A "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)
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ὄνομα means name, but in the biblical world a name is not merely a label — it is an identity, an authority, a character in concentrated form. The NT inherits this Hebrew understanding from the OT's dense name theology: to name something is to define it, to call upon a name is to invoke the reality behind it, and to act 'in someone's name' is to act with their delegated authority.
Reader summary
Full entry for ὄνομα (G3686) · Open the biblical lexicon
ὄνομα means name, but in the biblical world a name is not merely a label — it is an identity, an authority, a character in concentrated form. The NT inherits this Hebrew understanding from the OT's dense name theology: to name something is to define it, to call upon a name is to invoke the reality behind it, and to act 'in someone's name' is to act with.
The BSB source-word alignment has 230 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include name (145), named (34), [the] name (13), names (10), . . . (6).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:21. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (60), Revelation (38), Luke (34), John (25).
This entry includes 6 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
ὄνομα means name, but in the biblical world a name is not merely a label — it is an identity, an authority, a character in concentrated form. The NT inherits this Hebrew understanding from the OT's dense name theology: to name something is to define it, to call upon a name is to invoke the reality behind it, and to act 'in someone's name' is to act with their delegated authority.
The word carries this weight in almost every significant NT use. When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray 'hallowed be your name' (Matt 6:9), he is not asking that people speak respectfully of God — he is asking that God's character and reputation be held in the esteem they deserve across the whole creation. When he says 'whatever you ask in my name' (John 14:13-14), the phrase 'in my name' does not function as a formula to append to prayer but as a description of praying in accordance with who Jesus is and what he stands for — from his authority, under his character.
The name Christology of Philippians 2:9-11 is the NT apex of ὄνομα theology: the exalted Christ receives 'the name that is above every name,' and at that name every knee bows. Paul is not saying Jesus receives a new word to be spoken; he is saying Jesus receives the identity and authority that the name YHWH carries — an authority before which the whole cosmos bows.
The name above every name is God's own name, now given to the crucified and risen Jesus.
ὄνομα occurs about 229 times in the local NT index, appearing across every major author and genre. Its uses span the literal (personal names), the theological (the divine name), the christological (the name of Jesus), the missional (baptism and proclamation in the name), and the eschatological (the Lamb's name written on foreheads). The density of name-theology in the NT reflects the OT Deuteronomic inheritance: God's name is his chosen presence, his character made accessible.
So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
The first petition of the Lord's Prayer is an ὄνομα prayer: that God's name — his character, reputation, and presence — be treated as holy across the world. The petition is simultaneously doxological and eschatological: we pray for a present reality (reverencing the divine name) that will be fully realized when God's kingdom comes. To pray for the hallowing of the name is to align the pray-er's desire with God's own purpose for his reputation in the world.
Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name,
The christological apex of ὄνομα theology: the exaltation of Christ involves a name-bestowal that places him above every other name in the cosmos. The 'name above every name' in its OT background is the divine name YHWH — Paul's point is that Jesus receives the full authority and identity that the divine name carries. The confession 'Jesus is Lord' (kyrios = LXX rendering of YHWH) is the content of the name's supremacy.
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
John's stated purpose for his Gospel is framed in ὄνομα terms: life is found 'in his name' — in the person, authority, and identity of Jesus. This is not a formula but an ontological claim: eternal life exists in connection with the named reality of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. The Gospel's entire narrative is a progressive revelation of that name.
Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Peter's declaration before the Sanhedrin reduces the exclusivity claim to its ὄνομα core: there is no other name — no other identity, authority, or person — by whom salvation comes. The 'no other name' claim is not merely linguistic exclusivity but ontological: the salvation that God provides comes through and only through this specific named person.
The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.
The eschatological ὄνομα promise to the overcomer in Philadelphia: three names written — the name of God, the name of the new Jerusalem, and Christ's own new name. To be marked with the name is to be identified with, claimed by, and belonging to the one whose name is written. The triple name-inscription is the final seal of identity: the overcomer's identity is permanently and publicly God's.
And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
The prayer-name promise establishes the relationship between ὄνομα and intercession: praying in Jesus' name means praying in accordance with who he is, what he stands for, and under his authority — not appending a formula. The purpose clause ('that the Father may be glorified in the Son') shows that authentic ὄνομα-prayer is aligned with the divine purpose, not the pray-er's private agenda.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. In biblical usage, name represents the person's authority, character, and divine attributes, not mere designation.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 229 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
name, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
Read versename, character, reputation
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.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 7 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.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 229 lexical occurrence verses.
ὄνομα is built from these roots:
Represents Christ’s authority and identity. 1 John 2:12-14
Authority and salvation are grounded in Christ’s name. Acts 16:16-24
Authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 19:11-20
Highlights the authority vested in Jesus’ person. Acts 21:7-14
Expresses allegiance to Jesus’ person and lordship. Acts 3:1-10
Healing occurs in the name of Jesus, emphasizing that His authority and presence stand behind the miracle. Acts 4:1-12
The authority and saving power belong uniquely to Jesus’ name. Acts 4:13-22
The conflict centers on the authority of Jesus’ name, underscoring its saving significance. Acts 5:27-42
Suffering is endured for Jesus’ name, emphasizing allegiance to His authority.
Forgiveness is grounded in who Christ is and what He has done, not in human worthiness.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
The ὄνομα theology recovers something that has been lost in the reduction of 'in Jesus' name' to a closing formula: the name is the person's identity, authority, and character made accessible. To act in someone's name is to act with their full backing, under their character, in service of their purpose. When Jesus says 'whatever you ask in my name,' the pastoral content is not a technique but a description of what prayer aligned with Jesus looks like: prayer that arises from understanding who he is, what he has done, and what he stands for — prayer shaped by his character.
Philippians 2:9-11 grounds all of this in the exaltation narrative: Jesus receives the supreme name precisely because he emptied himself of the privileges that name might have secured for him. The name above every name was earned by the one who took the form of a servant, was obedient to death, and was raised by the Father. Every time the community calls on that name, they are invoking the authority of the one who came down, not the one who stayed up.
Phil.2.9
ὄνομα in classical Greek primarily meant a personal name or noun (the grammatical category 'name' derives from this). In the NT its theological weight comes entirely from the LXX inheritance of Hebrew שֵׁם, which carried the person's identity, authority, and representative presence. The phrase ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι (in the name) functions in the NT similarly to the Hebrew beshem: to act in the name is to act as a representative with delegated authority.
This is the background for baptism, healing, and prayer 'in the name of Jesus' — all actions performed under and by means of his delegated authority.
The OT name theology centers on two realities: the divine name as God's chosen self-disclosure (Exod 3, the burning bush; Deut 12, the place where God 'puts his name'), and the power of naming to define identity (Adam naming creation in Gen 2; God renaming Abram, Jacob, and others at covenant-transition moments). The NT christological move is to claim that Jesus receives the divine name — not a new word for God but the full identity and authority that YHWH carries — as the result of his redemptive work.
Acts 4:12's 'no other name' is not a new doctrine but the application of the OT name theology to the person of Jesus: salvation was always associated with the name of YHWH (Joel 2:32, quoted in Acts 2:21), and now the one who bears that supreme name has been revealed as Jesus.
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