"a young man, youth, Acts 20:9; 23:17; used of one who is in the prime of life, Acts 7:58*"
Definition and meaning
a young man, youth, Acts 20:9; 23:17; used of one who is in the prime of life, Acts 7:58*
In the original Greek the word is written: νεανίας
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 neanias (G3494) across the King James Bible.
And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.
So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.
So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.
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Common questions
Strong's G3494 (neanias) is a Greek word that means: a young man, youth, Acts 20:9; 23:17; used of one who is in the prime of life, Acts 7:58* It appears 5 times in the King James Bible.
The word neanias (G3494) appears 5 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3494 is neanias, a Greek word defined as: a young man, youth, Acts 20:9; 23:17; used of one who is in the prime of life, Acts 7:58*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
neanias is a Greek word found in the New Testament.