"pr. that which is written or drawn; a letter, character of the alphabet, a writing, book, Jn. 5:47; an acknowledgment of debt, an account, a bill, note, Lk. 16:6, 7; an epistle, letter, Acts 28:21; Gal. 6:11; ἱερὰ γράμματα, the sacred books of the Old Testament, the Jewish Script..."
Definition and meaning
pr. that which is written or drawn; a letter, character of the alphabet, a writing, book, Jn. 5:47; an acknowledgment of debt, an account, a bill, note, Lk. 16:6, 7; an epistle, letter, Acts 28:21; Gal. 6:11; ἱερὰ γράμματα, the sacred books of the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, 2 Tim. 3:15; spc. the letter of the law of Moses, the bare literal sense, Rom. 2:27, 29; 7:6; 2 Cor. 3:6, 7; pl. letters, learning, Jn. 7:15; Acts 26:24*
In the original Greek the word is written: γράμμα
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
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 gramma (G1121) across the King James Bible.
And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
Refiner gives you the full lexicon entry, AI-powered verse insight, historical commentary, cross-references, and voice study — all in one place.
Free to start · Disciple $4.99/mo · Shepherd $9.99/mo
Common questions
Strong's G1121 (gramma) is a Greek word that means: pr. that which is written or drawn; a letter, character of the alphabet, a writing, book, Jn. 5:47; an acknowledgment of debt, an account, a bill, note, Lk. 16:6, 7; an epistle, letter, Acts 28:21; Ga... It appears 13 times in the King James Bible.
The word gramma (G1121) appears 13 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G1121 is gramma, a Greek word defined as: pr. that which is written or drawn; a letter, character of the alphabet, a writing, book, Jn. 5:47; an acknowledgment of debt, an account, a bill, not. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
gramma is a Greek word found in the New Testament.