ע
ABARIM
Publications
Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary: The New Testament Greek word: δεικνυμι

Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/DictionaryG/d/d-e-i-k-n-u-m-i.html

δεικνυμι

Abarim Publications' online Biblical Greek Dictionary

δεικνυμι

The verb δεικνυμι (deiknumi), also known as δεικνυω (deiknuo), means to show or bring to light, and stems from the Proto-Indo-European root "deyk-", to show or point out, which is the same root that yielded the noun δικη (dike), formal justice, and probably also the noun δακτυλος (daktulos), finger (see below).

Our verb δεικνυμι (deiknumi) may be used in the sense of to point out, to reveal something physically or by explaining something. It is used 31 times in the New Testament; see full concordance, and from it derive:

  • Together with the preposition ανα (ana), meaning on or upon, which in this case is emphatic: The verb αναδεικνυμι (anadeiknumi), meaning to show clearly, to reveal wholly, to explain exhaustively. This verb occurs only twice, both in the sense of unfolding and publicly displaying the entirety of people's office and mission (Luke 10:1 and Acts 1:24). From this verb derives:
    • The noun αναδειξις (anadeixis), meaning a total exposure (Luke 1:80 only, speaking of John's person and mission).
  • Together with the preposition απο (apo), mostly meaning from: the verb αποδεικνυμι (apodeiknumi), to show or reveal something from or by means of an argument or evidence; to prove or demonstrate. This verb is used 4 times; see full concordance, and from it derives:
    • The noun αποδειξις (apodeixis), meaning a proof or demonstration that serves to show something (1 Corinthians 2:4 only).
  • The noun δειγμα (deigma), meaning a show or showing (Jude 1:7 only). From this noun comes:
    • The verb δειγματιζω (deigmatizo), meaning to make a showing of (Colossians 2:15 only). From this verb in turn comes:
      • Together with the preposition παρα (para), meaning near: the verb παραδειγματιζω (paradeigmatizo), meaning to make a showing of in order to draw spectators, to make a public display of. This verb occurs only twice in the New Testament, once pertaining to Jesus, who was put on public display by the Romans (Hebrews 6:6), and once pertaining to Mary, whom Joseph would specifically not put on public display (Matthew 1:19). For more on supplicium servile (crucifixion) see our article on Pilate. For a lengthy look at the literary function of Jesus' crucifixion and Roman brutality, see our article on Mary.
  • Together with the common preposition εν (en), meaning in: the verb ενδεικνυμι (endeiknumi), literally meaning to "en-demonstrate"; to show something that is inside something else, or to show something through something else. This hard-to-translate verb crucially differs from its parent verb — the Oxford dictionary lists an adjective "endeictic", which it defines as "serving to show or demonstrate," but unfortunately no corresponding verb. Our verb occurs 11 times in the New Testament; see full concordance, and from it come:
    • The noun ενδειγμα (endeigma), which describes a thing that shows something within something else, an "en-demonstration" (2 Thessalonians 1:5 only).
    • The noun ενδειξις (endeixis), which describes the act of showing something within something else. This noun is used 4 times; see full concordance.
  • Together with the preposition επι (epi), meaning on or upon: the verb επιδεικνυμι (epideiknumi), meaning to show upon, that is to show something to someone for that person's particular viewing privilege; to show to a person, to exhibit. This verb is used 9 times; see full concordance.
  • Together with the preposition υπο (hupo) meaning under: the verb υποδεικνυμι (hupodeiknumi), meaning to show a part, a sample or example, an outline or a preview of something greater or to follow. This verb is used 6 times; see full concordance, and from it comes:
    • The noun υποδειγμα (hupodeigma), a part, outline, example or preview of something greater or yet to come. This noun is also used 6 times; see full concordance.
δακτυλος

The noun δακτυλος (daktulos) means finger, but it isn't clear where this word comes from. It possibly has to do with the Proto-Indo-European root "tag-", meaning to touch (hence words like tactile, tactic, tax, contact, and so on), but it's more likely to have derived from the same PIE root "deyk-", meaning to point out, as does the verb δεικνυμι (deiknumi), to point out or expose (see above). From this same root also came the noun δικη (dike), meaning justice in a formal sense, which explains the expression "to point the finger" to describe not merely one's impulsive identification of a perp, but also a formal accusation.

One's grasp and power resides in one's hands (Greek: χειρ, cheir; Hebrew: יד, yad), which means that one's fingers are the extremities of this. The Hebrew word for finger is אצבע ('esba'), from the verb צבע (saba'), to mark with paint, which suggests that the finger was literally a marker, or the thing with which one leaves one's mark. That explains how the two tablets with the Ten Commandments could have been written by the "finger of God" (Exodus 31:18), or how plagues are mastered by the same (Exodus 8:19) and daimonions are cast out by the same (Luke 11:20).

God's most intimate nature is that of Oneness (Deuteronomy 6:4), and the Oneness of God can be clearly seen in what has been made (Romans 1:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:21). We moderns speak of conservation laws — of energy, momentum, baryon number, and so on — which are all "marks" of the Oneness of creation. And this is why most scientists today hopefully "believe" in the possibility of a Theory of Everything or Grand Unified Theory. People who "believe" in Christ don't believe, like scientists, in something that isn't real (yet) but hoped for, but rather the way someone stands in a cave believes in that cave. When we believe in Christ, we don't hold Christ as the subject of our belief (the way we would believe in the Grand Unified Theory, the Loch Ness Monster or Santa Claus) but rather as the environment in which our believing is done. And what do we believe in (subject-wise)? In the environment that is Christ we believe in the subject that is everything:

Christ gives understanding in all things (2 Timothy 2:7) and in Christ everything is summed up (Ephesians 1:10). In Christ everything is believed (1 Corinthians 13:7), everything is clean (Luke 11:41), everything is pure (Titus 1:15), and everything is allowed (1 Corinthians 6:12). Everything is Christ's (Matthew 11:27), and in Christ everything happens (Mark 9:23). The Holy Spirit investigates everything (1 Corinthians 2:10), talks about everything (John 4:25), and teaches everything (John 14:26). In Christ, we assess everything, and mature in all things (Ephesians 4:15). Everything is in his hands (John 13:3). Everything is under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:27, Ephesians 1:22, Hebrews 2:8). Christ inherits all things (Hebrews 1:2), subdues all things (Philippians 3:21), sustains all things (Hebrews 1:3) and reconciles all things (Colossians 1:20). All things work together for good to those who are in Christ (Romans 8:28) and all things are theirs (1 Corinthians 3:21).

Belief in Christ is belief in the Oneness of all things, and this belief yields understanding in the relativity of all things and thus the definition of all things. That's where understanding of natural law comes from, and mastery over plagues and the power to cast out daimonions.

Our noun δακτυλος (daktulos), finger, is used 8 times in the New Testament, see full concordance, and from it come:

  • The noun δακτυλιος (daktulios), which is spelled like an adjective that means "pertaining to the finger", and means ring and is applied to anything ring-shaped (including the anus and the mathematical circle). This is rather curious, as one would expect the word for ring to derive from a word that means round, say, rather than finger. But it also indicates that the finger wasn't seen as a mere static extremity, but rather as a dynamic, perhaps ring- or area-drawing one. Hence, when our noun described a ring worn on one's finger, it commonly referred to a signet ring, or a ring with a seal (σφραγις, sphragis) that conveyed one's authority, or rather identified one as the "finger" of the one who actually held the authority, and who vested his authority in the bearer of the ring. This noun is used in Luke 15:22 only, and from it in turn derives:
    • Together with the noun χρυσος (chrusos), gold: the adjective χρυσοδακτυλιος (chrusodaktulios), meaning golden-finger-ring-ish (James 2:2 only).

A non-Biblical word worth mentioning is the adjective διδακτυλιαιος (didaktuliaios), meaning of two fingers (hence our English word didactyl for any two-fingered or -toed creature, like an ostrich), which rather resembles the verb διδασκω (didasko), to teach (hence our English word didactic). It's not clear whether Greek poets felt free to play with this similarity, but if so, this would help to explain why Jesus stuck his fingers in the ears of the speech-impeded man (Mark 7:33).