G286 — ἀμνός (amnos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G286
Original: ἀμνός
Transliteration: amnos
Pronunciation: am-nos'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Occurrences: 4 in NT (4 unique verses, 3 books)
First Occurrence: Jhn 1:29 — "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Apparently a primary word; a lamb.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 004 — Animals - Gloss: lamb

UBS Semantic Domains: - [004] Animals

Other words in domain: ἀρνίον (arnion, G721) — lamb/lambkin; ἀρήν (aren, G704) — lamb; πρόβατον (probaton, G4263) — sheep; αἴγειος (aigeios, G122) — of a goat; τράγος (tragos, G5131) — he-goat; μόσχος (moschos, G3448) — calf; ταῦρος (tauros, G5022) — bull

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
Lamb	2	50%
a lamb	1	25%
of a lamb	1	25%

All 4 occurrences are uniformly translated "lamb" (with article variation only).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Peter	1	1.0
John	2	0.2
Acts	1	0.1

Concentrated in Johannine tradition (John's Gospel: 2 of 4 uses). All NT usage; no OT occurrences (LXX uses the word but Strong's numbering tracks NT).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Messianic Title — "Lamb of God"¶

Jhn 1:29 — "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Jhn 1:36 — "And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!"

John the Baptist's declaration identifying Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. Both uses pair amnos with "of God" (τοῦ θεοῦ), forming a unique christological title found nowhere else in the NT.

2. Sacrificial Innocence — Lamb Led to Slaughter¶

Act 8:32 — "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:"

A quotation of Isaiah 53:7 (LXX) applied to Jesus by the Ethiopian eunuch's reading. Emphasizes the lamb's silence and submission — its innocence under violence.

3. Unblemished Offering — Redemptive Blood¶

1Pe 1:19 — "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"

Evokes Passover/sacrificial imagery (cf. Exod 12:5). The lamb's blood is the means of redemption, qualified by ἄμωμος (amomos, unblemished) and ἄσπιλος (aspilos, spotless).

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	2x (50%)	"Lamb of God" — genitive relationship
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous)	G2424	2x (50%)	Jesus identified as the Lamb
λέγω (lego)	G3004	2x (50%)	Declarative speech: "Behold the Lamb"
ὡς (hos)	G5613	2x (50%)	Simile: "as a lamb" / "as of a lamb"
αἷμα (haima)	G129	1x (25%)	"blood of Christ, as of a lamb"
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	1x (25%)	"taketh away the sin of the world"
ἄμωμος (amomos)	G299	1x (25%)	"without blemish" — sacrificial quality
ἄσπιλος (aspilos)	G784	1x (25%)	"without spot" — moral purity
ἄφωνος (aphonos)	G880	1x (25%)	"dumb before his shearer" — silent lamb

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 004 — Animals)¶

Word	Strong's	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation	Key Difference
ἀρνίον (arnion)	G721	30	Lamb (Revelation)	Diminutive form; used almost exclusively in Revelation for the exalted Christ
ἀρήν (aren)	G704	1	lamb (Luk 10:3)	Generic lamb; used once in "lambs among wolves"
πρόβατον (probaton)	G4263	40	sheep	General term for sheep; flock/pastoral imagery, not sacrificial focus

Synonyms¶

No close lexical synonyms were identified by search_relationships.py. The nearest sacrificial-animal parallels it surfaced were: - G5131 τράγος (tragos) — goat; a neighboring sacrificial-animal term, not a true synonym for "lamb" - G1151 δάμαλις (damalis) — heifer; likewise a sacrificial parallel rather than a synonym

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms were identified by search_relationships.py.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀρνίον (arnion)	G721	Lamb (22x)	Diminutive "lambkin"; dominant in Revelation (29/30 uses) for the glorified, reigning Lamb. Amnos appears in Gospels/Epistles for the sacrificial, suffering Lamb.
כֶּבֶשׂ (kebes)	H3532	Lamb (26x)	OT Hebrew term for sacrificial lamb; the primary Hebrew source behind amnos in LXX translation
שֶׂה (seh)	H7716	Lamb (2x)	Broader term: any small livestock (sheep or goat)

amnos vs. arnion: These are the two "Lamb" words applied to Christ. amnos (4x) appears in contexts emphasizing the sacrifice — the lamb that dies. arnion (30x) appears in Revelation emphasizing the triumph — the lamb that reigns. The theological arc moves from amnos (slain) to arnion (enthroned).

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
כֶּבֶשׂ (kebes)	H3532	77	7.61	Primary equivalent — sacrificial lamb in Levitical system
אַיִל (ayil)	H352	47	6.12	Ram — often paired with kebes in sacrifice lists
פַּר (par)	H6499	40	6.40	Bullock — co-occurs in burnt offering contexts
תָּמִים (tamim)	H8549	21	5.96	"Without blemish" — the required quality
עֹלָה (olah)	H5930	35	5.08	Burnt offering — the ritual context

The Hebrew source data shows amnos firmly embedded in OT sacrificial vocabulary. Its strongest bridge is to kebes (H3532), the standard lamb of the Levitical offerings.