What does ζώνη (zṓnē) mean in the Bible?
The Greek noun zone names a belt, waistband, or sash, and by extension can refer to a belt used to carry money. John the Baptist wears a leather belt with his wilderness clothing.
Greek · G2223
ζώνη
A belt; by implication, a pocket
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ζώνηG2223
Pronunciationzṓnē
What does ζώνη (zṓnē) mean in the Bible?
The Greek noun zone names a belt, waistband, or sash, and by extension can refer to a belt used to carry money. John the Baptist wears a leather belt with his wilderness clothing.
Reader summary
Full entry for ζώνη (G2223) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2223?
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include belt (4), belts (2), sash (1), sashes (1).
Where does ζώνη (zṓnē) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 3:4. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (2), Mark (2), Matthew (2), Revelation (2).
What This Word Actually Means
The Greek noun zone names a belt, waistband, or sash, and by extension can refer to a belt used to carry money. John the Baptist wears a leather belt with his wilderness clothing. Jesus tells the Twelve not to carry money in their belts for a specific mission, and Mark describes their travel equipment in the same mission setting. Agabus uses Paul's belt in a symbolic warning about arrest.
Revelation describes the exalted Son of Man and heavenly messengers with golden sashes. These uses do not give every belt one spiritual meaning. A belt can secure clothing, hold resources, identify ordinary dress, participate in a prophetic sign, or contribute to visionary appearance. Jesus' travel instructions belong to an assigned mission and do not require all believers to reject savings, wages, emergency supplies, or prudent planning.
Agabus's action concerns Paul's coming restraint and does not authorize taking personal items without consent or staging frightening prophecies. Responsible teaching distinguishes function and genre while rejecting dress codes, money shame, coercive object lessons, and claims that a sash transfers authority.
How the Bible Uses It
Zone describes practical belts, money belts, a prophet's symbolic use of Paul's belt, and golden sashes in Revelation's visions. Material, mission, and genre control the sense.
- Acts.21.11
Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
Agabus takes Paul's belt and binds his own hands and feet while warning of Paul's coming arrest.
- Mark.1.6
John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
John the Baptist wears camel's hair clothing with a leather belt around his waist.
- Mark.6.8
He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—
Jesus gives the Twelve restricted travel instructions for their mission, including what not to carry.
- Matt.3.4
John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
Matthew likewise describes John's camel's hair garment and leather belt in the wilderness.
- Matt.10.9
Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts.
Jesus tells the Twelve not to acquire gold, silver, or copper for their belts on that mission.
- Rev.1.13
And among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest.
John sees one like a son of man wearing a long robe with a golden sash around His chest.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itbelt4×Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6, Acts 21:11
belts2×Matthew 10:9, Mark 6:8
sash1×Revelation 1:13
sashes1×Revelation 15:6
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 3:4ζώνηνtobeltNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularMatthew 10:9ζώναςtobeltsNoun - Accusative Feminine PluralMark 1:6ζώνηνtobeltNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularMark 6:8ζώνηνtobeltsNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularActs 21:11ζώνηνtobeltNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularActs 21:11ζώνηtobeltNoun - Nominative Feminine SingularRevelation 1:13ζώνηνtosashNoun - Accusative Feminine SingularRevelation 15:6ζώναςtosashesNoun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 3:4
Aligned rows8
Books represented4
Matthew2Mark2Acts2Revelation2
Source forms
ζώνην5xzōnēnMatthew 3:4, Mark 1:6, Mark 6:8, Acts 21:11
ζώνας2xzōnasMatthew 10:9, Revelation 15:6
ζώνη1xzōnēActs 21:11
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular5xMatthew 3:4, Mark 1:6, Mark 6:8, Acts 21:11
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural2xMatthew 10:9, Revelation 15:6
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular1xActs 21:11
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Mission policies should include transparent support, safeguarding, appropriate supplies, emergency plans, and care for workers and their dependents.
- Object lessons involving clothing or bodies require consent, cultural sensitivity, physical safety, and a clear option not to participate.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that zone establishes one spiritual symbolism for every belt, waistband, sash, or money pouch.
- Do not claim that the Twelve's mission instructions prohibit every form of financial planning or carried resource.
- Do not claim that Agabus's use of Paul's belt authorizes coercive enactments or guarantees every modern prediction.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. a belt; by implication, a pocket
Strong'sG2223
Lexical occurrences8 versesGreek text appearances8 timesWord forms3 forms8 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
a belt; by implication, a pocket
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 3:4Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ζώνηνzwnhn
a girdle, belt, purse
Read verseMatthew 10:9Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
ζώναςzwnav
a girdle, belt, purse
Read verseMark 1:6Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ζώνηνzwnhn
a girdle, belt, purse
Read verseMark 6:8Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ζώνηνzwnhn
a girdle, belt, purse
Read verseActs 21:11Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ζώνηνzwnhn
a girdle, belt, purse
Read verseActs 21:11Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ζώνηzwnh
a girdle, belt, purse
Read verseRevelation 1:13Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ζώνηνzwnhn
a girdle, belt, purse
Read verseRevelation 15:6Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
ζώναςzwnav
a girdle, belt, purse
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 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns3Aligned forms8Case patternAccusative (7)Number patternSingular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · FeminineActs 21:111×
Accusative · Singular · FeminineMatt 3:4 · Mark 1:6 · Mark 6:8 · Acts 21:11 · Rev 1:135×
Accusative · Plural · FeminineMatt 10:9 · Rev 15:62×
Word Origins
ζώνη 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
Zone is practical clothing before it becomes symbolic material. John the Baptist's leather belt belongs to his wilderness appearance and prophetic ministry, but copying his clothing does not reproduce his calling. When Jesus restricts what the Twelve carry, the instructions govern a particular mission of dependent proclamation and hospitality. They can challenge self-protection and accumulation, yet they do not by themselves prohibit responsible wages, savings, emergency preparation, or support for dependents.
Acts 21 gives Paul's belt a temporary role in Agabus's enacted warning. The sign prepares Paul and the community for arrest; it should not become permission to seize someone's possessions, bind a person, or manufacture fear in God's name. Revelation's golden sash belongs to visionary portrayal of majesty and heavenly service, not a vestment that grants equivalent rank.
Faithful teaching asks what the belt does in each scene. It can commend simplicity, readiness, truthful warning, and reverence while preserving consent, financial integrity, and genre. No garment or accessory makes a person more prophetic, apostolic, masculine, pure, protected, or authoritative.
Anchor passage
Acts.21.11
Doctrinal connections
- John's wilderness dress accompanies his prophetic witness without creating a required uniform for repentance.
- The Twelve's restricted equipment cultivates dependence within a particular mission and hospitality network.
- Mission simplicity does not erase obligations to provide honestly, support dependents, and steward shared resources.
- Agabus's enacted warning prepares Paul for suffering while the community remains emotionally engaged.
- Paul's response to the warning belongs to his calling and does not command others to ignore danger.
- Revelation's golden sash contributes to a vision of exalted authority that remains unique to its portrayed figure.
Zone is a Greek noun for a belt, waistband, or sash. Because belts could hold coins, the noun can participate in an idiom for carried money. Placement, material, possessive wording, and narrative or visionary genre select the function.
From Old to New Testament
Hebrew Scripture describes belts, sashes, girding, priestly garments, and prophetic object lessons through several terms. Canonical comparison can trace clothing and readiness while preserving distinct offices, covenants, symbols, and pastoral purposes.