"female; τὸ θῆλυ, i.e. γένος, a female, Mt. 19:4; Mk. 10:6; Gal. 3:28; ἡ θήλεια, woman, Rom. 1:26, 27*"
Definition and meaning
female; τὸ θῆλυ, i.e. γένος, a female, Mt. 19:4; Mk. 10:6; Gal. 3:28; ἡ θήλεια, woman, Rom. 1:26, 27*
In the original Greek the word is written: θῆλυς
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 thelys (G2338) across the King James Bible.
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
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Common questions
Strong's G2338 (thelys) is a Greek word that means: female; τὸ θῆλυ, i.e. γένος, a female, Mt. 19:4; Mk. 10:6; Gal. 3:28; ἡ θήλεια, woman, Rom. 1:26, 27* It appears 5 times in the King James Bible.
The word thelys (G2338) appears 5 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G2338 is thelys, a Greek word defined as: female; τὸ θῆλυ, i.e. γένος, a female, Mt. 19:4; Mk. 10:6; Gal. 3:28; ἡ θήλεια, woman, Rom. 1:26, 27*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
thelys is a Greek word found in the New Testament.