Compare Greek Lexicons: Best Free, Online/App, and Book Options

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman

If you're diving into the study of ancient Greek—especially for biblical purposes—a good Greek lexicon isn’t optional, it’s essential. Whether you're parsing New Testament texts or examining philosophical writings, the right lexicon can help unlock the appropriate meaning.

In this article, I’ll compare the best Greek lexicons available today, whether you’re looking for free online databases, mobile apps, or scholarly books you can keep on your desk. I’ll help you navigate the strengths and weaknesses of each option so you can choose the lexicon that fits your needs and study style.

My #1 choice for best Greek lexicon is the BDAG known as the most comprehensive lexicon.

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What is a Greek Lexicon?

The word lexicon is a Greek word which literally meant “words.” It follows, therefore, that a lexicon is a book related to words, but since that’s way too general (aren’t all books related to words?), let’s look into the modern meaning of a lexicon and how it differs from a dictionary.

We all know that a dictionary is a reference book that lists words and their definitions (plus some grammatical info) in the same language. For instance, look up the word “chair” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary and you’ll see that it means “a seat typically having four legs and a back for one person.” It will also contain other definitions and usages of the word.

Then, there are bilingual dictionaries. For example, an English-Greek dictionary allows you to look up a word in English and discover its equivalent in Greek. Look up the word “brother,” for instance, and you’ll see that the word in Greek is adelphos. It also tells you grammatical information, such as what part of speech it is and its grammatical gender (for languages like Greek where that applies).

However, for scholars of ancient texts like the Bible, a Greek-English lexicon is far more useful. It acts like a bilingual dictionary, but gives additional information that dictionaries don’t. For example, it gives more information than a dictionary about a word’s etymology, meaning, and usage, but it also puts the word in its historical context by citing different instances of it in ancient written works.

Since the meaning of words changes over time, a lexicon will tell you that, for example, in one of Plato’s dialogues, a word meant one thing, while in a biblical text (written long after Plato’s time), it meant something different. This is extremely helpful for biblical scholars who are trying to decipher the intended meanings of ancient texts.

A good example of this is the word “heresy” (Greek: hairesis). In an ancient Greek lexicon, we can see that the original meaning of the word was “choice or choosing.” English translations of the New Testament usually don’t translate this word as “heresy” because in the context of much of the NT, the original meaning applied, often used as a word for different forms or groups of the same religion. For this reason, most English translations translate the word as “sect”:

The passage isn’t saying the Sadducees were heretics, but rather one choice among the various Jewish religious groups. However, by the time we get to the book of 2 Peter, likely written a couple of decades after Acts, the meaning seems to have changed:

It’s clear from this sentence that the meaning is now completely negative, something propagated by false teachers who claim to be Christians. This is the kind of change over time that a lexicon can give you.

For good measure, here is part of an online lexicon entry for the Greek word alētheia:

Best Greek Lexicon Books

Best Free Greek Lexicons

Unsurprisingly, the best free Greek lexicons are found online. None are perfect, but keep in mind that, in general, you get what you pay for.

Best Online Greek Lexicons

Best Greek Lexicon Apps

Conclusion

Words are not static. Many used for centuries have evolved to mean something completely different from their original versions. This is especially true if you’re studying ancient documents. Greek has changed so much since the time of Jesus that it is even difficult for many modern Greek readers to decipher. For this reason, a Greek lexicon can be an extremely useful tool if you’re exploring the Bible.

Lexicons can provide not only grammatical information about a word, but also the word’s historical context and the changes in meaning that have occurred over vast stretches of time. For serious students of biblical studies, including myself, a good Greek lexicon is indispensable.