"an anchor, Acts 27:29, 30, 40; Heb. 6:19*"
Definition and meaning
an anchor, Acts 27:29, 30, 40; Heb. 6:19*
In the original Greek the word is written: ἄγκυρα
Historical context
The Roman Empire provided infrastructure no previous civilization had built — roads, sea routes, a common language in Greek, and relative peace across the Mediterranean. Jewish synagogues existed in every major city, giving Paul a starting point everywhere he traveled. The early church had no buildings, no political power, no social standing — and spread faster than any movement in ancient history.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of ankyra (G45) across the King James Bible.
Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
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Common questions
Strong's G45 (ankyra) is a Greek word that means: an anchor, Acts 27:29, 30, 40; Heb. 6:19* It appears 4 times in the King James Bible.
The word ankyra (G45) appears 4 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G45 is ankyra, a Greek word defined as: an anchor, Acts 27:29, 30, 40; Heb. 6:19*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
ankyra is a Greek word found in the New Testament.