Brief Overview of πηλίκος (Strong’s G4080: pēlikos)

Strong’s G4080: A relative adjective meaning “how large” or “how great.” In biblical usage, specifically appears in Galatians 6:11 referring to the size of Paul’s handwriting, potentially indicating emphasis, visual impairment, or personal authentication of his letter.

U- Unveiling the Word

Πηλίκος (pēlikos) functions as a relative adjective expressing size, magnitude, or importance. In the New Testament, Paul uses it to draw attention to his handwriting, possibly emphasizing the importance of his message or indicating physical challenges in writing. Early church writers understood this as both a practical detail and a metaphor for the weight of apostolic authority. Today, it reminds us how physical expressions can carry spiritual significance and how God uses our limitations for His purposes.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: πηλίκος, pēlikos, pay-lee’-kos
• Detailed pronunciation: pay (as in “pay”) + lee (as in “lee”) + kos (as in “cost”)
• Part of Speech: Relative Adjective

Etymology:
From Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (who, what) with suffix indicating size/magnitude

D – Defining Meanings

• How large
• How great
• Of what size
• How important
• What extent

Translation Options:

1. How large – emphasizes physical size
2. What size – indicates measurement
3. How great – captures both size and importance

E – Exploring Similar Words

• ποῖος (poios) [poy’-os] – what kind
• πόσος (posos) [pos’-os] – how much
• ἡλίκος (hēlikos) [hay-lee’-kos] – how great

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

Adjective Features:

• Case: Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative
• Number: Singular, Plural
• Gender: Masculine, Feminine, Neuter
• First/Second Declension

Example forms:
Masculine nominative: πηλίκος
Feminine nominative: πηλίκη
Neuter accusative: πηλίκον

Cross-references:

• Related adverb: πηλίκως (how greatly)

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

BDAG emphasizes its use in measuring size or importance. Thayer’s notes its interrogative nature. LSJ documents various contexts of measurement. Vine’s connects it to Paul’s emphasis. Strong’s highlights its relative nature. Moulton and Milligan note its use in documents describing physical dimensions.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First appearance:

“See with what large [πηλίκος] letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” (Galatians 6:11)

Additional References:
Hebrews 7:4

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

Πηλίκος powerfully illustrates how God uses even our limitations for His glory. The good news of King Jesus includes His ability to work through our weaknesses. This word reminds us that whether through large letters due to poor eyesight or emphasis due to importance, God’s message transcends human limitations.

D – Did You Know?

1. Used in ancient documents to emphasize important clauses.
2. Appeared in medical texts describing symptom severity.
3. Early scribes used it to indicate text importance in manuscripts.

Strong’s G4080: A relative adjective expressing size or magnitude. In Pauline usage, draws attention to handwriting size, potentially indicating emphasis, physical limitation, or authentication, while metaphorically suggesting the weight of apostolic authority.

Part of speech: Relative Adjective

Tags: #size #magnitude #writing #Paul #Galatians #emphasis #authority #limitation #NewTestament #BiblicalGreek #Theology #authenticity​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​