"pr. belonging to a city; well bred, polite, polished; hence, elegant, fair, comely, beautiful, Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23*"
Definition and meaning
pr. belonging to a city; well bred, polite, polished; hence, elegant, fair, comely, beautiful, Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23*
In the original Greek the word is written: ἀστεῖος
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 asteios (G791) across the King James Bible.
In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
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Common questions
Strong's G791 (asteios) is a Greek word that means: pr. belonging to a city; well bred, polite, polished; hence, elegant, fair, comely, beautiful, Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23* It appears 2 times in the King James Bible.
The word asteios (G791) appears 2 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G791 is asteios, a Greek word defined as: pr. belonging to a city; well bred, polite, polished; hence, elegant, fair, comely, beautiful, Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
asteios is a Greek word found in the New Testament.