G2787 — κιβωτός (kibōtós)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2787
Original: κιβωτός
Transliteration: kibōtós
Pronunciation: kib-o-tos
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: Uncertain derivation (Greek term, possibly from a Semitic source)
Occurrences: 6 unique verses in NT
First Occurrence: Matt 24:38 — "until the day that Noe entered into the ark"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Of uncertain derivation; a box, i.e. the sacred ark and that of Noah.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 006016: Artifacts — Containers
Domain 006008: Artifacts — Boats and Parts of Boats

The dual domain assignment reflects the two distinct referents: κιβωτός denotes both the Ark of the Covenant (a container) and Noah's ark (a vessel). The Louw-Nida classification captures both without distinguishing them.

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[006] Artifacts — a crafted object used either as a sacred container (the covenant ark) or as a vessel (Noah's ark).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
ark	4	66.7%
an ark	1	16.7%
while the ark	1	16.7%

All six occurrences are rendered "ark" in KJV; the variation in phrasing is syntactic context, not semantic difference.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	2	0.7
1 Peter	1	1.0
Revelation	1	0.2
Matthew	1	0.1
Luke	1	0.1

Hebrews uses the word twice — one for each referent (Noah's ark in 11:7; Ark of the Covenant in 9:4). The two semantic uses split across genres: Gospels and general epistles for the Noah ark, Hebrews and Revelation for the covenant ark.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Noah's Ark — Vessel of Salvation from the Flood¶

Matt 24:38 — "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark"
Luke 17:27 — "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."
Heb 11:7 — "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
1 Pet 3:20 — "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

2. Ark of the Covenant — Sacred Container in the Tabernacle and Heavenly Temple¶

Heb 9:4 — "Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant"
Rev 11:19 — "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occ	Typical Pattern
ἡμέρα (hēméra)	G2250	3x	"days of Noah… until the day" (flood typology)
διαθήκη (diathḗkē)	G1242	2x	"ark of the covenant / testament"
κατακλυσμός (kataklysmós)	G2627	2x	"the flood came… the ark"
κατασκευάζω (kataskeuázō)	G2680	2x	"prepared / building an ark"
γαμέω (gaméō)	G1060	2x	"marrying… until Noah entered the ark"

Hebrew Sources (via LXX)¶

H727 אָרוֹן (ʼārôn) — Ark of the Covenant; primary LXX source (160x, PMI 34.64); masculine noun from root meaning "to gather"
H8392 תֵּבָה (têbâh) — Noah's ark and Moses' wicker basket; secondary LXX source (23x, PMI 21.62)

Synonyms¶

No synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2787.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G2787.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
אָרוֹן (ʼārôn)	H727	both → "ark"	H727 almost exclusively the Ark of the Covenant in OT; G2787 is the NT Greek term covering both arks
תֵּבָה (têbâh)	H8392	both → "ark"	H8392 used for Noah's ark and Moses' basket (Exod 2:3); G2787 merges H8392 and H727 under one term

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 006016 — Containers)¶

Word	Strong's	Total Vv	Primary KJV
θησαυρός (thēsaurós)	G2344	14	treasure
γαζοφυλάκιον (gazophylákion)	G1049	4	treasury
ἀλάβαστρος (alábastros)	G211	4	alabaster box
ἀσκός (askós)	G779	4	bottles
γλωσσόκομον (glōssókomos)	G1101	2	bag
θήκη (thḗkē)	G2336	1	sheath

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	LXX Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
אָרוֹן (ʼārôn)	H727	160x	34.64	Primary — Ark of the Covenant
תֵּבָה (têbâh)	H8392	23x	21.62	Secondary — Noah's ark

The single Greek term κιβωτός bridges two distinct Hebrew words. H727 (aron) is overwhelmingly used for the Ark of the Covenant throughout the OT; H8392 (tevah) is used for Noah's ark and the basket of Moses (Exod 2:3). The LXX translators chose the same Greek word for both, creating a semantic unity that the NT inherits and exploits typologically.