here by G1199, names a bond, fetter, or chain used to restrain a prisoner. Paul's letters make the physical reality impossible to romanticize.
Reader summary
Full entry for δεσμόν (G1199) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1199?
The BSB source-word alignment has 18 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include chains (12), imprisonment (2), being chained (1), bondage (1), in chains (1).
Where does δεσμόν (desmón) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 7:35. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (5), Philippians (4), Luke (2), Philemon (2).
What This Word Actually Means
δεσμός (desmos), represented here by G1199, names a bond, fetter, or chain used to restrain a prisoner. Paul's letters make the physical reality impossible to romanticize. Chains limit movement, expose the prisoner to shame, and remind congregations that gospel ministry can carry public cost. Yet 2 Timothy 2:9 places a decisive contrast inside the prison scene: Paul is chained like a criminal, but the word of God is not chained.
Colossians asks the church to remember his chains, turning imprisonment into a call for solidarity rather than admiration from a distance. Philemon locates the birth of a new Christian brotherhood within those same bonds as Onesimus becomes Paul's child in the faith. The noun does not make suffering virtuous by itself. Its pastoral weight comes from faithful service to Christ within unjust restraint and from the gospel's freedom to work through a confined messenger.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul's chains are concrete instruments of confinement, yet they become settings for gospel endurance, congregational remembrance, and a new relationship in Christ.
- 2Tim.2.9
For which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained!
The contrast is between a restrained messenger and an unrestrained word. Paul's endurance rests on the risen Christ and serves the salvation of others.
- Col.4.18
This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Paul's handwritten closing makes imprisonment personal and asks the church to remember rather than detach itself from the cost of his ministry.
- Phlm.1.10
I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains.
While physically bound, Paul becomes Onesimus's father in the faith. The gospel creates a beloved brother where the surrounding social order saw a useful or useless slave.
Passage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It chains 12× Luke 8:29, Acts 16:26, Acts 20:23, Acts 26:29
imprisonment 2× Acts 23:29, Acts 26:31
being chained 1× 2 Timothy 2:9
bondage 1× Luke 13:16
in chains 1× Philippians 1:13
vvv 1× Mark 7:35
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 7:35 δεσμὸς to vvv Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 8:29 δεσμὰ to chains Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Luke 13:16 δεσμοῦ to bondage Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Acts 16:26 δεσμὰ to chains Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural Acts 20:23 δεσμὰ to chains Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural Acts 23:29 δεσμῶν to imprisonment Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Acts 26:29 δεσμῶν to chains Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Acts 26:31 δεσμῶν to imprisonment Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Philippians 1:7 δεσμοῖς to chains Noun - Dative Masculine Plural Philippians 1:13 δεσμούς to in chains Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Mark 7:35
Aligned rows 18
Books represented 9
Mark 1 Luke 2 Acts 5 Philippians 4 Colossians 1 2 Timothy 1 Philemon 2 Hebrews 1 Jude 1
Source forms
δεσμοῖς 6x desmois Philippians 1:7, Philippians 1:14, Philippians 1:17, Philemon 1:10
δεσμῶν 6x desmōn Acts 23:29, Acts 26:29, Acts 26:31, Colossians 4:18
δεσμὰ 3x desma Luke 8:29, Acts 16:26, Acts 20:23
δεσμὸς 1x desmos Mark 7:35
δεσμοῦ 1x desmou Luke 13:16
δεσμούς 1x desmous Philippians 1:13
Parsing patterns
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural 6x Philippians 1:7, Philippians 1:14, Philippians 1:17, Philemon 1:10
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural 6x Acts 23:29, Acts 26:29, Acts 26:31, Colossians 4:18
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural 2x Acts 16:26, Acts 20:23
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural 1x Philippians 1:13
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural 1x Luke 8:29
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular 1x Luke 13:16
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x Mark 7:35
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Remember suffering believers and servants in tangible ways rather than admiring endurance from a safe distance.
- Keep confidence in God's word distinct from predictions about when or how a particular prisoner will be freed.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that chains or persecution make a messenger faithful apart from truth and allegiance to Christ.
- Do not claim that Paul's statement about the unchained word guarantees freedom from suffering or confinement.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Physical or metaphorical restraint; often Paul's imprisonment bonds symbolizing suffering for gospel proclamation.
Strong's G1199
Lexical occurrences 3 verses Greek text appearances 20 times 16 shown below Word forms 2 forms 3 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 13:10-17 Source Gloss
chain
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 20 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 7:35 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
δεσμὸς desmov
a bond, chain
Read verse Luke 8:29 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
δεσμὰ desma
a bond, chain
Read verse Luke 13:16 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
δεσμοῦ desmou
a bond, chain
Read verse Acts 16:26 Noun Nominative Plural Neuter
δεσμὰ desma
a bond, chain
Read verse Acts 20:23 Noun Nominative Plural Neuter
δεσμά desma
a bond, chain
Read verse Acts 22:30 Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
δεσμῶν, desmwn
a bond, chain
Read verse Acts 23:29 Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
δεσμῶν desmwn
a bond, chain
Read verse Acts 26:29 Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
δεσμῶν desmwn
a bond, chain
Read verse Acts 26:31 Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
δεσμῶν desmwn
a bond, chain
Read verse Philippians 1:7 Noun Dative Plural Masculine
δεσμοῖς desmoiv
a bond, chain
Read verse Philippians 1:13 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
δεσμούς desmouv
a bond, chain
Read verse Philippians 1:14 Noun Dative Plural Masculine
δεσμοῖς desmoiv
a bond, chain
Read verse Philippians 1:16 Noun Dative Plural Masculine
δεσμοῖς desmoiv
a bond, chain
Read verse Colossians 4:18 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
δεσμῶν. desmwn
a bond, chain
Read verse 2 Timothy 2:9 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
δεσμῶν, desmwn
a bond, chain
Read verse Philemon 1:10 Noun Dative Plural Masculine
δεσμοῖς desmoiv
a bond, chain
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 2 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 2 Aligned forms 3 Case pattern Nominative (2) Number pattern Plural (3)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · Neuter Acts 16:26 · Acts 20:23 2×
Accusative · Plural · Neuter Luke 8:29 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Metaphorical constraint or affliction binding a person, physical disability
Literal physical bonds or imprisonment, particularly Paul's captivity for the gospel
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 3 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
δεσμόν is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Paul does not deny the humiliation or restriction of imprisonment. He names himself as chained like a criminal, asks congregations to remember his bonds, and writes as one whose movement depends on others. The gospel's power is revealed not by pretending those limits are unreal but by showing what God does within them. In 2 Timothy 2, the risen Jesus Christ anchors Paul's endurance, and the unchained word continues to serve the salvation of the elect.
Colossians turns memory into congregational responsibility: grace does not permit the church to forget a suffering messenger. Philemon shows another fruit, as imprisonment becomes the setting for Onesimus's conversion and a new brotherly claim on Philemon. Christians should neither seek suffering as proof of faithfulness nor measure the gospel by visible access and influence.
The word remains free because its Lord is risen, even when His servant is bound.
Anchor passage
2Tim.2.9
Doctrinal connections
- Acts 28:16-31 - confinement does not prevent Paul from proclaiming the kingdom
- Philippians 1:12-18 - imprisonment advances the gospel in unexpected ways
- Colossians 4:2-18 - prayer, open doors, faithful ministry, and remembered chains
- 2 Timothy 2:8-13 - the risen Christ and unbound word sustain endurance
- Philemon 8-16 - the gospel forms brotherhood within the setting of imprisonment
The noun names a bond or fetter and often appears in the plural for a prisoner's chains. The physical sense controls Paul's metaphorical contrast in 2 Timothy 2:9: his body is restrained, while God's word is not subject to the same bonds. The verse does not redefine the noun as spiritual limitation.
From Old to New Testament
Joseph, Jeremiah, and other faithful servants suffer confinement in the Old Testament while God's purpose continues beyond their restraints. Paul's chains belong to that wider pattern of costly witness under divine providence, but the texts should not be collapsed into direct lexical equivalents or promises of identical deliverance.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain