topos · place

What it means

topos (τόπος) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “place”.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. A specific spot where something is or happens.
2. Space for someone, or a chance.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Place: a spot, a region or the space something occupies; figuratively, occasion or opportunity. Thayer also gives the place that belongs to someone.

• A spot: “see the place where he was lying” Matthew 28:6Acts 7:33
• “A deserted place” Mark 1:35
• “There was no place for them” Luke 2:7Revelation 12:8
• “I am going to prepare a place for you” John 14:2
• “Nor give a place to the devil”: an opening Ephesians 4:27

How we translate it

“Place” 82 times, “places” 10, “opportunity” 1 (Acts 25:16) and “room” 1. In Ephesians 4:27 it keeps “place” (“nor give a place to the devil”), the Greek image of leaving room for something. In Matthew 24:15 “a holy place” keeps the Old Testament expression.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• place ×82
• places ×10
• opportunity ×1
• room ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×10
• Mark×10
• Luke×19
• John×16
• Acts×18
• Romans×3
• 1 Corinthians×2
• 2 Corinthians×1
• Ephesians×1
• 1 Thessalonians×1
• 1 Timothy×1
• Hebrews×3
• 2 Peter×1
• Revelation×8

• Matthew 12:43

  When the unclean spirit goes out of the man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.

• Matthew 14:13

  Hearing this, Jesus withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself; and when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

• Matthew 14:15

  When evening came, the disciples came to him, saying, “The place is deserted, and the hour has already passed; send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

• Matthew 14:35

  And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent word into all that surrounding region, and they brought to him all who were ill,

• Matthew 24:7

  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

• Matthew 24:15

  So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in a holy place (let the reader understand),

• Matthew 26:52

  Then Jesus says to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

• Matthew 27:33

  And coming to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull,

• Matthew 28:6

  He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come, see the place where he was lying.

• Mark 1:35

  And very early, while it was still night, he got up and went out and went away to a deserted place, and there he was praying.

• Mark 1:45

  But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the word, so that he could no longer enter a town openly, but was out in deserted places; and they kept coming to him from everywhere.

• Mark 6:11

  And whatever place does not receive you nor listen to you, as you leave from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet as a testimony to them.”

• Mark 6:31

  And he says to them, “You yourselves come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a little.” For those who were coming and going were many, and they did not even have the chance to eat.

• Mark 6:32

  And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

• Mark 6:35

  And when it was already late, his disciples came to him and were saying, “This place is deserted, and it is already late;

• Mark 13:8

  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These things are the beginning of birth pains.

• Mark 15:22

  And they bring him to the place Golgotha, which is translated Place of a Skull.

• Mark 16:6

  But he says to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

• Luke 2:7

  And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guest room.

• Luke 4:17

  And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

• Luke 4:37

  And a report about him was going out into every place of the surrounding region.

• Luke 4:42

  And when day came, he went out and went to a deserted place; and the crowds were searching for him, and they came to him and were holding him back so that he would not go away from them.

• Luke 6:17

  And coming down with them, he stood on a level place, and there was a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coast of Tyre and Sidon,

• Luke 9:12

  Now the day began to decline, and the Twelve came and said to him, “Send away the crowd, so that going into the surrounding villages and farms, they may find lodging and find provisions; because here we are in a deserted place.”

• Luke 10:1

  Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy-two others also, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he himself was about to come.

• Luke 10:32

  And likewise a Levite also, coming to the place and seeing him, passed by on the other side.

• Luke 11:1

  And it happened, while he was praying in a certain place, that when he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”

• Luke 11:24

  When the unclean spirit goes out of the person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest; and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’

• Luke 14:9

  and the one who invited you and him will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the last place.

• Luke 14:10

  But when you are invited, go and recline in the last place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will have honor before all those reclining at table with you.

• Luke 14:22

  And the slave said, ‘Master, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’

• Luke 16:28

  for I have five brothers —so that he may testify to them, so that they also may not come to this place of torment.’

• Luke 19:5

  And when he came to the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

• Luke 21:11

  There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

• Luke 22:40

  And when he arrived at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

• Luke 23:33

  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.

• John 4:20

  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.”

• John 5:13

  But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, there being a crowd in the place.

• John 6:10

  Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.

• John 6:23

  However, boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

And 54 more times.