What does βίβλος (bíblos) mean in the Bible?
G976, bíblos, is a Greek noun for a book, scroll, or written record. Matthew opens with a record of Jesus Christ's genealogy.
Greek · G976
βίβλος
:--Book.
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βίβλοςG976
Pronunciationbíblos
What does βίβλος (bíblos) mean in the Bible?
G976, bíblos, is a Greek noun for a book, scroll, or written record. Matthew opens with a record of Jesus Christ's genealogy.
Reader summary
Full entry for βίβλος (G976) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G976?
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [the] book (5), Book (3), [This is the] record (1), books (1).
Where does βίβλος (bíblos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (3), Luke (2), Revelation (2), Mark (1).
Are there verse guides for βίβλος (bíblos)?
This entry includes 2 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
G976, bíblos, is a Greek noun for a book, scroll, or written record. Matthew opens with a record of Jesus Christ's genealogy. The Gospels and Acts name the Book of Moses, Psalms, and the prophets when citing Israel's Scriptures. Acts also uses the plural for books associated with magic, while Philippians and Revelation use the Book of Life as an image of belonging, perseverance, and final judgment. The noun identifies a written work, but its subject, authority, and moral character come from the surrounding passage.
The Scripture references locate individual quotations within recognized collections. Jesus reasons from the Book of Moses, David speaks in the book of Psalms, and Acts gathers apostolic interpretation under what is written in Psalms and the prophets. These passages model attention to textual context and canonical witness rather than treating the physical book as sacred by itself. Matthew's genealogical record announces Jesus within Israel's story and carries literary and theological purpose beyond a neutral family list.
Acts 19 describes practitioners voluntarily bringing and burning books tied to magic after the gospel confronts their former practices. It is a narrated act of repentance, not a mandate for authorities to confiscate disliked literature or coerce public destruction. Book of Life language likewise belongs to God's judgment and promise. Churches may proclaim its assurance and warning from the text, but leaders must not claim secret access to the register, manipulate fear, or use the image as a human blacklist. Written sources should be identified honestly, read in context, and distinguished by their actual authority and purpose.
source_lexicongrammaticalPassage contextBook contextCanonical parallelPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
G976 moves from Matthew's genealogy record through named scriptural collections, renounced magical books, and the Book of Life imagery of belonging, perseverance, and final judgment.
- Matt.1.1
This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Matthew's opening record places Jesus within the line of David and Abraham and introduces the Gospel's account of His identity and mission.
- Mark.12.26
But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
Jesus cites the Book of Moses at the bush to reason about resurrection from God's covenant identification with the patriarchs.
- Luke.3.4
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.
Luke locates John's ministry within Isaiah's written prophetic witness, joining the wilderness voice to preparation for the Lord.
- Luke.20.42
For David himself says in the book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
Jesus cites David in the book of Psalms as He questions an account of the Messiah that cannot explain David's address to his Lord.
- Acts.1.20
“For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’
The gathered disciples interpret Judas's vacancy through the book of Psalms as they seek a qualified witness to Jesus' resurrection.
- Acts.7.42
But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
Stephen appeals to the book of the prophets while rehearsing Israel's resistance and idolatry, keeping the quotation inside his covenant indictment.
- Acts.19.19
And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
Former practitioners publicly renounce costly books associated with magic, and the narrative presents their action as voluntary repentance amid the word's growth.
- Php.4.3
Yes, and I ask you, my true yokefellow, to help these women who have contended at my side for the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Paul names fellow workers whose names are in the Book of Life while asking for practical help in restoring partnership within the community.
- Rev.3.5
Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.
Christ promises the conqueror white garments, an enduring name in the Book of Life, and confession before the Father and angels.
- Rev.20.15
And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Book of Life appears within the final judgment before God, placing ultimate verdict outside human control and secret claims.
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[the] book5×Luke 3:4, Luke 20:42, Acts 1:20, Acts 7:42
Book3×Mark 12:26, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 20:15
[This is the] record1×Matthew 1:1
books1×Acts 19:19
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 1:1Βίβλοςto[This is the] recordNoun - Nominative Feminine SingularMark 12:26βίβλῳtoBookNoun - Dative Feminine SingularLuke 3:4βίβλῳto[the] bookNoun - Dative Feminine SingularLuke 20:42βίβλῳto[the] bookNoun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 1:20βίβλῳto[the] bookNoun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 7:42βίβλῳto[the] bookNoun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 19:19βίβλουςtobooksNoun - Accusative Feminine PluralPhilippians 4:3βίβλῳto[the] BookNoun - Dative Feminine SingularRevelation 3:5βίβλουtoBookNoun - Genitive Feminine SingularRevelation 20:15βίβλῳtoBookNoun - Dative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 1:1
Aligned rows10
Books represented6
Matthew1Mark1Luke2Acts3Philippians1Revelation2
Source forms
βίβλῳ7xbiblōMark 12:26, Luke 3:4, Luke 20:42, Acts 1:20
Βίβλος1xBiblosMatthew 1:1
βίβλου1xbiblouRevelation 3:5
βίβλους1xbiblousActs 19:19
Parsing patterns
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular7xMark 12:26, Luke 3:4, Luke 20:42, Acts 1:20
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural1xActs 19:19
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular1xRevelation 3:5
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular1xMatthew 1:1
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Identify what kind of book a passage names and read the quoted words in their original and present literary contexts.
- Support repentance through truthful teaching and voluntary decisions, never forced destruction, humiliation, or threats.
- Use Book of Life passages to direct readers toward Christ's promise, sober hope, and faithful endurance while leaving final judgment to God.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every book is Scripture, spiritually dangerous, or morally trustworthy merely because the word G976 appears.
- Do not claim that Acts 19 commands churches or governments to seize and burn disapproved books.
- Do not claim that a church roster, discipline decision, or leader's declaration can add or remove a name from God's Book of Life.
- Do not claim certainty about another person's final judgment through private revelation, institutional status, or administrative records.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Matthew 1:1Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ΒίβλοςBiblos:--book.The form strengthens the sense that the verse begins with a title or record-like opening, but the surrounding genitives carry the specific subject matter.Read verse guideRevelation 22:19Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
βίβλουbiblou:--book.The form supports a reading about tampering with the prophetic written message, but it should be read with the surrounding syntax and not isolated from it.Read verse guideEvidence Summary
Greek word. Formal roll or scroll, especially sacred texts, carrying connotation of reverence and authority.
Source Gloss
:--book.
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Formal roll or scroll, especially sacred texts, carrying connotation of reverence and authority.
a book, a roll, used much less frequently than βιβλίον, and with a "connotation of sacredness and veneration" (MM, Exp., x), Mat.1:1 Mrk.12:26, Luk.3:4 20:42 Act.1:20 7:42 19:19; β. τ. ζωῆς, Php.4:3, Rev.3:5 20:15.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
13 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
biblov
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseMark 12:26Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseLuke 3:4Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseLuke 20:42Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseActs 1:20Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseActs 7:42Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseActs 19:19Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
βίβλουςbiblouv
a written book, roll, or volume
Read versePhilippians 4:3Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseRevelation 3:5Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
βίβλουbiblou
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseRevelation 13:8Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read verseRevelation 20:15Noun Dative Singular Feminine
βίβλῳbiblw
a written book, roll, or volume
Read versebiblou
a written book, roll, or volume
Read versebiblou
a written book, roll, or volume
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 patternDative (7)Number patternSingular (9)
Genitive · Singular · FeminineRev 3:51×
Dative · Singular · FeminineMark 12:26 · Luke 3:4 · Luke 20:42 · Acts 1:20 · Acts 7:42 · Phil 4:3 · Rev 20:157×
Accusative · Plural · FeminineActs 19:191×
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
G976 is a material and literary term whose theological weight depends on the book named. Matthew's genealogy record announces Jesus as David's and Abraham's son. Jesus and the apostles cite the Book of Moses, Psalms, and the prophets as received Scripture, modeling interpretation rooted in a larger textual witness. In Ephesus, people who practiced magic bring their own books and burn them as a costly break with manipulative power; the story does not authorize forced searches, state censorship, destruction of libraries, or violence against people with other beliefs.
Philippians uses the Book of Life within an appeal for reconciled gospel partnership, and Revelation places the register with the risen Christ and the final Judge. Human communities may teach these texts, but they cannot inspect God's hidden record, erase a name by administrative decree, or manufacture assurance through loyalty to leaders. Faithful readers identify sources, read quotations in context, distinguish kinds of authority, and let the written witness direct them toward Christ, repentance, hope, and accountable fellowship.
Anchor passage
Matt.1.1
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew's genealogy record presents Jesus within God's covenant dealings with Abraham and David and opens the Gospel's christological claim.
- Jesus and the apostles reason from Israel's scriptural books as authoritative witnesses whose words belong within their literary and covenant contexts.
- Repentance in Ephesus includes a voluntary, costly rejection of practices used for spiritual manipulation and power.
- The Book of Life imagery grounds belonging and final judgment in God's knowledge and Christ's promise rather than human gatekeeping.
- Written texts carry different authorities and purposes, so discernment must attend to authorship, content, context, and canonical status.
- Christian assurance and warning remain centered on Christ and faithful endurance, not on a leader's claim to know an unseen register.
G976 refers to a book, scroll, or written record and can occur in the singular or plural. The selected artifact's raw gloss contains dictionary-export punctuation, so the reviewed companion uses a clear display gloss without changing the source artifact.
From Old to New Testament
The New Testament's named books receive and interpret Israel's written witness around Jesus, while Revelation's Book of Life develops older biblical book imagery in the setting of Christ's promises and God's final judgment.
Canonical parallelPastoral application