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UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

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παρθένος

MainId: 003835000000000

Version: 0

HasAramaic: False

InLXX: True

AlphaPos: π

StrongCodes: G3933

BaseForms:

1. BaseFormID: 003835001000000

   PartsOfSpeech: noun, m./f.

   Inflections:

   1. Lemma: παρθένος

      BaseFormIndex: 1

      Realizations: -ου

   RelatedLemmas: {'Word': 'παρθενία', 'Meanings': []}

   LEXMeanings:

   1. LEXID: 003835001001000

      LEXIsBiblicalTerm: M

      LEXEntryCode: 9.39

      LEXIndent: 0

      LEXDomains: People

      LEXSubDomains: Females

      LEXSenses:

      1. LanguageCode: en

         LastEdited: 2021-12-23 11:21:18

         DefinitionShort: a female person beyond puberty but not yet married and a virgin (though in some contexts virginity is not a focal component of meaning)

         Glosses: ['virgin', 'young woman']

         Comments: In {S:04402100900012} (τούτῳ δὲ ἦσαν θυγατέρες τέσσαρες παρθένοι ‘he had four virgin daughters’) the emphasis seems to be upon the fact that the daughters were not as yet married. (See {D:34.77}.) Similarly, in {S:04002500100016} the ten παρθένοι are unmarried girls desirous of participating in a wedding party, and the emphasis would seem to be more upon their being unmarried rather than upon their being virgins.|In obtaining a satisfactory term for ‘virgin,’ there are often a number of difficulties. For example, a term which designates a virgin may also imply participation in a particular set of ritual or cult practices consisting of puberty rites, in which ritual sexual intercourse is an integral element. In some languages a term which technically means ‘virgin’ is also employed with unacceptable connotations in that it may suggest that the woman in question has a queer personality or unattractive appearance and therefore is to be sexually avoided. In some instances a term which in some contexts may be equivalent to ‘virgin’ may also refer to a homosexual female who has not had relations with a man but who does engage in sexual relations with women.

      LEXReferences: MAT 1:23, MAT 25:1, MAT 25:7, MAT 25:11, LUKE 1:27, LUKE 1:27, ACTs 21:9, 1COR 7:34, 1COR 7:36, 1COR 7:37, 1COR 7:38, 2COR 11:2

   2. LEXID: 003835001002000

      LEXIsBiblicalTerm: M

      LEXEntryCode: 9.33

      LEXIndent: 0

      LEXDomains: People

      LEXSubDomains: Males

      LEXSenses:

      1. LanguageCode: en

         LastEdited: 2021-12-23 11:21:18

         DefinitionShort: an adult male who has not engaged in sexual relations with a woman

         Glosses: ['virgin', 'chaste']

         Comments: It is very rare that the same term can be applied to a man who has not engaged in sexual relations with a woman as is used in speaking of a woman who has not had sexual relations with a man. In fact, in English the use of ‘virgin’ as applied to a man seems strange. In many languages there is simply no term for a man who is a virgin, since such a state is regarded as being rather unthinkable. However, the first part of this statement in {S:06601400400016} indicates clearly the state of the persons in question. But if one does attempt to find a satisfactory term, it is important to determine whether such a word implies homosexuality, for this tends to be the case in some languages. See also comments at {D:9.39}.|In most languages terms for the age-grading of females parallel quite closely those relating to males. The principal distinctions in age include (1) girl babies before the age of weaning; (2) from weaning to puberty; (3) from puberty to marriage; (4) from marriage to menopause; and (5) after menopause.

      LEXReferences: REV 14:4

   3. LEXID: 003835001003000

      LEXIsBiblicalTerm: M

      LEXEntryCode: 34.77

      LEXIndent: 0

      LEXDomains: Association

      LEXSubDomains: Marriage, Divorce

      LEXSenses:

      1. LanguageCode: en

         LastEdited: 2021-12-23 11:21:18

         DefinitionShort: a person who has not as yet married (and possibly implying virginity)

         Glosses: unmarried person

         Comments: Some scholars interpret παρθένος[c] as referring not only to those who have never married, but also to widows and widowers who have not remarried. The meaning of unmarried persons who are not necessarily virgins is well attested in Greek from classical times.

      LEXReferences: 1COR 7:25, 1COR 7:28