What does θάμβος (thámbos) mean in the Bible?
θάμβος (thámbos): Amazement that overwhelms the observer, often triggered by witnessing divine power or supernatural events.
Greek · G2285
θάμβος
Amazement
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through theConnect page. Screenshots are helpful.
θάμβοςG2285
Pronunciationthámbos
What does θάμβος (thámbos) mean in the Bible?
θάμβος (thámbos): Amazement that overwhelms the observer, often triggered by witnessing divine power or supernatural events.
Full entry for θάμβος (G2285) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2285?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include were astonished (1), with amazement (1), with wonder (1).
Where does θάμβος (thámbos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 4:36. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), Acts (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itwere astonished1×Luke 5:9
with amazement1×Luke 4:36
with wonder1×Acts 3:10
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 4:36
Aligned rows3
Books represented2
Luke2Acts1
Source forms
θάμβος2xthambosLuke 4:36, Luke 5:9
θάμβους1xthambousActs 3:10
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular2xLuke 4:36, Luke 5:9
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular1xActs 3:10
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Amazement that overwhelms the observer, often triggered by witnessing divine power or supernatural events.
Strong'sG2285
Lexical occurrences3 versesGreek text appearances3 timesWord forms2 forms3 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkActs 3:1-10Source Gloss
amazement
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 4:36Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
θάμβοςqambov
astonishment
Read verseLuke 5:9Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
θάμβοςqambov
astonishment
Read verseActs 3:10Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
θάμβουςqambouv
astonishment
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 forms3Case patternNominative (2)Number patternSingular (3)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · NeuterLuke 4:36 · Luke 5:92×
Genitive · Singular · NeuterActs 3:101×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
A state of amazement or astonishment.
Showing 1 selected witness from 3 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
θάμβος is from an obsolete root - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
The public reaction creates an opening for gospel proclamation, showing how signs serve witness.Acts 3:1-10