ποταμός
River
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does ποταμός (potamós) mean in the Bible?
ποταμός (potamós) is a Greek word meaning "river". ποταμός, -οῦ, ὁ [in LXX chiefly for נָהָר, יְאֹר ;] a river, stream, torrent: Mat. Imagery of abundant, overflowing Spirit-life. This term runs through the canonical themes of Spirit.
Full entry for ποταμός (G4215) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Flowing water that carries force and power; often symbolizes judgment, testing, or division in biblical narrative.
a river, stream, torrent: Mat.3:5 7:25, 27, Mrk.1:1-45 :, Luk.6:48-49, Act.16:13, 2Co.11:26, Rev.8:10 9:14 12:15-16 16:4, 12 21:1-2. Fig., pl., π. ὕδατος ζῶντος, Jhn.7:38.
Why This Word Matters
Imagery of abundant, overflowing Spirit-life.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Witnesses
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain