G1062 — γάμος (gámos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1062
Original: γάμος
Transliteration: gámos
Pronunciation: gam'-os
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Of uncertain affinity; cognate with the verb γαμέω (gameō, G1060) "to marry"
Occurrences: 16 in NT (16 unique verses across 5 books)
First Occurrence: Matt 22:2 — "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage (gamos) for his son"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Of uncertain affinity; nuptials: — marriage, wedding. Refers concretely to the wedding event — the ceremony, feast, or celebration surrounding the joining of a couple — rather than the abstract institution (though KJV "marriage" can blur the two).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 34.010 — Marriage, Divorce (under 34 Association)
Secondary Domain: 7.003 — Parts and Areas of Buildings (metonymy: the wedding hall/venue in some contexts)
Other words in marriage subdomain: ἄγαμος (G0022) unmarried, γαμέω (G1060) marry, γαμίζω (G1061a) give in marriage, γυνή (G1135) woman/wife, ἐπιγαμβρεύω (G1918) marry next-of-kin, ἁρμόζω (G0718) betroth, ἀπολύω (G0630) divorce, λύσις (G3080) dissolution

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[034] Association — search_relationships.py places γάμος in the marriage and kinship field, centered on the wedding event and marital relation.
[007] Constructions — search_relationships.py also preserves the metonymic venue sense, where γάμος can stand for the wedding setting or hall.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
marriage	6	37.5%
wedding	4	25.0%
a wedding	3	18.8%
a marriage	2	12.5%
Marriage	1	6.2%

KJV splits evenly between "marriage" (9×) and "wedding" (7×), with no consistent rule — both render the same underlying event.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Matthew	9	0.8
Revelation	2	0.5
Hebrews	1	0.3
John	2	0.2
Luke	2	0.2

Concentrated in Matthew — 8 of the 9 Matthean occurrences come from a single parable (Matt 22:2–12, the wedding feast of the king's son), plus Matt 25:10 (the ten virgins). Revelation's two uses (19:7, 19:9) form the eschatological climax — the marriage of the Lamb. Paul never uses this noun; 1 Corinthians 7 uses the verb γαμέω (G1060) instead.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Literal Wedding Celebration / Feast¶

The actual social event — feast, guests, proper attire. - John 2:1 — "there was a marriage (gamos) in Cana of Galilee" - John 2:2 — "both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage (gamos)" - Luke 14:8 — "When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding (gamos), sit not down in the highest room" - Luke 12:36 — "men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding (gamos)"

2. Marriage as Institution / Honorable Estate¶

The one abstract-institutional use — the married state viewed ethically. - Heb 13:4 — "Marriage (gamos) is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled"

3. Parabolic Kingdom Feast — the King's Son's Wedding¶

Kingdom-of-heaven imagery in Jesus' teaching; invitation, rejection, and judgment. - Matt 22:2 — "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage (gamos) for his son" - Matt 22:8 — "The wedding (gamos) is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy" - Matt 22:9 — "as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage (gamos)" - Matt 22:11–12 — the man without a wedding (gamos) garment

4. Parabolic Readiness — the Bridegroom's Arrival¶

Eschatological preparation; used of the event the wise virgins enter. - Matt 25:10 — "the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage (gamos)"

5. Eschatological Marriage of the Lamb¶

The consummation image — Christ and the church in Revelation. - Rev 19:7 — "the marriage (gamos) of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" - Rev 19:9 — "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage (gamos) supper of the Lamb"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
καλέω (kaléō)	G2564	7× (44%)	"called/bidden to the gamos" — invitation motif
δοῦλος (doulos)	G1401	4× (25%)	servants sent to summon guests (Matt 22 parable)
ἔρχομαι (érchomai)	G2064	4× (25%)	guests "come" / the bridegroom "comes"
λέγω (légō)	G3004	4× (25%)	king/host "says" — narrative speech framing
ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos)	G444	3× (19%)	"a certain man" hosting
εἰσέρχομαι (eisérchomai)	G1525	3× (19%)	"go/enter in" to the wedding
ἕτοιμος (hétoimos)	G2092	3× (19%)	"ready" — the feast is prepared, the guests are prepared
ἀνακεῖμαι (anakeîmai)	G345	2× (12%)	those "reclining" at the wedding table
ἀρνίον (arníon)	G721	2× (12%)	Lamb — exclusive to Rev 19:7, 9
βασιλεύς (basileús)	G935	2× (12%)	king as host (Matt 22)
ἔνδυμα (éndyma)	G1742	2× (12%)	wedding garment (Matt 22:11–12)
ἑτοιμάζω (hetoimázō)	G2090	2× (12%)	"prepare" the feast / "make ready" the bride

Word Family / Cognates¶

G1060 γαμέω (gaméō) — verb: to marry, take a wife (28× NT)
G1061a γαμίζω (gamízō) — verb: to give in marriage
G0022 ἄγαμος (ágamos) — unmarried (α-privative + gamos-root; 4× 1 Cor 7)
G3566 νυμφίος (nymphíos) — bridegroom
G3565 νύμφη (nýmphē) — bride
G1918 ἐπιγαμβρεύω (epigambreúō) — to marry next-of-kin (levirate)

Synonyms¶

No direct non-cognate synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py; the nearest overlaps are the marriage-word family and wedding-image terms already listed above.

Antonyms¶

G22 ἄγαμος (agamos) — unmarried; alpha-privative opposite surfaced by search_relationships.py

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
γαμέω (gaméō)	G1060	both render "marriage" in some KJV passages	gaméō is the verb (to marry); gámos is the event/feast
δεῖπνον (deîpnon)	G1173	"supper" — paired with gamos in Rev 19:9	deîpnon is any main meal/banquet; gámos specifies nuptial occasion
νυμφών (nymphṓn)	G3567	"wedding/bridechamber" (Matt 22:10 TR variant)	nymphōn is the bridal-chamber/hall (place); gámos is the event itself

Hebrew Source (LXX Back-mapping)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
מִשְׁתֶּה (mishteh)	H4960	4	9.08	"feast, banquet, drinking-feast" — the standard OT wedding feast term (e.g., Gen 29:22, Judg 14:10)
עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh)	H6213	4	3.35	"to make/do" — collocational: "make a wedding" idiom
כֹּל (kôl)	H3605	3	2.04	"all" — function word, low specificity

The strong PMI bridge is mishteh — not a dedicated wedding word but the broader "feast" term. Hebrew has no single-word equivalent for "wedding event" in the way Greek gámos consolidates it; OT speaks of "the feast" (mishteh) or "the days of the wedding" (שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הַמִּשְׁתֶּה, Gen 29:27). Christian Greek inherits gámos from classical/secular usage.