G3566 — νυμφίος (nymphíos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3566
Original: νυμφίος
Transliteration: nymphíos
Pronunciation: noom-fee'-os
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Related to νύμφη (nymphē, G3565) — bride
Occurrences: 16 tokens in 12 unique NT verses
First Occurrence: Mat 9:15 — "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From νύμφη (G3565, bride); a bride-groom (literally or figuratively): — bridegroom.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 10 — Kinship Terms
Subdomain: 10.04 — Kinship Relations Based upon Marriage
Other words in subdomain: ἀνήρ (anēr, G435) — husband/man; ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos, G444) — man; γυνή (gynē, G1135) — wife/woman; νύμφη (nymphē, G3565) — bride; πενθερά (penthera, G3994) — mother-in-law; πενθερός (pentheros, G3995) — father-in-law; σκεῦος (skeuos, G4632) — vessel (fig. spouse); χῆρος (chēros, G5503) — widow

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
bridegroom	11	91.7%
bridegroom's	1	8.3%

All 12 unique verses render with "bridegroom" or the possessive form — remarkably consistent KJV handling.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Matthew	5	0.5
Mark	2	0.3
Luke	2	0.2
John	2	0.2
Revelation	1	0.2

Pattern notes: - Exclusively NT (no LXX Strong's lookup applies — Greek word with Hebrew source data instead). - Confined to the Gospels (11 of 12 verses) plus a single apocalyptic use in Revelation 18:23. - Matthew carries the heaviest concentration, driven by the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 25:1, 5, 6, 10). - Pauline epistles never use this noun — Paul expresses the marriage image with different vocabulary (e.g., 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Jesus as the Bridegroom Whose Presence Defines the Feast¶

In the Synoptic "children of the bridechamber" saying, Jesus identifies himself as the bridegroom. His physical presence with the disciples makes fasting inappropriate; his removal signals a new season. - Mat 9:15 — "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast." - Mar 2:19–20 — parallel saying. - Luk 5:34–35 — parallel saying.

2. The Coming Bridegroom in Parable¶

In the parable of the ten virgins the bridegroom's arrival is delayed, midnight-timed, and decisive — entry to the marriage feast depends on readiness at his coming. - Mat 25:1 — virgins "went forth to meet the bridegroom." - Mat 25:5 — "While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." - Mat 25:6 — "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." - Mat 25:10 — "the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage."

3. The Bridegroom at a Literal Wedding (Cana)¶

John 2 uses the word in its ordinary sense — the groom hosting the wedding at Cana. This is the only literal, non-figurative use in the NT narrative. - Jhn 2:9 — "the governor of the feast called the bridegroom."

4. John the Baptist's Self-Definition as the Bridegroom's Friend¶

John uses νυμφίος to identify Jesus as the true bridegroom while casting himself as the best-man who rejoices at the groom's voice. - Jhn 3:29 — "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice."

5. Silence of the Bridegroom as Sign of Judgment¶

In Revelation, the absence of the bridegroom's voice marks the extinguished joy of a fallen city — reversing the standard prophetic pairing of bridegroom/bride with festive sound. - Rev 18:23 — "the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride, shall be heard no more at all in thee."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἔρχομαι (erchomai)	G2064	5x (42%)	"the bridegroom cometh" / arrival language
νηστεύω (nēsteuō)	G3522	5x (42%)	fasting question — cannot fast while bridegroom present
τότε (tote)	G5119	4x (33%)	"then" — marks the transition when bridegroom departs
ἀπαίρω (apairō)	G522	3x (25%)	"taken away" — bridegroom removed from disciples
ἡμέρα (hēmera)	G2250	3x (25%)	"the days will come" — future fasting era
νυμφών (nymphōn)	G3567	3x (25%)	"children of the bridechamber" — attendants of the groom
υἱός (huios)	G5207	3x (25%)	paired with νυμφών in "sons of the bridechamber" idiom
νύμφη (nymphē)	G3565	2x (17%)	bride/bridegroom pairing (Jhn 3:29; Rev 18:23)
ἀπάντησις (apantēsis)	G529	2x (17%)	"to meet" the bridegroom (Mat 25:1, 6)
φωνή (phōnē)	G5456	2x (17%)	"voice" of the bridegroom (Jhn 3:29; Rev 18:23)

Word Family / Cognates¶

νύμφη (nymphē), G3565 — bride / daughter-in-law. Feminine counterpart.
νυμφών (nymphōn), G3567 — bridechamber / wedding hall. Same word group; used in "children of the bridechamber."

Synonyms¶

G3565 νύμφη (nymphē) — bride; the feminine wedding counterpart surfaced by search_relationships.py within the same kinship/marriage cluster.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for G3566.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀνήρ (anēr)	G435	can mean "husband"	anēr is the generic husband/man term; nymphios is specifically the groom during the wedding event
γαμέω (gameō)	G1060	marry / marriage verb	Verb for the act of marrying; nymphios is the person playing the groom role
γάμος (gamos)	G1062	wedding / marriage	The event or feast; nymphios is the central figure in the event

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
010	Kinship Terms	`search_relationships.py` keeps nymphios in the marriage-kinship field, matching its use for the bridegroom in wedding scenes, parables, and covenantal bridegroom imagery.

Hebrew Source (LXX-bridged)¶

The most theologically weighted Hebrew counterparts for the NT bridegroom imagery are חָתָן (châthân, H2860, co-occ 9, PMI 10.30) and the cluster of joy words Scripture regularly pairs with him.

Hebrew	Strong's	Translit	Co-occ	PMI	Score
חָתָן	H2860	châthân	9	10.30	23.71
כַּלָּה	H3618	kallâh (bride)	7	9.30	19.34
שָׂשׂוֹן	H8342	sâsôwn (joy)	4	8.84	14.23
שׂוּשׂ	H7797	sûws (rejoice)	3	8.30	11.50
שִׂמְחָה	H8057	simchâh (gladness)	4	6.86	11.03
קוֹל	H6963	qôwl (voice)	4	4.58	7.38

The Hebrew pattern behind Rev 18:23 and Jhn 3:29 is the recurring prophetic formula קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן ... קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה — "the voice of joy ... the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" (cf. Jer 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; 33:11).