1. properly, that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word (cf. ἔπος, also λόγος, I. 1); i. e.

a. any sound produced by the voice and having a definite meaning: Matthew 27:14; ῤῆμα γλώσσης, Sir. 4:24; φωνή ῤημάτων, a sound of words, Hebrews 12:19; ῤήματα ἄρρητα (unspeakable words), 2 Corinthians 12:4.

b. Plural, τά ῤήματα, speech, discourse (because it consists of words either few or many (cf. Philo, leg. alleg. 3, 61 τό δέ ῤῆμα μέρος λόγου)): Luke 7:1; Acts 2:14; words, sayings, John 8:20; John 10:21; Acts (); ; τῶν ῤημάτων τίνος, what one has said, Luke 24:8, 11, or taught, Romans 10:18; τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥηματοις, my teachings, John 5:47; John 12:47; John 15:7; τά ῥημαψα ἅ ἐγώ λελάληκα, John 6:63; John 14:10; (ἀληθείας καί σωφροσύνης ῤήματα ἀποφθέγγομαι, Acts 26:25); ῤήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις, thy teaching begets eternal life, John 6:68; τά ῤήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, utterances in which God through someone declares his mind, John 8:47; λαλεῖ τίς τά ῤήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, speaks what God bids him, John 3:34; λαλεῖν πάντα τά ῤήματα τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης, to deliver the whole doctrine concerning this life, i. e. the life eternal, Acts 5:20; τά ῤήματα ἅ ἔδωκας μοι, what thou hast bidden me to speak, John 17:8; ῤήματα λαλεῖν πρός τινα, ἐν οἷς etc. to teach one the things by which etc. Acts 11:14; τά ῤήματα τά προειρημενα ὑπό τίνος, what one has foretold, 2 Peter 3:2; Jude 1:17; λαλεῖν ῤήματα βλάσφημα εἰς τινα, to speak abusively in reference to one (see εἰς, B. II. 2 c. β.), Acts 6:11; κατά τίνος, against a thing, Acts 6:13 (G L T Tr WH omit βλάσφημα).

c. a series of words joined together into a sentence (a declaration of one's mind made in words); α. universally, an utterance, declaration (German eine Aeusserung).: Matthew 26:75; Mark 9:32; Mark 14:72; Luke 2:50; Luke 9:45; Luke 18:34; Luke 20:26; Acts 11:16; Acts 28:25; with adjectives, ῤῆμα ἀργόν, Matthew 12:36; εἰπεῖν πονηρόν ῤῆμα κατά τίνος, to assail one with abuse, Matthew 5:11 (R G; others omit ῤῆμα). β. a saying of any sort, as a message, a narrative: concerning some occurrence, λαλεῖν τό ῤῆμα περί τίνος, Luke 2:17; ῤῆμα τῆς πίστεως, the word of faith, i. e. concerning the necessity of putting faith in Christ, Romans 10:8; a promise, Luke 1:38; Luke 2:29; καλόν Θεοῦ ῤῆμα, God's gracious, comforting promise (of salvation), Hebrews 6:5 (see καλός, c.); καθαρίσας ... ἐν ῤήματι, according to promise (properly, on the ground of his word of promise, viz. the promise of the pardon of sins; cf. Mark 16:16), Ephesians 5:26 (others take ῤήματι here as equivalent to 'the gospel,' cf. Ephesians 6:17, Romans 10:8; (see Meyer at the passage)); the word by which something is commanded, directed, enjoined: Matthew 4:4 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 389 (364) n.); Luke 4:4 R G L Tr in brackets; Hebrews 11:3; a command, Luke 5:5; ἐγένετο ῤῆμα Θεοῦ ἐπί τινα, Luke 3:2 (Jeremiah 1:1; πρός τινα, Genesis 15:1; 1 Kings 18:1); plural ῤήματα παρά σου, words from thee, i. e. to be spoken by time, Acts 10:22; ῤῆμα τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, his omnipotent command, Hebrews 1:3. doctrine, instruction (cf. Winer's Grammar, 123 (117)): (τό) ῤῆμα (τοῦ) Θεοῦ, divine instruction by the preachers of the gospel, Romans 10:17 (R G; but L T Tr WH ῤήματος Χριστοῦ; others give ῤήματος here the sense of command, commission; (cf. Meyer)); saving truth which has God for its author, Ephesians 6:17; also τοῦ κυρίου, 1 Peter 1:25; words of prophecy, prophetic announcement, τά ῤήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, Revelation 17:17, Rec. (others, οἱ λόγοι τοῦ Θεοῦ).

2. In imitation of the Hebrew דָּבָר, the subject matter of speech, thing spoken of, thing; and that a. so far forth as it is a matter of narration: Luke 2:15; Acts 10:37; plural, Luke 1:65; Luke 2:19, 51; Acts 5:32; Acts 13:42.

b. in so far as it is matter of command: Luke 1:37 (see ἀδυνατέω, b.) (Genesis 18:14; Deuteronomy 17:8).

c. a matter of dispute, case at law: Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1 (A. V. retains 'word' here and in the preceding passage) (Deuteronomy 19:15).