"donkey, ass, male or female, Mt. 21:2, 5, 7"
Definition and meaning
donkey, ass, male or female, Mt. 21:2, 5, 7
In the original Greek the word is written: ὄνος
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
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 onos (G3688) across the King James Bible.
Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.
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Common questions
Strong's G3688 (onos) is a Greek word that means: donkey, ass, male or female, Mt. 21:2, 5, 7 It appears 6 times in the King James Bible.
The word onos (G3688) appears 6 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3688 is onos, a Greek word defined as: donkey, ass, male or female, Mt. 21:2, 5, 7. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
onos is a Greek word found in the New Testament.