4747. stoicheion
Strong's Concordance
stoicheion: one of a row, hence a letter (of the alphabet), by ext. the elements (of knowledge)
Original Word: στοιχεῖον, ου, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: stoicheion
Phonetic Spelling: (stoy-khi'-on)
Short Definition: a heavenly body, an element
Definition: (a) plur: the heavenly bodies, (b) a rudiment, an element, a rudimentary principle, an elementary rule.
HELPS Word-studies

4747 stoixeíon– properly, fundamentals, like with the basic components of a philosophy, structure, etc.; (figuratively) "first principles," like the basic fundamentals of Christianity.

[4747 (stoixeíon) refers to "the rudiments with which mankind . . . were indoctrinated (before the time of Christ), i.e. the elements of religious training or the ceremonial precepts common alike to the worship of Jews and of Gentiles" (J. Thayer).

The RSV however renders stoixeia as "elemental spirits," i.e. spiritual powers or "cosmic spirits" (DNTT, 2, 828). This views 4747 /stoixeíon ("elements") as ancient astral beings associated with the very beginning (make-up) of the earth.]

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4747: στοιχεῖον

στοιχεῖον, στοιχειου, τό (from στοῖχος a row, rank, series; hence, properly, that which belongs to any στοῖχος, that of which a στοῖχος is composed; hence), "any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise; an element, first principle". The word denotes specifically:

1. the letters of the alphabet as the elements of speech, not however the written characters (which are called γράμματα), but the spoken sounds: στοιχεῖον φωνῆς φωνή ἀσύνθετος, Plato definition, p. 414 e.; τό ῥω τό στοιχεῖον, id. Crat., p. 426 d.; στοιχεῖον ἐστι φωνή ἀδιαιρετος, οὐ πᾶσα δέ, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἧς πεφυκε συνετή γίγνεσθαι φωνή, Aristotle, poet. 20, p. 1456{b}, 22.

2. the elements from which all things have come, the material causes of the universe (ἐστι δέ στοιχεῖον, ἐξ οὗ πρώτου γίνεται τά γινόμενα καί εἰς ἔσχατον ἀναλύεται ... τό πῦρ, τό ὕδωρ, ἀήρ, γῆ, (Diogenes Laërtius Zeno 137); so very often from Plato down, as in Tim., p. 48 b.; in the Scriptures: Wis. 7:17 Wis. 19:17; 2 Peter 3:10, 12.

3. the heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens, or (as others think) because in them the elements of man's life and destiny were supposed to reside; so in the earlier ecclesiastical writings: Ep. ad Diogn. 7, 2 [ET]; Justin Martyr, dialog contra Trypho, 23; τά Οὐρανία στοιχεῖα, id. Apology 2, 5; στοιχεῖα Θεοῦ, created by God, Theophilus Ant. ad Autol. 1, 4; cf. Hilgenfeld, Galaterbrief, pp. 66-77. Hence, some interpreters infelicitously understand Paul's phrase τά στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, Galatians 4:3, 9; Colossians 2:8, 20, of the heavenly bodies, because times and seasons, and so sacred seasons, were regulated by the course of the sun and moon; yet in unfolding the meaning of the passage on the basis of this sense they differ widely.

4. the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles (cf. our 'alphabet' or 'a b c') of any art, science, or discipline; e. g. of mathematics, as in the title of Euclid's well-known work; στοιχεῖα πρῶτα καί μέγιστα χρήστης πολιτείας, Isocrates, p. 18 a.; τῆς ἀρετῆς, Plutarch, de puer. educ. 16, 2; many examples are given in Passow, under the word, 4, ii., p. 1550b; (cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 3 and 4). In the N. T. we have τά στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ Θεοῦ (see ἀρχή, 1 b., p. 76{b} bottom), Hebrews 5:12, such as are taught to νήπιοι, Hebrews 5:13; τά στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, the rudiments with which mankind like νήπιοι were indoctrinated before the time of Christ, i. e. the elements of religions training, or the ceremonial precepts common alike to the worship of Jews and of Gentiles, Galatians 4:3, 9, (and since these requirements on account of the difficulty of observing them are to be regarded as a yoke — cf. Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1 — those who rely upon them are said to be δεδουλωμένοι ὑπό τά στοιχεῖα); specifically, the ceremonial requirements especially of Jewish tradition, minutely set forth by theosophists and false teachers, and fortified by specious argument, Colossians 2:8, 20. The phrase τά στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου is fully discussed by Schneckenburger in the Theolog. Jahrbücher for 1848, Part iv., p. 445ff; Neander in the Deutsche Zeitschrift f. Christl. Wissensehaft for 1850, p. 205ff; Kienlen in Reuss u. Cunitz's Beiträge zu d. theolog. Wissenschaften, vol. ii., p. 133ff; E. Schaubach, Comment. qua exponitur quid στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου in N. T. sibi velint. (Meining. 1862).

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
element, principle, rudiment.

Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of stoicheo; something orderly in arrangement, i.e. (by implication) a serial (basal, fundamental, initial) constituent (literally), proposition (figuratively) -- element, principle, rudiment.

see GREEK stoicheo

Forms and Transliterations
στοιχεια στοιχεία στοιχεῖα στοιχειων στοιχείων stoicheia stoicheîa stoicheion stoicheiōn stoicheíon stoicheíōn
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Englishman's Concordance
Strong's Greek 4747
7 Occurrences


στοιχεῖα — 6 Occ.
στοιχείων — 1 Occ.

Galatians 4:3 N-ANP
GRK: ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου
NAS: under the elemental things of the world.
KJV: under the elements of the world:
INT: under the basic principles of the world

Galatians 4:9 N-ANP
GRK: καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα οἷς πάλιν
NAS: and worthless elemental things, to which
KJV: beggarly elements, whereunto
INT: and beggarly principles to which again

Colossians 2:8 N-ANP
GRK: κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου
NAS: according to the elementary principles of the world,
KJV: after the rudiments of the world,
INT: according to the principles of the world

Colossians 2:20 N-GNP
GRK: ἀπὸ τῶν στοιχείων τοῦ κόσμου
NAS: with Christ to the elementary principles of the world,
KJV: from the rudiments of the world,
INT: from the principles of the world

Hebrews 5:12 N-NNP
GRK: τινὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς
NAS: to teach you the elementary principles
KJV: [be] the first principles of the oracles
INT: what [are] the principles of the beginning

2 Peter 3:10 N-NNP
GRK: ῥοιζηδὸν παρελεύσονται στοιχεῖα δὲ καυσούμενα
NAS: with a roar and the elements will be destroyed
KJV: and the elements shall melt
INT: with rushing noise will pass away elements moreover burning with heat

2 Peter 3:12 N-NNP
GRK: λυθήσονται καὶ στοιχεῖα καυσούμενα τήκεται
NAS: by burning, and the elements will melt
KJV: and the elements shall melt
INT: will be dissolved and [the] elements burning with heat shall melt

7 Occurrences

4746
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