ῤῆμα, ῤήματος, τό (from Ρ᾽ΑΩ, perfect passive ἐίρημαι), from Theognis, Herodotus, Pindar down; the Sept. chiefly for ãÈÌáÈø; also for àÉîÆø, îÄìÈÌä, ôÆÌä, àÄîÀøÈä, etc.;

1. properly, that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word (cf. ἔπος, also λόγος, I. 1); i. e.

a. any sound produced by the voice and having a definite meaning: Mat 27:14; ῤῆμα γλώσσης, Sir 4:24; φωνή ῤημάτων, a sound of words, Heb 12:19; ῤήματα ἄρρητα (unspeakable words), 2Co 12:4.

b. Plural, τά ῤήματα, speech, discourse (because it consists of words either few or many (cf. Philo, leg. alleg. 3, 61 τό δέ ῤῆμα μέρος λόγου)): Luk 7:1; Act 2:14; words, sayings, Joh 8:20; Joh 10:21; Acts (); ; τῶν ῤημάτων τίνος, what one has said, Luk 24:8; Luk 24:11, or taught, Rom 10:18; τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥηματοις, my teachings, Joh 5:47; Joh 12:47; Joh 15:7; τά ῥημαψα ἅ ἐγώ λελάληκα, Joh 6:63; Joh 14:10; (ἀληθείας καί σωφροσύνης ῤήματα ἀποφθέγγομαι, Act 26:25); ῤήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις, thy teaching begets eternal life, Joh 6:68; τά ῤήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, utterances in which God through someone declares his mind, Joh 8:47; λαλεῖ τίς τά ῤήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, speaks what God bids him, Joh 3:34; λαλεῖν πάντα τά ῤήματα τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης, to deliver the whole doctrine concerning this life, i. e. the life eternal, Act 5:20; τά ῤήματα ἅ ἔδωκας μοι, what thou hast bidden me to speak, Joh 17:8; ῤήματα λαλεῖν πρός τινα, ἐν οἷς etc. to teach one the things by which etc. Act 11:14; τά ῤήματα τά προειρημενα ὑπό τίνος, what one has foretold, 2Pe 3:2; Jud 1:17; λαλεῖν ῤήματα βλάσφημα εἰς τινα, to speak abusively in reference to one (see εἰς, B. II. 2 c. β.), Act 6:11; κατά τίνος, against a thing, Act 6:13 (G L T Tr WH omit βλάσφημα).

c. a series of words joined together into a sentence (a declaration of one’s mind made in words); α. universally, an utterance, declaration (German eine Aeusserung).: Mat 26:75; Mar 9:32; Mar 14:72; Luk 2:50; Luk 9:45; Luk 18:34; Luk 20:26; Act 11:16; Act 28:25; with adjectives, ῤῆμα ἀργόν, Mat 12:36; εἰπεῖν πονηρόν ῤῆμα κατά τίνος, to assail one with abuse, Mat 5:11 (R G; others omit ῤῆμα). β. a saying of any sort, as a message, a narrative: concerning some occurrence, λαλεῖν τό ῤῆμα περί τίνος, Luk 2:17; ῤῆμα τῆς πίστεως, the word of faith, i. e. concerning the necessity of putting faith in Christ, Rom 10:8; a promise, Luk 1:38; Luk 2:29; καλόν Θεοῦ ῤῆμα, God’s gracious, comforting promise (of salvation), Heb 6:5 (see καλός, c.); καθαρίσας ... ἐν ῤήματι, according to promise (properly, on the ground of his word of promise, viz. the promise of the pardon of sins; cf. Mar 16:16), Eph 5:26 (others take ῤήματι here as equivalent to ’the gospel,’ cf. Eph 6:17, Rom 10:8; (see Meyer at the passage)); the word by which something is commanded, directed, enjoined: Mat 4:4 (cf. Winer’s Grammar, 389 (364) n.); Luk 4:4 R G L Tr in brackets; Heb 11:3; a command, Luk 5:5; ἐγένετο ῤῆμα Θεοῦ ἐπί τινα, Luk 3:2 (Jer 1:1; πρός τινα, Gen 15:1; 1Ki 18:1); plural ῤήματα παρά σου, words from thee, i. e. to be spoken by time, Act 10:22; ῤῆμα τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, his omnipotent command, Heb 1:3. doctrine, instruction (cf. Winer’s Grammar, 123 (117)): (τό) ῤῆμα (τοῦ) Θεοῦ, divine instruction by the preachers of the gospel, Rom 10:17 (R G; but L T Tr WH ῤήματος Χριστοῦ; others give ῤήματος here the sense of command, commission; (cf. Meyer)); saving truth which has God for its author, Eph 6:17; also τοῦ κυρίου, 1Pe 1:25; words of prophecy, prophetic announcement, τά ῤήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, Rev 17:17, Rec. (others, οἱ λόγοι τοῦ Θεοῦ).

2. In imitation of the Hebrew ãÈÌáÈø, the subject matter of speech, thing spoken of, thing; and that a. so far forth as it is a matter of narration: Luk 2:15; Act 10:37; plural, Luk 1:65; Luk 2:19; Luk 2:51; Act 5:32; Act 13:42.

b. in so far as it is matter of command: Luk 1:37 (see ἀδυνατέω, b.) (Gen 18:14; Deu 17:8).

c. a matter of dispute, case at law: Mat 18:16; 2Co 13:1 (A. V. retains ’word’ here and in the preceding passage) (Deu 19:15).