G3022 — λευκός (leukós)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3022
Original: λευκός
Transliteration: leukós
Pronunciation: lyoo-kos
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: λύκη (lykē) — light; white derives from "light-colored"
Occurrences: 23 unique verses (25 tokens) in NT
Books: 6 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Revelation)
First Occurrence: Matt 5:36 — "thou canst not make one hair white or black"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From λύκη lykē ("light"); white: — white.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 079.007: Features of Objects — Color
Other color words: ἐρυθρός (G2063, red), κόκκινος (G2847, scarlet), μέλας (G3189, black), πορφυροῦς (G4210, purple), πυρρός (G4450, red/fiery)
Domain 014.006: Physical Events and States — Light
Related: δόξα (G1391, glory/radiance), ἀστραπή (G796, lightning), ἀπαύγασμα (G541, brightness), ἐξαστράπτω (G1823, glistering)

Note: Dual placement reflects etymology — white conceived as the color of light.

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[079] Features of Objects — color and visible features. Other words: ἄδολος (G97), ἀκαθαρσία (G167), ἀκατακάλυπτος (G177), ἄκρατος (G194), ἄκρον (G206), ἀμαράντινος (G262)
[014] Physical Events and States — whiteness/radiance in a broader light field. Other words: ἀλαλάζω (G214), ἅλλομαι (G242), ἀνάπτω (G381), ἀνατέλλω (G393), ἀνατολή (G395), ἄνεμος (G417)

Domain Neighbors (014.006 — Light)¶

Strong's	Word	Transliteration	Occurrences	Primary KJV
G541	ἀπαύγασμα	apaugasma	1	brightness
G796	ἀστραπή	astrapē	9	lightning
G1391	δόξα	doxa	125	glory
G1584	ἐκλάμπω	eklampō	2	shine forth
G1823	ἐξαστράπτω	exastraptō	1	glistering

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
white	17	73.9%
a white	4	17.4%
as white	1	4.3%
in a long white	1	4.3%
with white	1	4.3%

KJV translates λευκός exclusively as "white." No ambiguity.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Book Verses	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	14	404	3.5
Matthew	3	1071	0.3
Mark	2	678	0.3
John	2	879	0.2
Luke	1	1151	0.1
Acts	1	1007	0.1

61% of all NT uses (14/23) are in Revelation. The word is deeply embedded in apocalyptic heavenly imagery. Outside Revelation, uses cluster in Transfiguration accounts (Matt 17:2; Mark 9:3; Luke 9:29) and post-resurrection/ascension narratives (Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Physical Whiteness (Hair, Natural Objects)¶

Matt 5:36 — "thou canst not make one hair white or black"
Rev 1:14 — "his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow"
Matt 28:3 — "his raiment white as snow"

2. Transfiguration — Heavenly Radiance¶

Matt 17:2 — "his raiment was white as the light"
Mark 9:3 — "exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them"
Luke 9:29 — "his raiment was white and glistering"

3. Angelic and Heavenly Messengers¶

Mark 16:5 — "a young man...clothed in a long white garment"
John 20:12 — "two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet"
Acts 1:10 — "two men stood by them in white apparel"

4. Garments of the Redeemed (Revelation)¶

Rev 3:4–5 — "they shall walk with me in white...clothed in white raiment"
Rev 6:11 — "white robes were given unto every one of them"
Rev 7:9 — "clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands"
Rev 3:18 — "I counsel thee to buy of me...white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed"

5. Apocalyptic Heavenly Imagery (Throne, Horses, Cloud)¶

Rev 6:2 — "a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given"
Rev 14:14 — "a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man"
Rev 19:11 — "a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True"
Rev 20:11 — "a great white throne, and him that sat on it"

6. Natural / Agricultural (Neutral)¶

John 4:35 — "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ὁράω (horaō)	G3708	7x (30%)	"I saw / behold...white" — vision formulae in Revelation
ἱμάτιον (himation)	G2440	6x (26%)	"white garments/raiment"
κάθημαι (kathēmai)	G2521	6x (26%)	"sitting on white (horse/throne/cloud)"
περιβάλλω (periballō)	G4016	6x (26%)	"clothed in white"
ὡς (hōs)	G5613	6x (26%)	"white as snow/wool/light" — comparison similes
κεφαλή (kephalē)	G2776	5x (22%)	"his head...white"
στολή (stolē)	G4749	4x (17%)	"white robes" (arrayed in white stolē)
θρόνος (thronos)	G2362	3x (13%)	"great white throne" (Rev 20:11); elders on thrones
ἵππος (hippos)	G2462	3x (13%)	"white horse" (Rev 6:2; 19:11, 14)
νικάω (nikaō)	G3528	3x (13%)	"he that overcometh...clothed in white"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3021 λευκαίνω (leukaínō) — to whiten, make white (verb): Mark 9:3 ("no fuller can white them"); Rev 7:14 ("made them white in the blood of the Lamb")

Synonyms¶

No direct synonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for G3022.

Antonyms¶

μέλας (G3189) — black; explicit color opposite in the Abbott-Smith relationship data

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
λαμπρός (lamprós)	G2986	Both rendered "white" in Rev 15:6; 19:8	lamprós = bright/radiant (from lamp-shine); leukós = color white. Lamprós emphasizes luminosity; leukós describes hue.
λευκαίνω (leukaínō)	G3021	Both from same root	leukaínō is the verbal form — "to make white"; leukós is the adjective

Hebrew Source (LXX)¶

Hebrew	Strong's	Transliteration	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
לָבָן	H3836	lābān	22	30.06
שֵׂעָר	H8181	sēʻār (hair)	7	16.38
בֹּהֶרֶת	H934	bōhereth (bright spot/leprous mark)	5	15.37
עוֹר	H5785	ʻôwr (skin)	9	15.07
נֶגַע	H5061	negaʻ (plague/mark)	8	14.85

Primary source: H3836 לָבָן (lābān, "white") — the dominant Hebrew color word for white. Secondary associations are Levitical: leukós translates the white appearance of skin, hair, and leprous marks in Lev 13–14 (LXX).