Similar (in amount and kind)
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.
Isos means equal, the same, corresponding, or equivalent. The adjective and its related constructions compare persons, things, testimony, gifts, repayment, or status, but the exact comparison must be named from the sentence.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἴσος (G2470) · Open the biblical lexicon
Isos means equal, the same, corresponding, or equivalent. The adjective and its related constructions compare persons, things, testimony, gifts, repayment, or status, but the exact comparison must be named from the sentence.
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include equal (3), inconsistent (2), equality (1), in full (1), same (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 20:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (2), Acts (1), John (1), Luke (1).
Isos means equal, the same, corresponding, or equivalent. The adjective and its related constructions compare persons, things, testimony, gifts, repayment, or status, but the exact comparison must be named from the sentence. Workers in a parable complain of equal treatment. Witnesses fail to give matching testimony. Peter recognizes the same divine gift among Gentile believers.
John 5 and Philippians 2 use equality language in weighty Christological contexts, where the whole passages govern what is confessed about the Son. The word establishes a comparison; it does not by itself explain every dimension of that comparison. Teachers should state what two realities are being compared, respect narrative or grammatical setting, and refuse to make the lexeme alone carry the full doctrine of the Trinity or Christ's person.
Isos expresses equality, sameness, agreement, or equivalent measure, with the surrounding construction determining whether the comparison concerns payment, testimony, gift, repayment, or divine identity.
‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
The first workers complain that the landowner treated the late workers as equal in payment.
For many bore false witness against Jesus, but their testimony was inconsistent.
The negative form describes testimony that does not agree or correspond.
Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
John reports the opponents' understanding of Jesus' claim within the Gospel's developing presentation of His identity.
So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?”
Peter recognizes that God gave Gentile believers the same gift received by Jewish believers.
Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Paul speaks of Christ's equality with God within the hymn's movement toward self-humbling and exaltation.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
The form conveys receiving back an equivalent amount within Jesus' teaching about generous love.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. similar (in amount and kind)
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
equal, identical
Read verseequal, identical
Read verseequal, identical
Read verseequal, identical
Read verseequal, identical
Read verseequal, identical
Read verseequal, identical
Read verseequal, identical
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.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 7 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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
ἴσος is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Isos teaches precision because equality is never an empty idea. Matthew's workers compare treatment and wages. Mark's trial witnesses fail to match. Acts 11 concerns the same gift of the Spirit across a Jew-Gentile boundary. Luke's teaching describes equivalent repayment. John 5 and Philippians 2 bring the language into Christology, but neither passage should be reduced to a dictionary gloss.
John develops the Son's relationship to the Father across the Gospel, and Philippians places equality with God within Christ's willing self-humbling, obedience, and exaltation. A faithful teacher will therefore identify the comparison, follow the argument, and confess the doctrine supplied by the passage. The lexical term supports close reading; it is not a shortcut around syntax, narrative, or canonical theology.
Php.2.6
Isos is an adjective of comparison. Its case, construction, negation, and compared terms determine whether it means equal, the same, consistent, or equivalent.
Scripture's concerns for just measure, truthful agreement, shared covenant blessing, and the identity of the Son provide distinct contexts for equality language rather than one undifferentiated theme.