Passage Explorer
Word study · Greek

stauros

cross

Say it: stow-ROSS (approximate)

σταυρός

What it means

An upright stake, and the cross used for crucifixion. Rome reserved this execution for slaves, rebels, and the lowest criminals, and the condemned carried the crossbeam to the place of death. Jesus uses the image for following him (10:38) before he goes to the cross himself (27:32).

Range of meaning

  • Stake or crossThe wooden frame used for crucifixion.
  • CrucifixionThe execution itself.
  • The cost of followingA picture of giving up one's life.

In Matthew

  • Chapter 10

    "Whoever doesn't take up their cross" (10:38), the first mention of the cross in Matthew.

Every verse (5)

Verses where G4716 is tagged in the Hebrew text: STEPBible Data (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. About our sources