τάφος
taphos
grave
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredBased on the data, the Greek word τάφος (taphos) is translated as "grave." Its occurrences in the Bible indicate that it is used 7 times to describe a place where people are buried. The consistency in definition suggests a specific, fixed meaning that is not subject to alternative interpretations. The use of τάφος in the Bible covers various contexts, including a cave as a grave (Matthew 27:60), a tomb (Mark 5:3, Luke 23:53), and a burial site (Acts 13:29). This range of usage indicates that the word is not limited to a specific cultural or geographical context, but rather has a broader applicability. The significance of τάφος lies in its association with the final resting place of human beings and the dead. Its occurrence in the Bible may hint at the importance of acknowledging mortality and the consequences of death.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences across the text
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,
Matthew 27:61Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
Matthew 27:64Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead;’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
Matthew 27:66So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.
Matthew 28:1Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
Romans 3:13“Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit.” “The poison of vipers is under their lips.”
Matthew 23:27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.