Bible word study

Topos (Strong’s G5117): Meaning in the Bible

Topos (τόπος) is the Greek word numbered G5117 in Strong’s concordance of the Bible. Strong’s defines it as a spot (generally in space, but limited by occupancy; whereas G5561 is a large but particular locality), i.e. location (as a position, home, tract, etc.); figuratively, condition, opportunity; specially, a scabbard. In the King James Bible it is translated coast, licence, place, X plain, quarter.

• Original wordτόπος
• Transliterationtópos
• Pronunciationtop'-os
• Strong’s numberG5117
• LanguageGreek

The full Strong’s definition

Derivation. apparently a primary word;

How the King James Bible translates it

Where Topos appears in the Bible

In the King James Bible’s text tagged with Strong’s numbers, Topos (G5117) stands behind 95 English renderings in 86 verses across 14 of the 66 books. It is most frequent in Luke (21), John (16), Acts (16).

How the King James Bible renders Topos, by count

• place69 of 95 (73 percent)
• places5 of 95 (5 percent)
• room5 of 95 (5 percent)
• a3 of 95 (3 percent)
• a place2 of 95 (2 percent)
• divers places2 of 95 (2 percent)

Three places to read Topos

• Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
• Luke 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
• Acts 7:49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

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 Topos 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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