What does ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx) mean in the Bible?
ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx): Cunning, destructive animal; metaphorically applied to Herod as crafty, dangerous ruler.
Greek · G258
ἀλώπηξ
Fox
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.
ἀλώπηξG258
Pronunciationalṓpēx
What does ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx) mean in the Bible?
ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx): Cunning, destructive animal; metaphorically applied to Herod as crafty, dangerous ruler.
Full entry for ἀλώπηξ (G258) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G258?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Foxes (2), fox (1).
Where does ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 8:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), Matthew (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 ItFoxes2×Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58
fox1×Luke 13:32
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 8:20
Aligned rows3
Books represented2
Matthew1Luke2
Source forms
ἀλώπεκες2xalōpekesMatthew 8:20, Luke 9:58
ἀλώπεκι1xalōpekiLuke 13:32
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural2xMatthew 8:20, Luke 9:58
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular1xLuke 13:32
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Cunning, destructive animal; metaphorically applied to Herod as crafty, dangerous ruler.
Strong'sG258
Lexical occurrences3 versesGreek text appearances3 timesWord forms2 forms3 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
fox
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.
Matthew 8:20Noun Nominative Plural Feminine
ἀλώπεκεςalwpekev
a fox
Read verseLuke 9:58Noun Nominative Plural Feminine
ἀλώπεκεςalwpekev
a fox
Read verseLuke 13:32Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἀλώπεκιalwpeki
a fox
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 patternPlural (2)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · FeminineMatt 8:20 · Luke 9:582×
Dative · Singular · FeminineLuke 13:321×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Witnesses
Luke 13:31–35ἀλώπηκιalṓpēx
Fox
Showing 1 selected witness from 3 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀλώπηξ is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.