What does διάλεκτος (diálektos) mean in the Bible?
This Greek noun identifies the language or manner of speech used by a particular community. Its six New Testament occurrences are in Acts.
Greek · G1258
διάλεκτος
Language
Reading a lexicon entry
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διάλεκτοςG1258
Pronunciationdiálektos
What does διάλεκτος (diálektos) mean in the Bible?
This Greek noun identifies the language or manner of speech used by a particular community. Its six New Testament occurrences are in Acts.
Reader summary
Full entry for διάλεκτος (G1258) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1258?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (3), language (3).
Where does διάλεκτος (diálektos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 1:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (6).
What This Word Actually Means
This Greek noun identifies the language or manner of speech used by a particular community. Its six New Testament occurrences are in Acts. Acts 1:19 explains a local field name in the language of Jerusalem's inhabitants. At Pentecost, Acts 2:6 and 2:8 emphasize the hearers' astonishment that they recognize their own native languages in what the speakers are saying. The surrounding account identifies the message as the wonders of God.
The noun also occurs when Paul addresses the Jerusalem crowd and when he recounts the risen Jesus addressing him. In those scenes the BSB names the language as Hebrew. That identification comes from the accompanying description, not from the generic noun for language alone. The word does not by itself settle questions about Hebrew and Aramaic usage, establish a sacred ranking of languages, or prescribe every person's experience of spiritual gifts. Attend to who speaks, who hears, and what becomes understandable in the scene.
source_lexiconPassage contextPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
A local place name, the recognizable languages heard at Pentecost, Paul's address to a crowd and Jesus' address to Paul show language as part of communication between identifiable speakers and hearers.
- Acts.1.19
This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
The narrator explains Akeldama as the field's name in the inhabitants' own language and supplies its meaning. The noun identifies the community's speech rather than deciding the moral meaning of every place name.
- Acts.2.6
And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language.
The assembled crowd is bewildered because each hears the speakers in his own language. Their recognition belongs to the account of the Spirit's work and should not be reduced to a claim that linguistic difference no longer exists.
- Acts.2.8
How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language?
The hearers ask how they each hear in their own native language. The following list of origins and the declaration of God's wonders keep both the diversity of hearers and the content of the message in view.
- Acts.21.40
Having received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:
Paul receives permission to address the crowd and speaks in the language the BSB identifies as Hebrew. His chosen address leads into his defense rather than establishing a rule that testimony must always use one language.
- Acts.22.2
When they heard him speak to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then Paul declared,
The crowd becomes quieter when it hears Paul speaking in Hebrew, as the BSB renders the description. The narrative observes their response without claiming that shared language guarantees agreement with everything he will say.
- Acts.26.14
We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
Paul recounts hearing the voice address him in Hebrew and ask why he is persecuting Jesus. The language belongs to the reported encounter; the following words identify Jesus and the witness He commissions.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It. . .3×Acts 21:40, Acts 22:2, Acts 26:14
language3×Acts 1:19, Acts 2:6, Acts 2:8
Show sample aligned rows
Acts 1:19διαλέκτῳtolanguageNoun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 2:6διαλέκτῳtolanguageNoun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 2:8διαλέκτῳtolanguageNoun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 21:40διαλέκτῳto. . .Noun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 22:2διαλέκτῳto. . .Noun - Dative Feminine SingularActs 26:14διαλέκτῳto. . .Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowActs 1:19
Aligned rows6
Books represented1
Acts6
Source forms
διαλέκτῳ6xdialektōActs 1:19, Acts 2:6, Acts 2:8, Acts 21:40
Parsing patterns
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular6xActs 1:19, Acts 2:6, Acts 2:8, Acts 21:40
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Help people understand the message without treating unfamiliar accents or vocabulary as signs of lesser faith.
- Explain what the passage says about its own event before assigning an identical experience to every listener.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that the noun proves one human language has greater spiritual worth than another.
- Do not claim that every believer must repeat the same linguistic experience described at Pentecost on the basis of this word alone.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Specific language or dialect of a region, not generic speech—marks ethnic or national identity in Acts.
Strong'sG1258
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms1 form6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
language
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Specific language or dialect of a region, not generic speech—marks ethnic or national identity in Acts.
(διαλέγομαι), [in LXX: Dan LXX 1:4 (לָשׁוֹן), Est.9:26 * ;]
1conversation, discourse, speech (Plat., Dem., al.).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Acts 1:19Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διαλέκτῳdialektw
language, speech
Read verseActs 2:6Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διαλέκτῳdialektw
language, speech
Read verseActs 2:8Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διαλέκτῳdialektw
language, speech
Read verseActs 21:40Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διαλέκτῳdialektw
language, speech
Read verseActs 22:2Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διαλέκτῳdialektw
language, speech
Read verseActs 26:14Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διαλέκτῳ,dialektw
language, speech
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns1Aligned forms6Case patternDative (6)Number patternSingular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Dative · Singular · FeminineActs 1:19 · Acts 2:6 · Acts 2:8 · Acts 21:40 · Acts 22:2 · Acts 26:146×
Word Origins
διάλεκτος is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Acts 2:6-11 keeps the hearers visible. They come from different places and are astonished to recognize their own native languages. What they hear is not merely a display of unusual speech: they identify the content as the wonders of God. A lesson on this noun can therefore attend to intelligible communication while preserving the event's stated setting in the Spirit's work.
The other occurrences show ordinary language identification in a place name and in Paul's addresses. They do not make one community's speech the measure of another community's worth. Nor does the noun alone settle the historical relationship of Hebrew and Aramaic in every narrated scene. Teach the BSB's wording clearly, acknowledge the limits of a general lexical definition, and invite care for actual hearers. Making an explanation understandable is a responsibility of communication, not a promise that every hearer will agree.
Anchor passage
Acts.2.8
Doctrinal connections
- Acts 1:19 explains a Jerusalem place name through the inhabitants' language and gives the reader its meaning.
- Acts 2:4-6 places recognizable speech within the account of the Spirit's enabling at Pentecost.
- Acts 2:8-11 identifies diverse hearers who recognize their native languages and hear God's wonders declared.
- Acts 21:40 and 22:1-3 describe Paul's use of the crowd's language as he begins his defense.
- Acts 26:14-16 recounts Jesus addressing Paul, confronting persecution and commissioning him as a witness.
- Nehemiah 8:7-8 describes instruction and explanation that help the gathered people understand the reading of the Law.
Language or dialect identifies a community's speech in these passages. The modern English distinction between an official language and a lesser-status dialect should not be imposed on the Greek noun. A separate description names the language in Paul's scenes; the noun itself remains general.
From Old to New Testament
Nehemiah 8:7-8 describes the Law being read and explained so that the people understand. That supplies a thematic comparison with attention to hearers in Acts, not a claim that the same vocabulary or event occurs in both books. In each case the content being communicated matters alongside the ability of the hearers to grasp it.
Passage contextCanonical parallelPastoral application