What does λευκός (leukós) mean in the Bible?
Λευκός means white, bright, shining, or pale. Jesus notes that a person cannot make one hair white or black, exposing human inability behind oath-making claims.
Greek · G3022
λευκός
White
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λευκός G3022
Pronunciation leukós
What does λευκός (leukós) mean in the Bible?
Λευκός means white, bright, shining, or pale. Jesus notes that a person cannot make one hair white or black, exposing human inability behind oath-making claims.
Reader summary
Full entry for λευκός (G3022) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3022?
The BSB source-word alignment has 25 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include white (15), a white (6), as white (2), [was] white (1), ripe (1).
Where does λευκός (leukós) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:36. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (16), Matthew (3), John (2), Mark (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Λευκός means white, bright, shining, or pale. Jesus notes that a person cannot make one hair white or black, exposing human inability behind oath-making claims. At the transfiguration His clothes become dazzling white as His glory is revealed in prayer. Revelation uses white garments for faithful and cleansed people, white robes for the multinational multitude before the Lamb, and a great white throne for God's final judgment.
The color can describe ordinary hair, supernatural radiance, purity, victory, or majestic judgment. It does not assign moral value to skin color or ethnicity. The object, source of whiteness, narrative setting, and explicit interpretation determine what brightness or whiteness communicates.
How the Bible Uses It
Λευκός describes white or radiant appearance. Hair, transfiguration glory, cleansed garments, victorious worshipers, and the judgment throne carry distinct meanings.
- Matt.5.36
Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Jesus' oath teaching uses white and black hair to expose human lack of sovereign control and to call for simple, truthful speech.
- Luke.9.29
And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.
Jesus' clothing becomes radiantly white during prayer, visibly disclosing unique glory as Moses and Elijah speak with Him about His coming exodus.
- Rev.3.4
But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.
A faithful remnant in Sardis has not soiled its garments and will walk with Christ in white, joining purity to persevering allegiance rather than social prominence.
- Rev.7.9
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
The countless multiethnic multitude wears white robes washed in the Lamb's blood, making cleansing and victory gifts of redemption rather than racial symbolism.
- Rev.20.11
Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.
The great white throne frames final judgment before the One from whose presence creation flees, associating brightness with majestic purity and authority.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It white 15× Matthew 5:36, Matthew 28:3, Mark 9:3, Luke 9:29
a white 6× Mark 16:5, Revelation 2:17, Revelation 6:2, Revelation 6:11
as white 2× Matthew 17:2, Revelation 1:14
[was] white 1× Revelation 1:14
ripe 1× John 4:35
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 5:36 λευκὴν to white Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 17:2 λευκὰ to as white Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural Matthew 28:3 λευκὸν to white Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular Mark 9:3 λευκὰ to white Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural Mark 16:5 λευκήν to a white Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular Luke 9:29 λευκὸς to white Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular John 4:35 λευκαί to ripe Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural John 20:12 λευκοῖς to white Adjective - Dative Neuter Plural Acts 1:10 λευκαῖς to white Adjective - Dative Feminine Plural Revelation 1:14 λευκαὶ to [was] white Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 5:36
Aligned rows 25
Books represented 6
Matthew 3 Mark 2 Luke 1 John 2 Acts 1 Revelation 16
Source forms
λευκοῖς 5x leukois John 20:12, Revelation 3:4, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 4:4
λευκὰ 3x leuka Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:3, Revelation 3:18
λευκὸν 3x leukon Matthew 28:3, Revelation 19:14, Revelation 20:11
λευκή 2x leukē Revelation 6:11, Revelation 14:14
λευκήν 2x leukēn Mark 16:5, Revelation 2:17
λευκός 2x leukos Revelation 6:2, Revelation 19:11
λευκαί 1x leukai John 4:35
λευκαὶ 1x leukai Revelation 1:14
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Dative Neuter Plural 4x John 20:12, Revelation 3:4, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 4:4
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular 3x Matthew 5:36, Mark 16:5, Revelation 2:17
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 3x Luke 9:29, Revelation 6:2, Revelation 19:11
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural 2x Revelation 7:9, Revelation 7:13
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural 2x John 4:35, Revelation 1:14
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular 2x Revelation 6:11, Revelation 14:14
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural 2x Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:3
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular 2x Matthew 28:3, Revelation 1:14
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Explicitly separate biblical white imagery from skin color; using these texts to support racial hierarchy directly contradicts the multinational redeemed community they portray.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that λευκός makes whiteness of skin, culture, or clothing morally superior.
- Do not imply that human purity efforts cleanse robes apart from the Lamb's blood and faithful grace.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. White in Scripture symbolizes purity, righteousness, and eschatological glory rather than mere color description.
Strong's G3022
Lexical occurrences 25 verses Greek text appearances 25 times 16 shown below Word forms 10 forms 25 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
white
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 25 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 5:36 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
λευκὴν leukhn
white, bright
Read verse Matthew 17:2 Adjective Nominative Plural Neuter
λευκὰ leuka
white, bright
Read verse Matthew 28:3 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
λευκὸν leukon
white, bright
Read verse Mark 9:3 Adjective Nominative Plural Neuter
λευκὰ leuka
white, bright
Read verse Mark 16:5 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
λευκήν· leukhn
white, bright
Read verse Luke 9:29 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
λευκὸς leukov
white, bright
Read verse John 4:35 Adjective Nominative Plural Feminine
λευκαί leukai
white, bright
Read verse John 20:12 Adjective Dative Plural Neuter
λευκοῖς leukoiv
white, bright
Read verse Acts 1:10 Adjective Dative Singular Feminine
λευκῇ, leukh
white, bright
Read verse Revelation 1:14 Adjective Nominative Plural Feminine
λευκαὶ leukai
white, bright
Read verse Revelation 1:14 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
λευκόν, leukon
white, bright
Read verse Revelation 2:17 Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
λευκήν, leukhn
white, bright
Read verse Revelation 3:4 Adjective Dative Plural Neuter
λευκοῖς, leukoiv
white, bright
Read verse Revelation 3:5 Adjective Dative Plural Neuter
λευκοῖς· leukoiv
white, bright
Read verse Revelation 3:18 Adjective Accusative Plural Neuter
λευκά, leuka
white, bright
Read verse Revelation 4:4 Adjective Dative Plural Neuter
λευκοῖς, leukoiv
white, bright
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 10 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 patterns 10 Aligned forms 25 Case pattern Nominative (11) Number pattern Plural (12)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Luke 9:29 · Rev 6:2 · Rev 19:11 3×
Nominative · Plural · Neuter Matt 17:2 · Mark 9:3 2×
Nominative · Singular · Neuter Matt 28:3 · Rev 1:14 2×
Nominative · Plural · Feminine John 4:35 · Rev 1:14 2×
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Rev 6:11 · Rev 14:14 2×
Dative · Plural · Neuter John 20:12 · Rev 3:4 · Rev 3:5 · Rev 4:4 4×
Dative · Plural · Feminine Acts 1:10 1×
Dative · Plural · Masculine Rev 19:14 1×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 5:36 · Mark 16:5 · Rev 2:17 3×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine Rev 7:9 · Rev 7:13 2×
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
White and bright imagery receives meaning from what God reveals, not from human racial hierarchies. A white hair in Matthew simply demonstrates limits on personal control and the need for truthful speech. At the transfiguration, dazzling garments accompany disclosure of Jesus' glory and His path toward the cross. Revelation's white clothing belongs to people who remain faithful or have washed their robes in the Lamb's blood, including a multitude from every nation and language.
The white throne signifies the purity and majesty of final judgment. Churches should preach cleansing and victory as gifts of Christ, explicitly reject racist associations, and avoid treating dress, complexion, or aesthetic brightness as evidence of holiness.
Anchor passage
Matt.5.36
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 5:33-37, truthful speech and human limitation
- Luke 9:28-36, radiant glory and Jesus' exodus
- Revelation 3:1-6, undefiled garments and faithful witness
- Revelation 7:9-17, robes washed in the Lamb's blood
- Revelation 20:11-15, the great white throne and judgment
- Daniel 7:9-14, radiant Ancient of Days and the Son of Man
Λευκός is an adjective for white, bright, or shining and can describe hair, clothing, fields, stones, horses, or thrones. Symbolic force comes from context.
From Old to New Testament
Radiant garments accompany heavenly visions, cleansing is pictured as whitened cloth, and God's throne shines in purity. The Lamb redeems every people into one worshiping multitude.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain