Bible word study

Stauros (Strong’s G4716): Meaning in the Bible

Stauros (σταυρός) is the Greek word numbered G4716 in Strong’s concordance of the Bible. Strong’s defines it as a stake or post (as set upright), i.e. (specially), a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively, exposure to death, i.e. self-denial; by implication, the atonement of Christ. In the King James Bible it is translated cross..

• Original wordσταυρός
• Transliterationstaurós
• Pronunciationstow-ros'
• Strong’s numberG4716
• LanguageGreek

The full Strong’s definition

Derivation. from the base of G2476;

How the King James Bible translates it

Where Stauros appears in the Bible

In the King James Bible’s text tagged with Strong’s numbers, Stauros (G4716) stands behind 28 English renderings in 28 verses across 10 of the 66 books. It is most frequent in Matthew (5), Mark (5), John (4).

How the King James Bible renders Stauros, by count

• cross27 of 28 (96 percent)
• the cross1 of 28 (4 percent)

Three places to read Stauros

• Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
• Mark 15:32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
• 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power 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 Stauros 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.

Related words