What does πτέρνα (ptérna) mean in the Bible?
πτέρνα (ptérna): Heel as the vulnerable point of the body; figuratively, treachery or betrayal through close association.
Greek · G4418
πτέρνα
The heel (figuratively)
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 the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
πτέρνα G4418
Pronunciation ptérna
What does πτέρνα (ptérna) mean in the Bible?
πτέρνα (ptérna): Heel as the vulnerable point of the body; figuratively, treachery or betrayal through close association.
Full entry for πτέρνα (G4418) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4418?
The BSB source-word alignment has 1 aligned row for this entry. Common renderings include heel (1).
Where does πτέρνα (ptérna) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at John 13:18. Its strongest book concentrations include John (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 It heel 1× John 13:18
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row John 13:18
Aligned rows 1
Books represented 1
John 1
Source forms
πτέρναν 1x pternan John 13:18
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 1x John 13:18
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Heel as the vulnerable point of the body; figuratively, treachery or betrayal through close association.
Strong's G4418
Lexical occurrences 1 verse Greek text appearances 1 time Word forms 1 form 1 reference Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
the heel (figuratively)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Heel as the vulnerable point of the body; figuratively, treachery or betrayal through close association.
the heel: figuratively, ἐπαίρειν τὴν π. ἐπί, Jhn.13:18 (LXX).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
1 Greek text appearance shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
John 13:18 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
πτέρναν pternan
the heel
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 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 1 Case pattern Accusative (1) Number pattern Singular (1)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Accusative · Singular · Feminine John 13:18 1×
Word Origins
πτέρνα is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
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.
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