What does κράσπεδον (kráspedon) mean in the Bible?
Kraspedon names an edge or fringe and, in the stated garment settings, a tassel. The woman who has suffered bleeding touches the fringe of Jesus' cloak in Matthew and Luke.
Greek · G2899
κράσπεδον
Kraspedon names an edge or fringe and, in the stated garment settings, a tassel. The woman who has suffered bleeding touches the fringe of Jesus' cloak in Matthew and Luke.
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κράσπεδονG2899
Pronunciationkráspedon
What does κράσπεδον (kráspedon) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for κράσπεδον (G2899) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2899?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include fringe (4), tassels (1).
Where does κράσπεδον (kráspedon) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 9:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (3), Luke (1), Mark (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Kraspedon names an edge or fringe and, in the stated garment settings, a tassel. The woman who has suffered bleeding touches the fringe of Jesus' cloak in Matthew and Luke. At Gennesaret people bring the sick and ask to touch His garment's fringe, with Matthew and Mark reporting healing. Jesus speaks to the woman about her faith and sends her in peace, while Luke identifies the power as coming from Him.
These scenes center His action rather than an independently powerful textile. Matthew 23 uses the plural for tassels lengthened by people whose deeds are done to be seen. The criticism names conspicuous display within a larger rebuke of status-seeking leadership, not a condemnation of every tassel or Jewish practice. Remembered commandments, a suffering person's approach to Jesus and public display retain different purposes.
The noun cannot prescribe a healing technique or rank a person's faith by an outcome.
How the Bible Uses It
Five direct BSB witnesses describe the fringe touched in two healing settings and the lengthened tassels criticized in Matthew's account of visible religious display.
- Matt.9.20
Suddenly a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak.
A woman suffering twelve years of bleeding approaches Jesus and touches His garment's fringe before He addresses her faith.
- Luke.8.44
She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
The bleeding stops on contact, and the following conversation attributes power to Jesus and sends the woman in peace.
- Matt.14.36
And begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.
People beg to touch the fringe after bringing the sick to Jesus; the account reports His healing without prescribing a reproducible method.
- Mark.6.56
And wherever He went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.
The marketplaces become places where the sick are brought to Jesus, and touching the fringe belongs to His reported healing activity.
- Matt.23.5
All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
Lengthened tassels appear in a sentence about deeds performed to be seen, within Jesus' warning about status and burdens.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itfringe4×Matthew 9:20, Matthew 14:36, Mark 6:56, Luke 8:44
tassels1×Matthew 23:5
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 9:20
Aligned rows5
Books represented3
Matthew3Mark1Luke1
Source forms
κρασπέδου4xkraspedouMatthew 9:20, Matthew 14:36, Mark 6:56, Luke 8:44
κράσπεδα1xkraspedaMatthew 23:5
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular4xMatthew 9:20, Matthew 14:36, Mark 6:56, Luke 8:44
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural1xMatthew 23:5
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Prayer and trust can accompany ongoing suitable medical and practical care.
- Protect suffering people from marketed objects or techniques promising guaranteed healing.
Avoid claiming...
- Touching a particular fabric does not supply a guaranteed healing technique today.
- The tassel rebuke does not establish that Jewish observance is inherently hypocritical.
Greek word. Ritual fringe or tassel on garment hem, worn as visible sign of religious devotion and law-keeping.
Strong'sG2899
Lexical occurrences5 versesGreek text appearances5 timesWord forms2 forms5 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkMark 6:53–56Source Gloss
edge
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 9:20Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
κρασπέδουkraspedou
the fringe, edge
Read verseMatthew 14:36Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
κρασπέδουkraspedou
the fringe, edge
Read verseMatthew 23:5Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
κράσπεδαkraspeda
the fringe, edge
Read verseMark 6:56Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
κρασπέδουkraspedou
the fringe, edge
Read verseLuke 8:44Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
κρασπέδουkraspedou
the fringe, edge
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 forms5Case patternGenitive (4)Number patternSingular (4)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Genitive · Singular · NeuterMatt 9:20 · Matt 14:36 · Mark 6:56 · Luke 8:444×
Accusative · Plural · NeuterMatt 23:51×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Additional Occurrences
Mark 6:53–56κράσπεδονkráspedon
fringe, tassel of garment
New Testament Witnesses
fringe
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
κράσπεδον is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
Reflects covenant symbolism and faith expression.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Luke narrates more than an anonymous touch of cloth. Jesus asks who touched Him, identifies power going out from Him and receives the woman's truthful account before sending her in peace. Matthew likewise places His personal address beside her approach. The fringe belongs to the encounter, but the narrative does not separate it from Jesus or authorize someone to market objects as guaranteed healing instruments.
The Gennesaret accounts report many people coming to Him with the same need and receiving healing; their testimony remains His action in those scenes rather than a verdict on people who remain ill. Matthew's lengthy-tassel criticism addresses another danger: religious deeds performed for recognition while burdens are placed on others. Numbers explains tassels as reminders of the Lord's commandments, making it necessary to distinguish remembered obedience from conspicuous self-promotion.
Teaching can honor the suffering woman's trust and Jesus' welcome while encouraging patient care, freedom from exploitation and accountability for public religious display.
Anchor passage
Luke.8.44
Doctrinal connections
- Luke attributes the healing power to Jesus within the woman's encounter.
- Jesus receives the woman's account and sends her forward in peace.
- The Gennesaret scenes report sick people being brought to Jesus.
- Matthew condemns religious deeds performed for people's recognition and praise.
- Numbers joins garment tassels to remembering and keeping the Lord's commandments.
- Jesus' leadership teaching emphasizes service rather than status displayed through clothing.
Four healing witnesses use the genitive singular neuter form for the fringe; Matthew 23:5 uses the accusative plural for tassels. Number and context distinguish a touched edge from displayed tassels without making grammar a healing mechanism.
From Old to New Testament
Numbers 15:37-41 commands tassels as reminders of the Lord's commandments, and Deuteronomy 22:12 mentions tassels on a cloak's corners. This source-bound background helps distinguish remembered obedience from Matthew's display motive without condemning Jewish identity or treating a garment as a healing instrument.