φήμη
phēmē
news
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word φήμη (phēmē) is defined as "news". It appears only twice in the Bible, indicating that it is a relatively rare term in the New Testament. The scarcity of its occurrences suggests that the concept of news was not a central theme in the biblical narrative. Given its definition, φήμη likely refers to the dissemination of information, whether it be about events, people, or circumstances. Its limited usage in the Bible implies that the concept of news was not a primary concern for the authors or the communities they addressed. However, the fact that it is used at all suggests that news was still an important aspect of communication and information exchange in the ancient world. The significance of φήμη lies in its representation of the flow of information within ancient societies. It highlights the importance of news and communication in shaping individual and collective understanding of the world. While its limited occurrences in the Bible may not reveal a comprehensive picture of its meaning or usage, it still offers a glimpse into the cultural and social context of the ancient world.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences across the text