Strong's Greek: 2859. κόλπος (kolpos) -- Bosom, chest, bay, fold

Strong's Lexicon

kolpos: Bosom, chest, bay, fold

Original Word: κόλπος
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: kolpos
Pronunciation: KOL-pos
Phonetic Spelling: (kol'-pos)
Definition: Bosom, chest, bay, fold
Meaning: (a) sing. and plur: bosom; (sinus) the overhanging fold of the garment used as a pocket, (b) a bay, gulf.

Word Origin: Derived from the primary verb "κλάω" (klao), meaning "to break" or "to curve."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often associated with the concept of "bosom" is חֵיק (cheq), Strong's Hebrew 2436, which also denotes the chest or embrace.

Usage: In the New Testament, "kolpos" is used to describe the bosom or chest area, often symbolizing intimacy, closeness, or a place of honor. It can also refer to a bay or inlet, indicating a curved geographical feature. The term is metaphorically used to denote a place of comfort and rest, as seen in the context of "Abraham's bosom."

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Jewish culture, reclining at a meal was a common practice, and the position of lying close to the host's bosom was one of honor and intimacy. This cultural practice is reflected in the New Testament, where being in someone's bosom signifies a special relationship or favor. The concept of "Abraham's bosom" in Jewish thought represented a place of comfort and rest for the righteous after death, akin to paradise.

HELPS Word-studies

2859 kólpos – properly, the upper part of the chest where a garment naturally folded to form a "pocket" – called the "bosom," the position synonymous with intimacy (union).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
the bosom
NASB Translation
bay (1), bosom (4), lap (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2859: κόλπος

κόλπος, κόλπου, ὁ (apparently akin to κοῖλος hollow, (yet cf. Vanicek, p. 179; Liddell and Scott, under the word)), Hebrew חֵיק; the bosom (Latinsinus), i. e. as in the Greek writings from Homer down:

1. the front of the body between the arms hence ἀνακεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τίνος, of the one who so reclines at table that his head covers the bosom as it were, the chest, of the one next him (cf. B. D. under the word ), John 13:23. Hence the figurative expressions, ἐν τοῖς κόλποις (on the plural, which occurs as early as Homer, Iliad 9, 570, cf. Winers Grammar, § 27, 3; (Buttmann, 24 (21))) τοῦ Ἀβραάμ εἶναι, to obtain the seat next to Abraham, i. e. to be partaker of the same blessedness as Abraham in paradise, Luke 16:23; ἀποφέρεσθαι ... εἰς τόν κόλπον Ἀβραάμ, to be borne away to the enjoyment of the same felicity with Abraham, Luke 16:22 (οὕτω γάρ παθόντας — according to another reading θανόντας — Ἀβραάμ καί Ἰσαάκ καί Ἰακώβ ὑποδέξονται εἰς τούς κόλπους αὐτῶν, 4 Macc. 13:16; (see B. D. under the phrase, Abraham's bosom, and) on the rabbinical phrase אברהם שׁל בּחיקו, in Abraham's bosom, to designate bliss in paradise, cf. Lightfoot, Horace, Hebrew et Talmud., p. 851ff); ὁ ὤν εἰς τόν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, lying (turned) unto the bosom of his father (God), i. e. in the closest and most intimate relation to the Father, John 1:18 (Winers Grammar, 415 (387)); cf. Cicero, ad div. 14,4iste vero sit in sinu semper et complexu meo.

2. the bosom of a garment, i. e. the hollow formed by the upper forepart of a rather loose garment bound by a girdle, used for keeping and carrying things (the fold or pocket; cf. B. D. under the word ) (Exodus 4:6; Proverbs 6:27); so, figuratively, μέτρον καλόν διδόναι εἰς τόν κόλπον τίνος, to repay one liberally, Luke 6:38 (ἀποδιδόναι εἰς τόν κόλπον, Isaiah 65:6; Jeremiah 39:18 ()).

3. a bay of the sea (cf. Italiangolfo (English gulf — which may be only the modern representatives of the Greek word)): Acts 27:39.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

bosom, breast, bay

Apparently a primary word; the bosom; by analogy, a bay -- bosom, creek.

Forms and Transliterations

κολποις κόλποις κολπον κόλπον κόλπου κόλπους κολπω κόλπω κόλπῳ κόλπωμα kolpo kolpō kólpoi kólpōi kolpois kólpois kolpon kólpon

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