Restored Vision: Τιμαῖος (Strong’s G5090: Timaios) Witnesses Messiah’s Mercy

Strong’s G5090: A proper noun meaning “highly prized” or “honorable,” name of blind Bartimaeus’s father. Appears in Mark’s account of Jesus healing Bartimaeus, significantly including both Aramaic and Greek names, emphasizing the universal scope of Jesus’ ministry.

U- Unveiling the Word

Τιμαῖος carries significance beyond its role as a personal name in the New Testament. Derived from the Greek concept of honor or value, it appears in Mark’s account of Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus, where the evangelist uniquely preserves both the father’s Greek name (Timaeus) and the son’s Aramaic name (Bar-timaeus). This dual naming suggests a family bridging Greek and Jewish cultures, highlighting the universal nature of Jesus’ ministry. The early church saw in this detail a sign of the Gospel’s reach to both Jewish and Gentile communities. Today, it continues to remind believers that Jesus’ healing touch crosses all cultural boundaries.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: Τιμαῖος, Timaios, /tih-MAI-os/
• Detailed pronunciation: tih-MAY-ohs (emphasis on MAY)
• Part of Speech: Proper Noun

Etymology:

• From τιμή (time) – “honor” or “value”
• -αῖος (-aios) – adjectival suffix indicating possession
• Hellenized form of a possible Aramaic name

D – Defining Meanings

• Highly prized
• Honorable
• Valuable one

For compound words:
Not a compound word, but derived from τιμή with adjectival suffix

Translation Options:

• “Timaeus” – Direct transliteration, most common
• “The honored one” – Translation of meaning
• “The valued one” – Alternative meaning translation

E – Exploring Similar Words

• τιμή (time) /tee-MAY/ – honor, value, from which Timaeus derives. See G5092
• τίμιος (timios) /TI-mee-os/ – precious, valuable, related adjective. See G5093
• Βαρτιμαῖος (Bartimaios) /bar-ti-MAI-os/ – son of Timaeus. See G924

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

Morphological features as a Proper Noun:

• Case: Nominative/Genitive/Dative/Accusative
• Number: Singular
• Gender: Masculine
• Declension: Second

Case forms:

• Nominative: Τιμαῖος
• Genitive: Τιμαίου
• Dative: Τιμαίῳ
• Accusative: Τιμαῖον

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

BDAG emphasizes Τιμαῖος’s significance as a Greek name in a predominantly Jewish context. Thayer’s notes its derivation from concepts of honor and value. LSJ documents its use as both a personal name and an adjective in classical Greek. Vine’s highlights its appearance in the context of Jesus’ healing ministry. Strong’s connects it to the root meaning of honor. Moulton and Milligan provide evidence of its use as a personal name in Hellenistic documents. The synthesis reveals a carefully preserved detail that points to the multicultural nature of first-century Christianity.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First appearance:
“And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of [Timaeus] [Τιμαῖος], sat by the highway side begging.” Mark 10:46

Additional References:
This is the only occurrence in the New Testament.

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

Τιμαῖος appears in Scripture at a moment of divine mercy and healing, marking the intersection of Greek and Jewish cultures in the Gospel narrative. Its meaning of “honored” or “valued” contrasts powerfully with the social status of the blind beggar, showing how Jesus honors those whom society devalues. This name proclaims the good news that King Jesus sees worth in every person, regardless of their social status or cultural background, and His healing power extends to all who call on Him in faith.

D – Did You Know?

1. The name appears in both Greek philosophical works and Jewish communities.
2. Mark uniquely preserves both Greek and Aramaic versions of the name.
3. Early church writers saw significance in the bilingual naming pattern.

Strong’s G5090: A proper noun meaning “highly prized” or “honorable,” name of blind Bartimaeus’s father. Appears in Mark’s account of Jesus healing Bartimaeus, significantly including both Aramaic and Greek names, emphasizing the universal scope of Jesus’ ministry.

Part of speech: Proper Noun

Tags: names, healing, blindness, Jericho, Greek culture, Aramaic, mercy, Bartimaeus, multicultural, honor, value, identity​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​