σής
sēs
moth
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word σής (sēs) is a noun that refers to a moth. This term appears three times in the Bible, indicating a relatively limited range of usage. Given its semantic domain classification as Animals & Creatures, the word σής is likely used to describe a moth in a literal or figurative sense, possibly referencing its destructive nature, such as a moth eating through fabric. The fact that σής is a noun suggests that it is used to identify or describe a specific entity, rather than to convey a concept or idea. This literal meaning is consistent with its classification as a term within the Animals & Creatures semantic domain.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences across the text
“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
Matthew 6:20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
Luke 12:33Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys.