Definition and Usage of the Biblical Greek Word "Phrases"

The Greek word φράσις (phrasis) is not found in the New Testament. However, related Greek terms and concepts of "phrases" or "expressions" are discussed in patristic and scholarly works when analyzing biblical texts ^{[2, 7, 12]}. For instance, Augustine, in City of God, notes that the authors of Scripture employ various figures of speech, or "tropes," which grammarians identify by Greek names. He suggests that those familiar with these tropes can better understand Scripture ^[12]. Similarly, Charles Hodge's Systematic Theology includes an index of Greek words and phrases, indicating scholarly attention to specific linguistic units beyond single words ^[7].

While φράσις itself is absent, other Greek words related to speaking, declaring, or explaining are present in classical Greek and the Septuagint (LXX). For example, φράζω (phrazō) means "to show forth, tell, declare" and is used with words like λόγον (logos), ἔπος (epos), or ὄνομα (onoma) ^[1]. This verb highlights the act of expressing or making something known, which is the function of a phrase.

The concept of a "phrase" as a distinct linguistic unit is also implicitly recognized in discussions of biblical interpretation. Tertullian, for example, analyzes the "meaning of the phrase—in the beginning" in Genesis, connecting it to the wisdom of God and the concept of creation not being from pre-existent matter ^[2]. This demonstrates an early Christian focus on understanding the precise meaning conveyed by specific combinations of words.

In the Hebrew Bible, the term "phrase" is not directly equivalent to a single Hebrew word, but the idea of distinct expressions or idiomatic usages is evident. For instance, the Hebrew word פרסה (parsa), meaning "hoof," is discussed by Rashi in his commentaries on Deuteronomy 14:6, Leviticus 11:3, and Exodus 10:26, where he clarifies its meaning as "hoof" or "plante" in Old French ^{[3, 4, 8]}. Another example is the word פרס (peres) in Daniel 5:25, which Abraham Ibn Ezra explains has two meanings: "breaking/dividing" and "Persia," illustrating how a single word can carry multiple significant implications within a phrase or context ^[5]. Ibn Ezra also notes the meaning of פרוס (peros) as "break" in Isaiah 58:7, specifically in the context of breaking bread for the poor ^[6].

The Hebrew root פרה (parah), meaning "to be fruitful," is another instance where a root word forms the basis for various expressions. Rashi connects פרו (pru), "be fruitful," in Genesis 1:22 to this root ^[10]. Similarly, the name Ephraim (אפרים) is linked to this root, as noted by Adam Clarke in his commentary on Hosea 13:15, where he observes a paronomasia between Ephraim and the idea of being fruitful ^[9]. The Euphrates River (פרת) is also connected to this root by Rashi, who suggests its name comes from its waters growing and increasing ^[11].

These examples from both Greek and Hebrew scholarship illustrate that while a direct equivalent for the English term "phrase" might not exist as a single lemma, the careful analysis of multi-word expressions, their semantic range, and their contextual meaning has been a consistent feature of biblical interpretation across different traditions ^{[2, 5, 12]}. The focus is often on how words combine to convey specific theological or narrative points.

Sources

TFLSJ (Liddell-Scott-Jones) “[G5419] φράζω — to explain (part 34/85): b>show forth, tell, declare,</b> λόγον, ἔπος, ὄνομα, [<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=" 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “O.” 2.60, 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Persae” 173 (troch.), “Supp.” 320; φ. τοῖσι ἥκουσι τὰ πρήγματα 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 6.100; ἑλοῦ γάρ, ἢ πόνωντὰ λοιπά σοι φράσω σαφηνῶς, ἢ τὸν ἐκλύσοντ᾽ ἐμέ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Prometheus Vinctus” 781; τιπρός τινα 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.68, 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Nubes” 359 (_anapaest meter_), etc.: with double _accusative_, φ. τινά τι 5th-6th c.BC”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. XX.--MEANING OF THE PHRASE--IN THE BEGINNING. TERTULLIAN CONNECTS IT WITH THE WISDOM OF GOD, AND ELICITS FROM IT THE TRUTH THAT THE CREATION WAS NOT OUT OF PRE-EXISTENT MATTER. (part 1): But in proof that the Greek word means nothing else than beginning, and that beginning admits of no other sense than the initial one, we have that (Being)(11) even acknowledging such a beginning, who says: "The Lord possessed(12) me, the beginning of His ways for the creation of His works."(13) For since all things were made by the Wisdom of God, it follows that, when God made bot”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Deuteronomy 14:6: פרסה - plante in O. F. (English = hoof).”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Leviticus 11:3: פרסה — plante in O. F.; English= hoof.”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Daniel 5:25: MENE (מְנֵא): [Signifies that] everything that is counted (יְסֻפַּר - y'suppar ) [or] numbered (יֵחָשֵׁב - yechashev ). Furthermore, the word UPHARSIN (וּפַרְסִין) has two [meanings implied by the singular Peres]: The first PERES (פְּרֵס) relates to breaking/dividing (פְּרִיסַת - p'risat ), [signifying] the breaking/division of his kingdom and its cutting off (כְּרִיתוּתָם - k'ritutam ). And the second PERES (פֶּרֶס) relates to Persia (פָּרַס - Paras ), from [the common phrase like in Daniel 6:9, Daniel 6:13, Daniel 6:16; Esther 1:3, etc.] “Media and Persia” (מ”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Isaiah 58:7: פרוס Break . Comp. פרש אין להם no man breaketh it unto them (Lam. 4:4); פריסת is divided (Dan. 5:28). It means here to break a loaf of bread, in order to give a part of it to the poor.”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 145: Index of Greek Words and Phrases ἀνοίσουσι τήν πορνείαν ὑμῶν: 1 λύτρα: 1 πνεῦμα: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 πνεῦμα, : 1 ψυχή: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ψυχή, : 1 ἀγγέλοι: 1 ἀδίαφορον: 1 ἀδυναμία: 1 ἀνακαινούμενον: 1 ἀναφέρω: 1 2 3 ἀνενεγκεῖν ἀμαρτίας πολλῶν: 1 ἀνενεγκεῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν: 1 ἀνθρωπον: 1 ἀνομία: 1 2 3 ἀντὶ: 1 ἀπάτη: 1 ἀπαύγασμα: 1 ἀποκαταλλάττειν: 1 ἀποκαταλλάττεσθαι: 1 ἀπολύτρωσις: 1 2 ἀποτέλεσμα: 1 2 ἁγιάζειν: 1 2 ἁμαρτία: 1 2 ἄλλο καὶ ἄλλο: 1 ἄλλος καὶ ἄλλος: 1 ἐκ δύο φύσεσι: 1 ἐκ δύο φύσεων: 1 ἐμφανισθῆναι = ἐμφανίζειν ἑαυ”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Exodus 10:26: פרסה is the hoof of the foot; in old French plante.”
Hosea (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Hosea 13:15: Though he be fruitful - יפריא yaphri; a paronomasia on the word אפרים ephrayim, which comes from the same root פרה parah, to be fruitful, to sprout, to bud. An east wind shall come - As the east wind parches and blasts all vegetation, so shall Shalmaneser blast and destroy the Israelitish state.”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Genesis 1:22: פרו BE FRUITFUL — פרו is of the same root as פרי, and means bring forth fruit.”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Genesis 2:14: פרת EUPHRATES — It is called פרת because its waters grow (פרה) and increase and make men healthy (Berakhot 59b). כוש ואשור CUSH AND ASHUR did not then exist as countries, but Scripture writes with reference to the names which those districts would bear in the future (Ketubot 10b; Genesis Rabbah 16).”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 29.--THE KNOWLEDGE OF TROPES IS (part 1): NECESSARY. 40. Moreover, I would have learned men to know that the authors of our Scriptures use all those forms of expression which grammarians call by the Greek name tropes, and use them more freely and in greater variety than people who are unacquainted with the Scriptures, and have learnt these figures of speech from Other writings, can imagine or believe. Nevertheless those who know these tropes recognize them in Scripture, and are very much assisted by their knowledge of them in und”

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