What does σινδών (sindṓn) mean in the Bible?
Sindon names a linen cloth. Mark uses it for the cloth around an unnamed young man who flees when he is seized during Jesus' arrest.
Greek · G4616
σινδών
Sindon names a linen cloth. Mark uses it for the cloth around an unnamed young man who flees when he is seized during Jesus' arrest.
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σινδώνG4616
Pronunciationsindṓn
What does σινδών (sindṓn) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for σινδών (G4616) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4616?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a linen cloth (2), linen cloth (2), cloth (1), in a linen cloth (1).
Where does σινδών (sindṓn) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 27:59. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (4), Luke (1), Matthew (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Sindon names a linen cloth. Mark uses it for the cloth around an unnamed young man who flees when he is seized during Jesus' arrest. The same noun appears when Joseph purchases linen and wraps Jesus' body for burial. Matthew describes that burial cloth as clean, and Luke places the wrapped body in a previously unused rock-cut tomb. Clothing in a moment of flight and care for the dead are different uses of the material.
The word does not identify the fleeing young man, establish the authenticity of a surviving relic or give the fabric a spiritual power. In the burial scenes, the surrounding actions of requesting the body, wrapping it and placing it in the tomb make dignified care visible. Readers can attend to Jesus' actual death and the people who care for His body without making the cloth carry claims the accounts do not supply.
How the Bible Uses It
Six direct BSB linen-cloth tokens occur in five verses: the unnamed young man's escape and three accounts of Joseph wrapping Jesus' body for burial.
- Mark.14.51
One young man who had been following Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold of him,
An unnamed young follower wears the cloth when people seize him; the text supplies no name or later identification.
- Mark.14.52
But he pulled free of the linen cloth and ran away naked.
The cloth is left behind in flight, describing vulnerability during arrest rather than a command about acceptable clothing.
- Mark.15.46
So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
Joseph purchases linen and uses it to wrap Jesus' body before placing Him in the tomb; two noun forms occur here.
- Matt.27.59
So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
The clean linen belongs to Joseph's burial care after receiving the body, without an instruction to venerate fabric.
- Luke.23.53
Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid.
The wrapped body is laid in a rock-cut tomb previously unused, within the account of burial and Sabbath preparation.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Ita linen cloth2×Mark 14:51, Mark 15:46
linen cloth2×Matthew 27:59, Mark 14:52
cloth1×Mark 15:46
in a linen cloth1×Luke 23:53
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 27:59σινδόνιtolinen clothNoun - Dative Feminine SingularMark 14:51σινδόναtoa linen clothNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularMark 14:52σινδόναtolinen clothNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularMark 15:46σινδόναtoa linen clothNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularMark 15:46σινδόνιtoclothNoun - Dative Feminine SingularLuke 23:53σινδόνιtoin a linen clothNoun - Dative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 27:59
Aligned rows6
Books represented3
Matthew1Mark4Luke1
Source forms
σινδόνα3xsindonaMark 14:51, Mark 14:52, Mark 15:46
σινδόνι3xsindoniMatthew 27:59, Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular3xMark 14:51, Mark 14:52, Mark 15:46
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular3xMatthew 27:59, Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Protect privacy and bodily dignity when assisting people in vulnerable circumstances.
- Offer practical support in grief without imposing financial or ceremonial burdens.
Avoid claiming...
- This noun cannot establish the name or later history of Mark's young man.
- Linen material does not authenticate a relic or guarantee access to blessing.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Fine linen cloth specifically for burial shrouds or garments, never for everyday wear.
Strong'sG4616
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms2 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
linen
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Fine linen cloth specifically for burial shrouds or garments, never for everyday wear.
fine linen cloth;
ba garment or wrap of this material (cf. ICC, Jg, l.with): Mrk.14:51-52.
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 27:59Noun Dative Singular Feminine
σινδόνιsindoni
a linen cloth
Read verseMark 14:51Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
σινδόναsindona
a linen cloth
Read verseMark 14:52Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
σινδόναsindona
a linen cloth
Read verseMark 15:46Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
σινδόνα,sindona
a linen cloth
Read verseMark 15:46Noun Dative Singular Feminine
σινδόνι,sindoni
a linen cloth
Read verseLuke 23:53Noun Dative Singular Feminine
σινδόνι,sindoni
a linen cloth
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 forms6Case patternAccusative (3)Number patternSingular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Dative · Singular · FeminineMatt 27:59 · Mark 15:46 · Luke 23:533×
Accusative · Singular · FeminineMark 14:51 · Mark 14:52 · Mark 15:463×
Word Origins
σινδών 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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Mark's two cloth scenes belong to a narrative moving from arrest to burial. In the first, an unnamed follower escapes by leaving the cloth behind. The account records the event without explaining the young man's identity, so interpretation should stop before supplying a biography. In the second, Joseph asks for Jesus' body, purchases linen, wraps Him and places Him in a tomb.
Matthew adds the cloth's cleanliness, while Luke records the previously unused tomb and the approaching Sabbath. These details locate death and burial in concrete bodily care rather than an abstract symbol. The cloth does not create the dignity of the person it covers, and its material does not become a device for obtaining blessing. A church can honor grief, protect privacy and offer practical help to families caring for the dead while proclaiming the Gospel narrative.
Such care does not require expensive burial goods or a speculative connection between ancient fabric and a modern artifact.
Anchor passage
Mark.15.46
Doctrinal connections
- Jesus' burial follows the account of His death and Joseph's request.
- Joseph's wrapping and tomb placement display concrete care for Jesus' body.
- Matthew's clean-cloth detail remains part of the narrated burial action.
- Luke places the burial beside Sabbath preparation and the women's observation.
- Mark's fleeing young man illustrates vulnerability during the arrest scene.
- Hope in Jesus does not require attaching spiritual power to material objects.
The feminine noun occurs in accusative and dative singular forms, with two tokens in Mark 15:46. Case marks its role in each clause; neither grammatical gender nor material establishes the identity of the fleeing person.
From Old to New Testament
Proverbs 31:10-31 includes making and selling linen garments within a portrait of skilled work, household provision and help for the poor. This ordinary material use can accompany the Gospel cloth scenes without treating it as a prediction of Jesus' burial or a source of fabric-based holiness.