G2768 — κέρας (kéras)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2768
Original: κέρας
Transliteration: kéras
Pronunciation: ker'-as
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: Primary root κάρ (kár) — hair of the head; the horn as a projecting shape
Occurrences: 10 verses in NT (11 tokens)
First Occurrence: Luk 1:69 — "And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From a primary κάρ kár (the hair of the head); a horn (literally or figuratively). Used of animal horns, the projecting corners of an altar, and symbolically for power, strength, or dominion — especially in apocalyptic literature dependent on Daniel.

The lexicon's Outline of Biblical Usage references LXX passages: Ex 29:12; Lev 4:7, 18; 16:18; 1 Sam 2:10; 2 Sam 22:3; Ps 17:3; 18:3; 88:18; 89:18; 118:27; 132:17; 148:14; Amos 3:14; and NT: Luk 1:69; Rev 5:6; 9:13; 12:3; 13:1; 13:11; 17:3, 7, 12, 16.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - Domain 079023 — Shapes (the horn as a projecting geometric form) - Domain 008002 — Parts of the Body (literal animal body part) - Domain 076 — Power, Force (horn as metaphor for strength)

Strong's	Word	Total Verses	Primary KJV
G206	ἄκρον (ákron)	3	one end, the other
G746	ἀρχή (archḗ)	40	the beginning
G1137	γωνία (gōnía)	7	corner, corners
G3313	μέρος (méros)	25	part, parts
G4750	στόμα (stóma)	65	mouth

UBS Semantic Domains: - [008] Body, Body Parts, and Body Products - [079] Features of Objects - [076] Power, Force

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
horns	9	90%
an horn	1	10%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	9	2.2
Luke	1	0.1

Concentration: 90% in Revelation. The single Luke occurrence uses the OT "horn of salvation" idiom (Ps 18:2); all Revelation uses carry apocalyptic imagery drawn from Daniel 7–8.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Metaphor for Power and Salvation¶

The OT idiom "horn of salvation" (Ps 18:2; 2 Sam 22:3) enters the NT. A horn raised up signifies strength, victory, and divine deliverance — here applied to the Davidic Messiah. - Luk 1:69 — "And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David"

2. Symbol of Divine Power — The Lamb's Seven Horns¶

In the throne-room vision, the Lamb bears seven horns, symbolizing complete (7 = fullness) divine power alongside seven eyes (the sevenfold Spirit). - Rev 5:6 — "a Lamb... having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth"

3. Literal Altar Horns¶

The four projecting corners of the golden incense altar — a structural feature of both the tabernacle and temple (cf. Exo 30:2–3). - Rev 9:13 — "I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God"

4. Apocalyptic Beast Horns — Composite Powers¶

Beasts in Revelation bear multiple horns representing a composite of kingdoms or authorities, deliberately echoing Daniel's four-beast vision (Dan 7) and the ram/goat vision (Dan 8). - Rev 12:3 — "a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads" - Rev 13:1 — "a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns" - Rev 13:11 — "another beast... he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon" - Rev 17:3 — "a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns" - Rev 17:7 — "the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns"

5. Horns Interpreted as Kings¶

John's angel gives an explicit interpretation: the ten horns are ten kings who receive authority and act in concert with the beast. - Rev 17:12 — "the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast" - Rev 17:16 — "the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
δέκα (déka)	G1176	6x (60%)	"ten horns" — the beast's composite power count
ἔχω (échō)	G2192	6x (60%)	"having [N] horns" — descriptive beast formula
θηρίον (thēríon)	G2342	6x (60%)	beast bearing horns as power symbols
ὁράω (horáō)	G3708	6x (60%)	vision formula: "I saw / beheld"
ἑπτά (heptá)	G2033	5x (50%)	"seven horns" — fullness of divine or satanic power
κεφαλή (kephalḗ)	G2776	4x (40%)	"heads and horns" paired — composite beast imagery
διάδημα (diádēma)	G1238	2x (20%)	"crowns upon his horns" — royal/political authority
δράκων (drákōn)	G1404	2x (20%)	the dragon's own horns — Satanic power symbol

Word Family / Cognates¶

G2762 κεραία (keraía) — a small projecting horn-like stroke; "tittle" of a letter (Matt 5:18; Luk 16:17)
G2769 κεράτιον (kerátion) — a little horn; the husk/pod of the carob tree (Luk 15:16, prodigal son's food)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2768.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2768.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
qeren (קֶרֶן)	H7161	both translated "horn(s)"	Hebrew OT equivalent; direct LXX bridge — same referent, different language/testament
qeren (קֶרֶן)	H7162	both translated "horn(s)"	Aramaic form (Daniel 7–8); same word, Aramaic language register

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
qeren (קֶרֶן)	H7161	60x	33.83
yᵉsôd (יְסוֹד)	H3247	8x	15.33
qeren (קֶרֶן) — Aramaic	H7162	6x	14.72

Primary bridge: H7161 qeren overwhelmingly dominates (PMI 33.83). The LXX uses κέρας as the standard rendering for the Hebrew/Aramaic horn concept throughout the OT.

Daniel LXX-Theodotion Bridge¶

The book of Daniel exists in two major Greek recensions: the Old Greek (OG, 2nd c. BC) and Theodotion (Th, 2nd c. AD). The Theodotion text became the standard church version and supplies the vocabulary most closely echoed in Revelation. Both recensions render Aramaic qarnā' (קַרְנָא, H7162) and Hebrew qeren (קֶרֶן, H7161) with κέρας (G2768).

Daniel Passage	MT Form	LXX-OG	LXX-Theodotion	Content
Dan 7:7	קַרְנַיִן עֲשַׂר (qarnayin ʿăśar)	κέρατα δέκα	κέρατα δέκα	"ten horns" on the fourth beast
Dan 7:8	קֶרֶן אָחֳרִי זְעֵירָה (qeren ʾoḥŏrî zəʿêrāh)	κέρας ἕτερον... μικρόν	κέρας ἕτερον μικρόν	"another little horn"
Dan 7:20	קַרְנַיָּא עֲשַׂר (qarnayyāʾ ʿăśar)	κεράτων δέκα	κεράτων δέκα	"the ten horns" (interpretation)
Dan 7:21	קַרְנָא דִכֵּן (qarnāʾ dikkên)	κέρας ἐκεῖνο	τὸ κέρας ἐκεῖνο	"that horn" made war with the saints
Dan 7:24	קַרְנַיָּא עֲשַׂר (qarnayyāʾ ʿăśar)	κέρατα δέκα	τὰ δέκα κέρατα	"the ten horns are ten kings"
Dan 8:3	קְרָנָיִם (qərānāyim)	κέρατα	κέρατα δύο	ram's two horns
Dan 8:5	קֶרֶן חָזוּת (qeren ḥāzût)	κέρας (ἓν) θεωρητόν	κέρας ἓν θεωρητόν	goat's conspicuous horn
Dan 8:8	אַרְבַּע... חָזוּת (ʾarbaʿ ḥāzût)	τέσσαρα κέρατα	κέρατα τέσσαρα	four horns from the broken one
Dan 8:9	קֶרֶן־אַחַת מִצְּעִירָה (qeren-ʾaḥat miṣṣəʿîrāh)	κέρας ἓν ἰσχυρόν (OG) / κέρας ἓν μικρόν (Th)	κέρας ἓν μικρόν	"a little horn" from one of the four

Key shared formulae linking Dan 7 (Th) → Revelation:

Formula	Dan 7 (Theodotion)	Revelation
κέρατα δέκα ("ten horns")	Dan 7:7, 7:20, 7:24	Rev 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 17:7, 17:12
δέκα βασιλεῖς ("ten kings")	Dan 7:24 — τὰ δέκα κέρατα... δέκα βασιλεῖς	Rev 17:12 — δέκα κέρατα... δέκα βασιλεῖς εἰσιν
κέρας + ὀφθαλμοί ("horn + eyes")	Dan 7:8, 7:20 — "eyes like the eyes of a man"	Rev 5:6 — "seven horns and seven eyes"
θηρίον + κέρατα ("beast + horns")	Dan 7:7, 7:11, 7:19	Rev 13:1; 17:3, 17:7
κέρας ἕτερον / ἄλλο ("another horn")	Dan 7:8, 7:20	Rev 13:11 — ἄλλο θηρίον with κέρατα δύο

The construction δέκα κέρατα... δέκα βασιλεῖς εἰσιν in Rev 17:12 verbally matches Dan 7:24 Theodotion (τὰ δέκα κέρατα... δέκα βασιλεῖς ἀναστήσονται), indicating direct lexical dependence on the Th-Daniel text-form rather than OG.