Antioquia

Greek word · Strong G4487

What does Rhema mean?

Rhema is one of the Greek words for “word”: what is spoken, a saying. It appears in verses such as “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

ῥῆμα

rhēma · transliteration

In Strong’s lexicon
an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),; by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever
In the King James
  • words31
  • word23
  • saying4
  • sayings3
Appears in
67 verses

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The meaning of Rhema in the Bible

The New Testament has two words for word: logos (G3056) and rhema. Logos tends to point to the message, the content — and in John it is Christ himself; rhema tends to point to what is spoken, the word uttered at a moment. The two overlap a great deal and are sometimes used in the same sense.

In some churches, a “rhema word” has come to mean a word from God applied to a person at a particular moment. In the Greek of the New Testament, however, the two words overlap: Jesus says man lives “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, rhema), and the sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17, also rhema). Every word that comes from God carries the same authority.

Where Rhema appears

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
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Matthew 4:4

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between logos and rhema?
Logos usually points to the message or content (in John 1 it is Christ himself); rhema usually points to the spoken word, the saying. In the New Testament the meanings overlap, and both refer to the word of God.
What is a rhema word?
It is a phrase used in some churches for a word from God applied to a particular moment. The Greek rhema simply means “what is spoken”, and it appears in verses such as Romans 10:17 and Ephesians 6:17.

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