G2563 — κάλαμος (kalamos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2563
Original: κάλαμος
Transliteration: kalamos
Pronunciation: kal'-am-os
Part of Speech: Masculine noun (n-m)
Root: Of uncertain affinity
Occurrences: 12 in NT
First Occurrence: Mat 11:7 — "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Of uncertain affinity; a reed (the plant or its stem, or that of a similar plant); by implication, a pen.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 3.3: Plants That Are Not Trees
Domain 6.22: Instruments for Measuring
Domain 6.10: Instruments Used in Marking and Writing
Other words in 3.3: ἄκανθα (G173), ἄμπελος (G288), βάτος (G942), ζιζάνιον (G2215), κρίνον (G2918)
Other words in 6.22: ζυγός (G2218)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[003] Plants
[006] Artifacts

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
reed / a reed / A reed	10	83.3%
with a reed	1	8.3%
pen	1	8.3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
3 John	1	7.1
Revelation	3	0.7
Matthew	5	0.5
Mark	2	0.3
Luke	1	0.1

Concentrated in the Gospels (8 of 12 uses), specifically in two narrative contexts: John the Baptist sayings and the Passion. Revelation accounts for the remaining 3 NT uses (measuring contexts). The single 3 John use is the only epistolary occurrence and carries a unique sense ("pen"). Absent from Paul, Hebrews, and the rest of the NT.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Symbol of Weakness / Fragility¶

Mat 11:7 — "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?"
Luk 7:24 — "What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?"
Mat 12:20 — "A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory."

2. Instrument of Mockery (Passion Narrative)¶

Mat 27:29 — "and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him"
Mat 27:30 — "And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head."
Mar 15:19 — "And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him"

3. Utility Stick / Pole¶

Mat 27:48 — "took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink"
Mar 15:36 — "filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink"

4. Measuring Instrument¶

Rev 11:1 — "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God"
Rev 21:15 — "And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof."
Rev 21:16 — "and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs"

5. Writing Instrument (Pen)¶

3Jo 1:13 — "I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee"

Morphological Distribution¶

Case	Count	Contexts
Nominative (subject)	1	Rev 11:1 (the reed given to John)
Accusative (direct object)	7	Mat 11:7; 12:20; 27:29; 27:30; Luk 7:24; Rev 21:15
Dative (instrument)	4	Mat 27:48; Mar 15:19; 15:36; Rev 21:16
Genitive	1	3Jo 1:13 (pen — genitive of means)

The dative instrumental uses cluster in the Passion (struck with a reed, sponge placed on a reed) and in Revelation (measured with the reed).

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
κεφαλή (kephale)	G2776	3x	"smote him on the head" with the reed (Passion)
μετρέω (metreo)	G3354	3x	"measure" with the reed (Rev 11:1; 21:15-16)
ἄνεμος (anemos)	G417	2x	"a reed shaken with the wind" (Mat 11:7; Luk 7:24)
ἐμπτύω (emptyo)	G1716	2x	"spit upon him" alongside reed-striking (Passion)
ὄξος (oxos)	G3690	2x	vinegar-soaked sponge placed on a reed (Passion)
προσκυνέω (proskyneo)	G4352	2x	mocking worship with reed as scepter (Passion)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G2562 καλάμη (kalame) — stubble (the stalk after harvest); related but distinct — kalame is the cut remains, kalamos is the living plant or its intact stem

Synonyms¶

No direct lexical synonyms were confirmed for G2563. search_relationships.py returned broad domain-adjacent neighbors, but the nearest genuine related term remains G2562 καλάμη (kalamē), already listed under Word Family / Cognates.

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms were identified by search_relationships.py for G2563.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
קָנֶה (qaneh)	H7070	"reed"	Hebrew OT equivalent; qaneh has much broader usage (62 verses) including the measuring reed of Ezekiel's temple vision and literal cane/stalk

Domain Neighbors (Plants That Are Not Trees — 3.3)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G173	ἄκανθα	11	thorns	Thorny plant; co-occurs with kalamos in Passion (crown of thorns + reed scepter)
G288	ἄμπελος	9	vine	Grapevine — agricultural/symbolic plant; no measuring function
G942	βάτος	5	bush	Thorny bush (burning bush); never used as instrument
G2215	ζιζάνιον	8	tares	Weeds among wheat (parable only); purely negative
G2918	κρίνον	2	lilies	Decorative flower (consider the lilies); beauty symbol

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
קָנֶה (qaneh)	H7070	16	25.76
מָדַד (madad)	H4058	8	16.78
מִדָּה (middah)	H4060	6	13.83

The dominant Hebrew source is H7070 qaneh, which maps strongly to kalamos through the LXX. The secondary sources (madad "to measure," middah "measurement") appear because kalamos inherits the measuring-reed context from Ezekiel 40-42 where qaneh is used as the standard of measurement.