What does δοκός (dokós) mean in the Bible?
Dokos names a beam of timber. Jesus places that oversized object in the eye of someone eager to correct another person, creating an arresting picture of unrecognized obstruction.
Greek · G1385
δοκός
Dokos names a beam of timber. Jesus places that oversized object in the eye of someone eager to correct another person, creating an arresting picture of unrecognized obstruction.
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δοκόςG1385
Pronunciationdokós
What does δοκός (dokós) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for δοκός (G1385) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1385?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [the] beam (3), beam (2), a beam (1).
Where does δοκός (dokós) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:3. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (3), Matthew (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Dokos names a beam of timber. Jesus places that oversized object in the eye of someone eager to correct another person, creating an arresting picture of unrecognized obstruction. In Matthew 7:3-5 the contrast is between noticing a brother's speck and failing to notice one's own beam; the speaker's claimed ability to help becomes unbelievable. Luke 6:41-42 repeats the challenge in teaching about mercy, judgment, and the danger of a blind guide.
The beam represents the fault the would-be helper has refused to face. Jesus commands its removal first, so that help can proceed with clearer sight. The image therefore calls for repentance and honesty before correction. It does not require pretending that another person's harmful conduct is harmless, nor does it make a person reporting wrongdoing responsible for the wrong committed against them.
How the Bible Uses It
Every direct New Testament use belongs to Jesus' beam-and-speck teaching. The repeated image moves from unnoticed personal obstruction, through an implausible offer of help, to the first act needed for clearer sight.
- Matt.7.3
Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
The question exposes selective attention: another person's small obstruction is visible while the speaker's much larger one goes unacknowledged.
- Matt.7.4
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye?
The offer to remove a speck is compromised by the beam still obstructing the proposed helper's own eye.
- Matt.7.5
You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Jesus gives an order for action: remove the beam first, then undertake the brother's help with clearer vision.
- Luke.6.42
How can you say, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while you yourself fail to see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Calling the other person brother does not excuse self-blindness; Luke retains both the charge of hypocrisy and the prospect of real help.
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[the] beam3×Matthew 7:3, Luke 6:41, Luke 6:42
beam2×Matthew 7:5, Luke 6:42
a beam1×Matthew 7:4
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 7:3δοκὸνto[the] beamNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularMatthew 7:4δοκὸςtoa beamNoun - Nominative Feminine SingularMatthew 7:5δοκόνtobeamNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularLuke 6:41δοκὸνto[the] beamNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularLuke 6:42δοκὸνto[the] beamNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularLuke 6:42δοκὸνtobeamNoun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 7:3
Aligned rows6
Books represented2
Matthew3Luke3
Source forms
δοκὸν4xdokonMatthew 7:3, Luke 6:41, Luke 6:42
δοκόν1xdokonMatthew 7:5
δοκὸς1xdokosMatthew 7:4
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular5xMatthew 7:3, Matthew 7:5, Luke 6:41, Luke 6:42
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular1xMatthew 7:4
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Self-examination should encourage accountable repentance rather than endless paralysis before every act of care.
- Hearing a report of harm and securing protection must not depend on the reporter's moral perfection.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim the beam prohibits all moral discernment, because Matthew soon commands recognition of false prophets.
- Do not claim this comparison makes every reported wrong insignificant, because Jesus confronts the hypocritical helper's obstruction.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Large timber beam, often used metaphorically for spiritual blindness obscuring self-awareness in judgment
Strong'sG1385
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms2 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 6:37-42Source Gloss
a stick of timber
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Large timber beam, often used metaphorically for spiritual blindness obscuring self-awareness in judgment
(δέχομαι) [in LXX for קוֹרָה, etc. ;] a beam of timber: Mat.7:3-5, Luk.6:41-42 (DCG, i, 176).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 7:3Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
δοκὸνdokon
a beam
Read verseMatthew 7:4Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
δοκὸςdokov
a beam
Read verseMatthew 7:5Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
δοκὸνdokon
a beam
Read verseLuke 6:41Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
δοκὸνdokon
a beam
Read verseLuke 6:42Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
δοκὸνdokon
a beam
Read verseLuke 6:42Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
δοκὸνdokon
a beam
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 patterns2Aligned forms6Case patternAccusative (5)Number patternSingular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · FeminineMatt 7:41×
Accusative · Singular · FeminineMatt 7:3 · Matt 7:5 · Luke 6:41 · Luke 6:425×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
A large wooden beam used metaphorically for spiritual blindness and hypocrisy
Showing 1 selected witness from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
δοκός is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
The moral weight of the beam falls on the person offering correction. That person sees enough to identify a speck elsewhere but has not admitted the obstruction in the eye from which the assessment is being made. Jesus does not reward this inconsistency with a more polished technique for criticism. He calls the helper a hypocrite and orders the beam removed first.
The final clause matters: clearer sight makes assistance possible, so repentance is preparation for responsible care rather than an excuse to abandon it. A teacher can invite hearers to identify where their own refusal to change distorts their counsel, while also preserving the chapter's warnings about destructive fruit. Truthful self-examination and protection from wrongdoing can belong together.
Anchor passage
Matt.7.5
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 7:1-5 brings the critic under the same searching judgment applied to others.
- Luke 6:36-42 places self-examination within the Father's mercy and the danger of blind guidance.
- Matthew 7:15-20 still requires discernment concerning false prophets and their destructive fruit.
- Galatians 6:1 joins restoring someone caught in wrongdoing with gentleness and personal watchfulness.
- Psalm 139:23-24 supplies a supporting prayer for God to search and lead the worshiper.
- Jesus' first-then order makes admitted repentance a condition of clearer corrective service.
Dokos is a feminine Greek noun for a timber beam. Its lexical meaning names the large object; the moral significance comes from Jesus' placement of it in the eye and His explicit accusation of hypocrisy.
From Old to New Testament
Psalm 139:23-24 asks God to search the worshiper's heart and lead the worshiper away from an offensive way. That prayer supports the posture of self-examination in Jesus' teaching, without being a direct occurrence of the Greek beam word or identifying every criticism as hypocrisy.