What does φωνή (phōnḗ) mean in the Bible?
Phone means a voice, sound, utterance, or cry that is heard. The word can identify a human sound, a heavenly announcement, Christ’s authoritative speech, or a comparison such as a voice like a trumpet.
Greek · G5456
φωνή
Voice/sound: noise
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φωνή G5456
Pronunciation phōnḗ
What does φωνή (phōnḗ) mean in the Bible?
Phone means a voice, sound, utterance, or cry that is heard. The word can identify a human sound, a heavenly announcement, Christ’s authoritative speech, or a comparison such as a voice like a trumpet.
Reader summary
Full entry for φωνή (G5456) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5456?
The BSB source-word alignment has 139 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include voice (50), A voice (20), in a loud voice (13), sound (5), [the] roar (4).
Where does φωνή (phōnḗ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:18. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (55), Acts (27), John (15), Luke (14).
Are there verse guides for φωνή (phōnḗ)?
This entry includes 2 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Phone means a voice, sound, utterance, or cry that is heard. The word can identify a human sound, a heavenly announcement, Christ’s authoritative speech, or a comparison such as a voice like a trumpet. Its theological significance comes from the speaker, content, and setting, not from sound alone. At Jesus’ baptism, the voice from heaven identifies the beloved Son.
In John, the shepherd’s sheep know his voice, and the Son’s voice will summon the dead. Revelation presents the risen Christ addressing His churches and calling the complacent to renewed fellowship. Saul hears the risen Jesus confront him on the road. These passages direct readers toward revealed speech and obedient response. They do not teach that every inward impression, striking sound, or private experience is God’s voice.
Christ’s sheep recognize Him through the scripturally disclosed Shepherd and follow what He says.
How the Bible Uses It
Phone is an audible voice, sound, or cry. Its force depends on who speaks and what is said: the Father identifies the Son, Christ leads and raises, and hearers are summoned to repentance, trust, and obedience.
- John.10.4
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
The sheep follow because they know the shepherd’s voice. Within the discourse, recognition belongs to the relationship between the shepherd and his flock and is tested by whether they follow the true shepherd rather than strangers.
- John.5.28
Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice
Jesus says those in the graves will hear His voice. The statement attributes resurrection authority to the Son and makes the voice effective because it is His, not because sound itself carries power.
- Matt.3.17
And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
The voice from heaven names Jesus as the Father’s beloved Son and expresses divine pleasure in Him. The content draws readers to Jesus’ identity at the opening of His public ministry.
- Rev.1.10
On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
John hears a loud voice like a trumpet before seeing the risen Christ. The comparison communicates arresting authority, and the following messages supply the content the churches must hear.
- Rev.3.20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
Christ calls a self-satisfied church to hear His voice and open the door. The promise of table fellowship belongs to repentance and restored communion within the Laodicean message.
- Acts.9.4
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
Saul hears Jesus address him personally and identify persecution of the church as persecution of Christ. The voice confronts, reveals, and redirects him under apostolic witness.
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 voice 50× Matthew 12:19, Luke 4:33, Luke 9:36, Luke 17:15
A voice 20× Matthew 2:18, Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, Mark 1:3
in a loud voice 13× Matthew 27:46, Matthew 27:50, Mark 5:7, Mark 15:34
sound 5× Luke 1:44, John 3:8, Acts 2:6, Revelation 9:9
[the] roar 4× Revelation 1:15, Revelation 9:9, Revelation 14:2, Revelation 19:6
rumblings 4× Revelation 4:5, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:19, Revelation 16:18
voices 4× Acts 14:11, Acts 22:22, Revelation 10:3, Revelation 11:15
[the] voice 3× Acts 7:31, Acts 10:15, Revelation 6:7
. . . 2× 1 Corinthians 14:7, Revelation 19:1
[A] voice 2× Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4
[his] voice 2× John 10:5, Acts 22:14
[the] sound 2× Revelation 18:22
[the] voices 2× Revelation 5:11, Revelation 18:23
[their] voices 2× Luke 17:13, Acts 4:24
rumbling 2× Revelation 14:2, Revelation 19:6
the voice 2× Acts 11:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:16
- 1× Acts 24:21
[her] voice 1× Luke 11:27
[the] rushing 1× Revelation 19:6
[This is the] voice 1× Acts 12:22
[when] the voice 1× 2 Peter 1:17
a loud cry 1× Mark 15:37
a sound 1× Revelation 14:2
blasts 1× Revelation 8:13
call 1× 1 Corinthians 14:8
clamor 1× Luke 23:23
language 1× 1 Corinthians 14:11
languages 1× 1 Corinthians 14:10
shouting in a loud voice 1× Luke 8:28
they all shouted in unison 1× Acts 19:34
to a voice 1× Hebrews 12:19
tone 1× Galatians 4:20
with a loud shriek 1× Mark 1:26
With loud shrieks 1× Acts 8:7
with loud voices 1× Luke 23:23
words 1× Acts 13:27
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:18 Φωνὴ to A voice Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 3:3 Φωνὴ to [A] voice Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 3:17 φωνὴ to a voice Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 12:19 φωνὴν to voice Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 17:5 φωνὴ to a voice Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 27:46 φωνῇ to in a loud voice Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Matthew 27:50 φωνῇ to in a loud voice Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Mark 1:3 Φωνὴ to A voice Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Mark 1:11 φωνὴ to a voice Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Mark 1:26 φωνῇ to with a loud shriek Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 2:18
Aligned rows 139
Books represented 11
Matthew 7 Mark 7 Luke 14 John 15 Acts 27 1 Corinthians 4 Galatians 1 1 Thessalonians 1 Hebrews 5 2 Peter 3 Revelation 55
Source forms
φωνὴν 38x phōnēn Matthew 12:19, Mark 15:37, Luke 3:22, Luke 9:36
φωνῇ 32x phōnē Matthew 27:46, Matthew 27:50, Mark 1:26, Mark 5:7
φωνὴ 28x phōnē Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, Mark 1:11, Mark 9:7
φωνῆς 23x phōnēs Luke 17:15, John 5:25, John 5:28, John 10:3
φωναὶ 6x phōnai Luke 23:23, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:15
Φωνὴ 4x Phōnē Matthew 2:18, Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4
φωνήν 2x phōnēn John 10:5, Galatians 4:20
φωνῶν 2x phōnōn 1 Corinthians 14:10, Revelation 8:13
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 40x Matthew 12:19, Mark 15:37, Luke 3:22, Luke 9:36
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 33x Matthew 27:46, Matthew 27:50, Mark 1:26, Mark 5:7
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 32x Matthew 2:18, Matthew 3:3, Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 23x Luke 17:15, John 5:25, John 5:28, John 10:3
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural 6x Luke 23:23, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:15
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural 2x Acts 13:27, Revelation 10:3
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural 2x 1 Corinthians 14:10, Revelation 8:13
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural 1x Luke 23:23
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Ask who is speaking, what is said, and what response the passage requires.
- Test claimed guidance by Scripture and keep every impression subordinate to Christ’s written word.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every inner thought or powerful feeling is God’s voice.
- Do not claim that faithful Christians must receive audible messages from God.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
John 1:23 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
φωνὴ phone voice/sound: noise The grammar lets the phrase function as a vivid self-description, so the verse communicates a herald's role rather than a technical grammatical puzzle. Read verse guide Matthew 3:17 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
φωνὴ phone voice/sound: noise The noun marks the heavenly source of the declaration that follows. Read verse guide Evidence Summary
Greek word. Voice as divine communication: God's authoritative speech breaking into human reality through audible utterance
Source Gloss
voice/sound: noise
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 141 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 2:18 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
Φωνὴ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Matthew 3:3 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
Φωνὴ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Matthew 12:19 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
φωνὴν fwnhn
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Matthew 17:5 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
φωνὴ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Matthew 24:31 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
φωνῆς fwnhv
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Matthew 27:46 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φωνῇ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Matthew 27:50 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φωνῇ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Mark 1:3 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
φωνὴ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Mark 1:11 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
φωνὴ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Mark 1:26 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φωνῇ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Mark 5:7 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φωνῇ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Mark 9:7 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
φωνὴ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Mark 15:34 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φωνῇ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Mark 15:37 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
φωνὴν fwnhn
a sound, noise, voice
Read verse Luke 1:42 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φωνῇ fwnh
a sound, noise, voice
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 8 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 patterns 8 Aligned forms 139 Case pattern Accusative (42) Number pattern Singular (128)
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Matt 2:18 · Matt 3:3 · Matt 3:17 · Matt 17:5 · Mark 1:3 · Mark 1:11 · Mark 9:7 · Luke 1:44 · Luke 3:4 · Luke 9:35 · John 1:23 · John 12:28 · John 12:30 · Acts 7:31 · Acts 10:13 · Acts 10:15 32×
Nominative · Plural · Feminine Luke 23:23 · Rev 4:5 · Rev 8:5 · Rev 11:15 · Rev 11:19 · Rev 16:18 6×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Luke 17:15 · John 5:25 · John 5:28 · John 10:3 · John 10:16 · John 10:27 · John 18:37 · Acts 2:6 · Acts 9:7 · Acts 11:7 · Acts 22:7 · Acts 24:21 · 1 Cor 14:11 · Heb 3:7 · Heb 3:15 · Heb 4:7 23×
Genitive · Plural · Feminine 1 Cor 14:10 · Rev 8:13 2×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Matt 27:46 · Matt 27:50 · Mark 1:26 · Mark 5:7 · Mark 15:34 · Luke 4:33 · Luke 8:28 · Luke 19:37 · Luke 23:46 · John 11:43 · Acts 7:57 · Acts 7:60 · Acts 8:7 · Acts 14:10 · Acts 16:28 · Acts 26:24 33×
Dative · Plural · Feminine Luke 23:23 1×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 12:19 · Mark 15:37 · Luke 3:22 · Luke 9:36 · Luke 11:27 · Luke 17:13 · John 3:8 · John 3:29 · John 5:37 · John 10:4 · John 10:5 · Acts 2:14 · Acts 4:24 · Acts 9:4 · Acts 12:14 · Acts 14:11 40×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine Acts 13:27 · Rev 10:3 2×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Divine voice from heaven speaking at Jesus's baptism, audible utterance of God
Human voice raised or lifted up in speech, persons calling out or speaking aloud
Distinct sounds or utterances including languages, speech types distinguishable by acoustic character
Divine voice speaking from cloud, supernatural audible communication from heavenly realm
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 139 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
φωνή 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
Phone does not make a sound divine; identity and content do. The Father’s voice at Jesus’ baptism directs attention to the beloved Son. The Shepherd discourse joins knowing Christ’s voice with following Him and refusing strangers. John 5 extends the Son’s authority to the graves, where His summons raises the dead. Revelation’s trumpet-like voice is not an invitation to chase unusual auditory experiences but the risen Lord’s authoritative address to actual churches.
In Laodicea, hearing leads to repentance and fellowship. Acts 9 likewise shows Christ’s voice exposing Saul’s violence and placing him under further instruction. Pastoral use should therefore move from the text’s speaker and words to the obedience the passage commands. Believers learn the Shepherd’s voice through the Christ Scripture reveals; subjective impressions must remain tested, subordinate, and never permitted to contradict or replace the written word.
Anchor passage
John.10.4
Doctrinal connections
- Matt.3.17 records the Father’s heavenly voice identifying Jesus as His beloved Son.
- John.10.4 joins recognition of the shepherd’s voice to following him rather than strangers.
- John.5.28 attributes the final summons of the dead to the authoritative voice of the Son.
- Acts.9.4 shows the risen Jesus confronting Saul and identifying Himself with His persecuted people.
- Rev.1.10 introduces the risen Christ’s authoritative messages to the seven churches.
- Rev.3.20 calls the Laodicean church to hear Christ, repent, and receive restored fellowship.
Phone is a feminine noun for voice, sound, utterance, or cry. Modifiers and comparisons, such as loud or like a trumpet, describe the sound, while the surrounding discourse identifies its source and message. The local Greek index records about 139 occurrences for exact G5456.
From Old to New Testament
God’s voice creates, commands, covenants, and addresses His people throughout the Old Testament. Prophetic calls and Sinai prepare readers for the Father’s testimony to the Son, while shepherd imagery supplies the background for Jesus’ claim that His sheep know His voice.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain