Bible word study

Kanon (Strong’s G2583): Meaning in the Bible

Kanon (κανών) is the Greek word numbered G2583 in Strong’s concordance of the Bible. Strong’s defines it as a rule ("canon"), i.e. (figuratively) a standard (of faith and practice); by implication, a boundary, i.e. (figuratively) a sphere (of activity). In the King James Bible it is translated line, rule..

• Original wordκανών
• Transliterationkanṓn
• Pronunciationkan-ohn'
• Strong’s numberG2583
• LanguageGreek

The full Strong’s definition

Derivation. from (a straight reed, i.e. rod);

How the King James Bible translates it

Where Kanon appears in the Bible

In the King James Bible’s text tagged with Strong’s numbers, Kanon (G2583) stands behind 6 English renderings in 5 verses across 3 of the 66 books. It is most frequent in 2 Corinthians (3), Philippians (2), Galatians (1).

How the King James Bible renders Kanon, by count

• rule4 of 6 (67 percent)
• the1 of 6 (17 percent)
• things1 of 6 (17 percent)

Three places to read Kanon

• 2 Corinthians 10:13 But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.
• 2 Corinthians 10:15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,
• Galatians 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Counts are made at build time from the King James text tagged with Strong’s numbers (eBible.org, public domain). Verses are read from the stored King James text, never typed.

Why the word matters

Every word the biblical writers chose carries weight. Studying Kanon in the original Greek lets you read the passages where it appears more carefully, closer to what the first hearers understood, so the meaning is drawn from the text itself rather than from the English alone.

The lexical data on this page comes from the public-domain Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890), a Hebrew and Greek dictionary keyed to the King James Bible. It is a reference tool, not a settled verdict: no single word decides a doctrine, and meaning is finally shaped by how a word is used in its sentences. Read the passages themselves, prayerfully, and in full.

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