Σατανᾶς

Forms

Σᾰτᾰνᾶς (Satanâs) m (genitive Σᾰτᾰνᾶ); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Aramaic סָטָנָא (sāṭānā), the Aramaic form with the article, from which the inflected Greek form comes;^[2][3] the word corresponds to Biblical Hebrew שָׂטָן (śāṭān, “adversary”), which the Septuagint also renders by the indeclinable Σατάν (Satán).^[2][1][4] The Modern Greek dictionaries and Köbler give the Hebrew word as the source.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Septuagint, in the book of Sirach (2nd century BC), meaning an enemy or adversary.^[7][8][9]

Semantic evolution

In the New Testament it is the name of the Devil, the chief of the evil spirits, whom it calls Satan in the Gospels, the letters of Paul and Revelation.^[2][4] Paul speaks of an “angel of Satan”, and Jesus addresses Peter with the word in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.^[2][4][10] The Greek Life of Adam and Eve, the Letter of Barnabas and Polycarp's letter use it in the same way.^[8]

The Greek word was borrowed as Latin Satanās, whence Catalan, Portuguese and Spanish forms,^[1] and as Coptic ⲥⲁⲧⲁⲛⲁⲥ (satanas), in a manuscript of about AD 300 and in several dialects.^[11] Medieval vernacular Greek used Σατανάς for the Devil.^[12] Modern Greek σατανάς (satanás) still names the Devil and keeps the Gospel words ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ, “get behind me, Satan”, against a temptation; figuratively it is a cunning, scheming person, or a naughty child.^[5]

Timeline

• 2nd century BC – Sirach in the Septuagint uses it for an adversary.^[7][8]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it as the name of the Devil.^[2][4]
• 1st–2nd century AD – The Letter of Barnabas and Polycarp's letter use it of Satan.^[8]
• About AD 300 – The Coptic borrowing is first recorded.^[11]
• 1100–1669 – Medieval vernacular Greek uses it for the Devil.^[12]
• Modern Greek – σατανάς (satanás) names the Devil and, figuratively, a cunning person.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Septuagint) An adversary, an enemy.^[7][9]
2. (New Testament, Christian) Satan, the Devil, the chief of the evil spirits.^[10][4][2]

Related words

• Σατάν (Satán)
• διάβολος (diábolos)
• Latin Satanās

Usage notes

The Septuagint also has the indeclinable form Σατάν, which keeps the Hebrew shape; Σατανᾶς, declined in the first declension, follows the Aramaic form.^[2][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Abbott-Smith, G. (1922), A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark
3. ^ Strong, James (1890), A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament, in The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, New York: Hunt & Eaton
4. ^ a b c d e United Bible Societies (2023), UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (revised Louw–Nida semantic domains), open-licence ed.
5. ^ a b c Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, online ed., https://www.koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ a b c d Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b Malhadas, Daisi; Dezotti, Maria Celeste C.; Neves, Maria Helena de Moura, eds. (2006–2010), Dicionário Grego-Português, São Paulo: Ateliê; digital ed. 3 (2022), UNESP Araraquara
10. ^ a b Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
11. ^ a b Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC), Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Leipzig
12. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr