G3529 — νίκη (nikē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3529
Original: νίκη
Transliteration: nikē
Pronunciation: nee'-kay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From νίκη, the classical Greek noun for victory; root of νικάω (nikaō, G3528) and νῖκος (nikos, G3534)
Occurrences: 1 in NT
First Occurrence: 1 John 5:4 — "this is the victory (nikē) that overcometh the world, even our faith"
Hapax Legomenon: YES — this word appears only once in the entire NT

Lexicon Definition¶

Not present in Strong's lexicon DB. The word νίκη is the classical Greek feminine noun meaning "victory, conquest." It is the base from which the verb νικάω (nikaō, G3528, "to conquer/overcome") and the neuter noun νῖκος (nikos, G3534, "victory/conquest") are derived. Thayer notes that νῖκος is "a later form equivalent to νίκη." In the NT, the classical form νίκη appears only in 1 John 5:4, while the later Koine form νῖκος is used in Matthew 12:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:54-57.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 39 — Hostility, Strife
Subdomain: 39.012 — Conquer
Glosses: to be victorious over, to be a victor, to conquer
Other words in subdomain: νικάω (nikaō, G3528), νῖκος (nikos, G3534), ὑπερνικάω (hypernikaō, G5245), ἡσσάομαι (hēssaomai, "be defeated"), θριαμβεύω (thriambeuō, "triumph over"), καταγωνίζομαι (katagōnizomai, "conquer"), κατακυριεύω (katakyrieuo, "rule over"), κατισχύω (katischuō, "overpower"), πατέω (pateō, "trample"), συντρίβω (syntribō, "crush")

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
039	Hostility, Strife	`search_relationships.py` places nikē in the same conflict/victory field as its cognates, fitting its single NT use for decisive triumph over the world.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
victory	1	100%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 John	1	0.96

As a hapax legomenon, nikē appears exclusively in 1 John. Its cognate verb nikaō (G3528) is concentrated in Johannine literature (86% of occurrences), making the sole appearance of nikē in 1 John consistent with John's sustained vocabulary of victory/conquest.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Victory Through Faith Over the World-System¶

The single occurrence defines victory (nikē) not as military conquest or personal achievement but as the outcome of being born of God, equated with faith itself. - 1 John 5:4 — "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory (nikē) that overcometh the world, even our faith."

The verse uses both the noun nikē and the cognate verb nikaō (twice). The construction "this is the victory that overcometh" (αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ νίκη ἡ νικήσασα) identifies the victory itself as the active agent — faith is not merely the instrument of victory but is the victory. The aorist participle νικήσασα treats the overcoming as an accomplished fact.

Context: 1 John 5:1-5 connects belief in Jesus as Christ (v.1) → love and commandment-keeping (v.2-3) → overcoming the world through faith (v.4-5). The "world" (kosmos, G2889) here refers to the hostile system opposed to God, consistent with John's usage in 1 John 2:15-17.

Common Collocations¶

As a hapax legomenon, nikē has no meaningful collocation statistics across multiple verses. Within 1 John 5:4, its co-occurring content words are:

Word	Strong's	Note
νικάω (nikaō)	G3528	Cognate verb, 2x in same verse — "overcometh...overcometh"
κόσμος (kosmos)	G2889	Object of victory — "the world"
πίστις (pistis)	G4102	Equated with nikē — "this is the victory...our faith"
θεός (theos)	G2316	Source — "born of God"
γεννάω (gennaō)	G1080	Condition — "whatsoever is born of God"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3528 νικάω (nikaō) — to conquer, overcome (verb, 28x). The dominant word in this family; used extensively in Revelation for eschatological victory of believers and Christ.
G3534 νῖκος (nikos) — victory, conquest (neuter noun, 4x: Matt 12:20; 1 Cor 15:54, 55, 57). Later Koine equivalent of nikē. Used for victory over death in 1 Corinthians 15.
G5245 ὑπερνικάω (hypernikaō) — to more than conquer (1x: Rom 8:37). Intensified form with ὑπερ- prefix — "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G3529.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G3529.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
νῖκος (nikos)	G3534	"victory" (4x)	Later Koine neuter form equivalent to nikē; used for victory over death (1 Cor 15) and judgment unto victory (Matt 12:20). Nikē is the classical feminine form, used for victory through faith (1 John 5:4).
תְּשׁוּעָה (teshuah)	H8668	"victory" (3x OT)	Hebrew word meaning deliverance/salvation — victory as rescue. Nikē is victory as conquest/triumph.
נֶצַח (netsach)	H5331	"victory" (2x OT)	Primarily means perpetuity/endurance ("forever"), only occasionally "victory." Different semantic field.

Hebrew Source¶

No LXX alignment data available for G3529. The word νίκη is primarily a classical Greek term without a specific Hebrew source word mapped through the Septuagint. Its cognate νῖκος (G3534) translates the Hebrew נֶצַח (netsach, H5331) in several LXX passages (2 Sam 2:26; 1 Chr 29:11; Lam 5:20; Amos 1:11; 8:7), though this is a loose semantic mapping since netsach primarily means "perpetuity."