What does κῦμα (kŷma) mean in the Bible?
Kyma names a wave. The Gospel witnesses describe waves engulfing or buffeting a boat and breaking over it during a violent storm.
Greek · G2949
κῦμα
Kyma names a wave. The Gospel witnesses describe waves engulfing or buffeting a boat and breaking over it during a violent storm.
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.
κῦμαG2949
Pronunciationkŷma
What does κῦμα (kŷma) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for κῦμα (G2949) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2949?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include waves (5).
Where does κῦμα (kŷma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 8:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (2), Acts (1), Jude (1), Mark (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Kyma names a wave. The Gospel witnesses describe waves engulfing or buffeting a boat and breaking over it during a violent storm. Jesus' presence, words and rescue lead the disciples toward recognition of His authority; the waves themselves are real dangers within the narratives. Acts describes waves breaking the stern of the grounded ship before the company reaches land, with God's particular promise and practical actions retained together.
Jude uses wild sea waves as an image for the shameful conduct of the deceptive people he has described. A physical threat and a moral image must not become one diagnosis of everyone who feels overwhelmed. The noun can help readers attend to danger, dependence and the conduct named in Jude without claiming that each storm is punishment. God's rescue in these accounts does not give a teacher grounds to dismiss maritime risk, blame survivors or promise that every disaster will end without loss.
How the Bible Uses It
Five direct tagged BSB verses describe storm waves around the disciples, waves breaking the grounded ship and Jude's image of deceptive conduct foaming up shame.
- Mark.4.37
Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.
Waves break over the boat and swamp it before Jesus rebukes wind and sea, retaining real danger and His authority together.
- Matt.8.24
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.
The boat is engulfed while Jesus sleeps, followed by the disciples' plea for rescue and amazement at His command.
- Matt.14.24
But the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Waves buffet the boat against the wind before Jesus approaches, reassures the disciples and takes hold of sinking Peter.
- Acts.27.41
But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves.
Waves break the stern after grounding; the subsequent rescue includes the centurion stopping violence and passengers using available means.
- Jude.1.13
They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Wild waves picture the shameful conduct of the deceptive people already described, rather than the emotional state of distressed believers.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itwaves5×Matthew 8:24, Matthew 14:24, Mark 4:37, Acts 27:41
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 8:24
Aligned rows5
Books represented4
Matthew2Mark1Acts1Jude1
Source forms
κύματα2xkymataMark 4:37, Jude 1:13
κυμάτων2xkymatōnMatthew 8:24, Matthew 14:24
κυμάτων1xkymatōnActs 27:41
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural3xMatthew 8:24, Matthew 14:24, Acts 27:41
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural2xMark 4:37, Jude 1:13
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use practical safety measures and give patient support to people harmed by disasters.
- Offer moral discernment without converting another person's distress into a final verdict.
Avoid claiming...
- The wave noun cannot explain why a particular person suffered disaster.
- A narrated rescue does not guarantee immunity from drowning, loss or fear.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Wave as a swelling, surging mass of water—emphasizes the dynamic motion of rising and breaking.
Strong'sG2949
Lexical occurrences4 versesGreek text appearances5 timesWord forms2 forms4 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
a billow (as bursting or toppling)
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Wave as a swelling, surging mass of water—emphasizes the dynamic motion of rising and breaking.
(κύω, to be pregnant, to swell) [in LXX chiefly for גַּל ;] a wave: pl., Mat.8:24 14:24, Mrk.4:37; κ. θαλάσσης, figuratively, Ju 13.
Synonymsκλύδων, q.v
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 8:24Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
κυμάτων·kumatwn
a wave
Read verseMatthew 14:24Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
κυμάτων·kumatwn
a wave
Read verseMark 4:37Noun Nominative Plural Neuter
κύματαkumata
a wave
Read verseActs 27:41Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
κυμάτων.kumatwn
a wave
Read verseJude 1:13Noun Nominative Plural Neuter
κύματαkumata
a wave
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 forms4Case patternGenitive (2)Number patternPlural (4)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · NeuterMark 4:37 · Jude 1:132×
Genitive · Plural · NeuterMatt 8:24 · Matt 14:242×
For the Preacher and Teacher
The Gospel storm scenes invite attention to Jesus in a boat that is truly threatened. He challenges the disciples' fear and commands what overwhelms them, while Matthew's later account records Him immediately taking hold of Peter as he sinks. The texts direct trust toward Him rather than teach that faithful people cannot face dangerous water. Acts holds a particular promise and practical preservation together: Paul urges food, sailors must remain, the ship grounds and the centurion stops the plan to kill prisoners before people swim or use wreckage to reach land.
The breaking waves do not cancel God's promise in that account, but the rescue cannot become a universal forecast for every voyage. Jude uses waves differently, describing deceptive conduct and shame within his warning. His later instruction includes mercy toward those who doubt. Teachers can encourage courage, practical care and moral discernment while leaving disaster blame and verdicts on another person's distress outside the word's scope.
Anchor passage
Mark.4.37
Doctrinal connections
- Jesus' command over wind and sea leads the disciples toward recognition of Him.
- Matthew records Jesus taking hold of Peter when he begins to sink.
- Acts joins God's specific voyage promise to food and responsible preservation.
- The centurion's intervention protects prisoners from a proposed act of violence.
- Jude's wild-wave image names the deceptive conduct described in his warning.
- Jude also instructs the beloved community to show mercy toward those who doubt.
The tagged BSB witnesses use neuter plural noun forms in nominative and genitive cases. Jude's figurative use comes from its comparison and described participants, while the other passages report physical waves; grammatical case does not determine a spiritual verdict.
From Old to New Testament
Psalm 107:23-32 describes seafarers losing courage amid rising waves, crying to the Lord and giving thanks after He guides them to harbor. Its thanksgiving can accompany Gospel storm reading without turning the poem or a particular rescue into a promise that every maritime disaster has the same outcome.