What does ἀσπασμός (aspasmós) mean in the Bible?
G783 names a spoken or written greeting. 41, Elizabeth hears Mary's greeting, the child leaps, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Greek · G783
ἀσπασμός
A greeting (in person or by letter)
Reading a lexicon entry
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ἀσπασμόςG783
Pronunciationaspasmós
What does ἀσπασμός (aspasmós) mean in the Bible?
G783 names a spoken or written greeting. 41, Elizabeth hears Mary's greeting, the child leaps, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀσπασμός (G783) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G783?
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include greeting (5), greetings (2), [the] greetings (1), [to receive] greetings (1), greeting [is] (1).
Where does ἀσπασμός (aspasmós) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 23:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (5), 1 Corinthians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1), Colossians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G783 names a spoken or written greeting. In Luke. 1. 41, Elizabeth hears Mary's greeting, the child leaps, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. In Mark. 12. 38, Jesus warns about scribes who love public greetings along with clothing and places of honor. In 2Thess. 3. 17, Paul writes a greeting in his own hand as an identifying mark in his letters. G783 opens teaching on welcome, recognition, embodied encounter, status-seeking, authentic correspondence, and remembrance of imprisoned workers.
It does not make every warm feeling a prophetic sign, forbid respectful titles, or guarantee document authenticity from a claimed signature alone. The manner and setting of a greeting can express sincere kinship, authenticate a message, or advertise desired rank.
How the Bible Uses It
G783 describes Mary's greeting to Elizabeth, public salutations desired by status-seeking teachers, and Paul's handwritten closing marks. A greeting can communicate presence, honor, joy, vanity, relationship, or authentication.
- Luke.1.41
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Mary's greeting reaches Elizabeth within a Spirit-filled encounter of recognition, blessing, and joy.
- Mark.12.38
In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,
Jesus warns about teachers who love conspicuous public greetings as part of a wider pattern of status and exploitation.
- 2Thess.3.17
This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. This is my mark in every letter; it is the way I write.
Paul adds a greeting in his own hand as a recognizable mark within the letter's communication setting.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itgreeting5×Luke 1:29, Luke 1:41, Luke 1:44, 1 Corinthians 16:21
greetings2×Matthew 23:7, Luke 11:43
[the] greetings1×Luke 20:46
[to receive] greetings1×Mark 12:38
greeting [is]1×2 Thessalonians 3:17
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 23:7ἀσπασμοὺςtogreetingsNoun - Accusative Masculine PluralMark 12:38ἀσπασμοὺςto[to receive] greetingsNoun - Accusative Masculine PluralLuke 1:29ἀσπασμὸςtogreetingNoun - Nominative Masculine SingularLuke 1:41ἀσπασμὸνtogreetingNoun - Accusative Masculine SingularLuke 1:44ἀσπασμοῦtogreetingNoun - Genitive Masculine SingularLuke 11:43ἀσπασμοὺςtogreetingsNoun - Accusative Masculine PluralLuke 20:46ἀσπασμοὺςto[the] greetingsNoun - Accusative Masculine Plural1 Corinthians 16:21ἀσπασμὸςtogreetingNoun - Nominative Masculine SingularColossians 4:18ἀσπασμὸςtogreetingNoun - Nominative Masculine Singular2 Thessalonians 3:17ἀσπασμὸςtogreeting [is]Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 23:7
Aligned rows10
Books represented6
Matthew1Mark1Luke51 Corinthians1Colossians12 Thessalonians1
Source forms
ἀσπασμὸς4xaspasmosLuke 1:29, 1 Corinthians 16:21, Colossians 4:18, 2 Thessalonians 3:17
ἀσπασμοὺς4xaspasmousMatthew 23:7, Mark 12:38, Luke 11:43, Luke 20:46
ἀσπασμὸν1xaspasmonLuke 1:41
ἀσπασμοῦ1xaspasmouLuke 1:44
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural4xMatthew 23:7, Mark 12:38, Luke 11:43, Luke 20:46
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular4xLuke 1:29, 1 Corinthians 16:21, Colossians 4:18, 2 Thessalonians 3:17
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular1xLuke 1:41
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular1xLuke 1:44
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use a warm greeting, title, or claimed spiritual impression as evidence that a person is safe or trustworthy.
- Do not demand public honor rituals from members, staff, children, or visitors as proof of submission.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that G783 makes every emotional or fetal response a prophetic confirmation.
- Do not claim that respectful greetings are wrong; Jesus condemns status-loving patterns, not courtesy itself.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. a greeting (in person or by letter)
Strong'sG783
Lexical occurrences10 versesGreek text appearances10 timesWord forms4 forms10 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
a greeting (in person or by letter)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 23:7Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσπασμοὺςaspasmouv
a greeting, salutation
Read verseMark 12:38Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσπασμοὺςaspasmouv
a greeting, salutation
Read verseLuke 1:29Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀσπασμὸςaspasmov
a greeting, salutation
Read verseLuke 1:41Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀσπασμὸνaspasmon
a greeting, salutation
Read verseLuke 1:44Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
ἀσπασμοῦaspasmou
a greeting, salutation
Read verseLuke 11:43Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσπασμοὺςaspasmouv
a greeting, salutation
Read verseLuke 20:46Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσπασμοὺςaspasmouv
a greeting, salutation
Read verse1 Corinthians 16:21Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀσπασμὸςaspasmov
a greeting, salutation
Read verseColossians 4:18Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀσπασμὸςaspasmov
a greeting, salutation
Read verse2 Thessalonians 3:17Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀσπασμὸςaspasmov
a greeting, salutation
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 forms10Case patternAccusative (5)Number patternSingular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · MasculineLuke 1:29 · 1 Cor 16:21 · Col 4:18 · 2 Thess 3:174×
Genitive · Singular · MasculineLuke 1:441×
Accusative · Plural · MasculineMatt 23:7 · Mark 12:38 · Luke 11:43 · Luke 20:464×
Accusative · Singular · MasculineLuke 1:411×
Word Origins
ἀσπασμός 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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
G783 shows that a greeting can be small in form and large in relational effect. Mary's voice reaches Elizabeth before extended conversation, and the encounter becomes a scene of Spirit-filled recognition and blessing. Jesus' warnings show the same social act can be desired as public status. The problem is not courtesy but leaders who love visible honor while exploiting vulnerable households.
Paul's handwritten greetings create personal connection and a recognizable marker at the end of dictated letters. Colossians joins that greeting to remember my chains, refusing to let polished communication hide imprisonment. Faithful application welcomes overlooked people, uses titles without flattery, authenticates consequential messages through sound processes, and remembers the circumstances of those who write or speak.
A greeting is not proof of character, but it can embody truthful peace, presence, and mutual recognition.
Anchor passage
Luke.1.41
Doctrinal connections
- G783: ordinary speech can become the setting for Spirit-filled recognition and blessing.
- G783: greetings create social visibility and should include people whom status systems overlook.
- G783: leaders can love public recognition while concealing exploitation.
- G783: handwritten greetings connect authorized teaching with a real embodied sender.
- G783: remembering a worker's chains keeps correspondence joined to suffering and solidarity.
- G783: Christian welcome communicates grace without converting courtesy into celebrity hierarchy.
G783 is a Greek noun for greeting or salutation and can refer to oral welcome or a written closing. The related verb supplies the ordinary act of greeting, while context gives the social and theological significance.
From Old to New Testament
Biblical messengers and covenant partners greet with peace and blessing, while the New Testament letters make greetings part of a translocal family that remembers workers, households, prisoners, and grace. Jesus warns against status-seeking greetings, while apostolic letters use named greetings to sustain mutual care across distance and difference.