What does λύκος (lýkos) mean in the Bible?
λύκος (lýkos): Used figuratively for false teachers and dangerous enemies who deceive the innocent under false appearance of safety.
Greek · G3074
λύκος
A wolf
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.
λύκοςG3074
Pronunciationlýkos
What does λύκος (lýkos) mean in the Bible?
λύκος (lýkos): Used figuratively for false teachers and dangerous enemies who deceive the innocent under false appearance of safety.
Full entry for λύκος (G3074) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3074?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include wolves (4), wolf (2).
Where does λύκος (lýkos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:15. Its strongest book concentrations include John (2), Matthew (2), Acts (1), Luke (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 Itwolves4×Matthew 7:15, Matthew 10:16, Luke 10:3, Acts 20:29
wolf2×John 10:12
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 7:15λύκοιtowolvesNoun - Nominative Masculine PluralMatthew 10:16λύκωνtowolvesNoun - Genitive Masculine PluralLuke 10:3λύκωνtowolvesNoun - Genitive Masculine PluralJohn 10:12λύκονtowolfNoun - Accusative Masculine SingularJohn 10:12λύκοςtowolfNoun - Nominative Masculine SingularActs 20:29λύκοιtowolvesNoun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 7:15
Aligned rows6
Books represented4
Matthew2Luke1John2Acts1
Source forms
λύκοι2xlykoiMatthew 7:15, Acts 20:29
λύκων2xlykōnMatthew 10:16, Luke 10:3
λύκον1xlykonJohn 10:12
λύκος1xlykosJohn 10:12
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural2xMatthew 10:16, Luke 10:3
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural2xMatthew 7:15, Acts 20:29
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular1xJohn 10:12
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular1xJohn 10:12
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Used figuratively for false teachers and dangerous enemies who deceive the innocent under false appearance of safety.
Strong'sG3074
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms4 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkMatthew 10:16Source Gloss
a wolf
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 7:15Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
λύκοιlukoi
a wolf, jackal
Read verseMatthew 10:16Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
λύκων·lukwn
a wolf, jackal
Read verseLuke 10:3Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
λύκων.lukwn
a wolf, jackal
Read verseJohn 10:12Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
λύκονlukon
a wolf, jackal
Read verseJohn 10:12Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
λύκοςlukov
a wolf, jackal
Read verseActs 20:29Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
λύκοιlukoi
a wolf, jackal
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 4 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 patterns4Aligned forms6Case patternNominative (3)Number patternPlural (4)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · MasculineMatt 7:15 · Acts 20:292×
Nominative · Singular · MasculineJohn 10:121×
Genitive · Plural · MasculineMatt 10:16 · Luke 10:32×
Accusative · Singular · MasculineJohn 10:121×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Literal wolves as predators among sheep, metaphor for danger
Literal wolves as predators, figurative image of hostile opposition to disciples
Figurative: false prophets disguised as sheep, deceptive spiritual danger
Figurative: dangerous false teachers who exploit Christian communities after departure
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
λύκος is built from this root:
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.