Bible Dictionary: Island

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Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Hebrews `i, "dry land, " as opposed to water) occurs in its usual signification (Isaiah 42:4, 10, 12, 15, Comp. Jeremiah 47:4), but more frequently simply denotes a maritime region or sea-coast (Isaiah 20:6, R.V., " coastland;23:2, 6; Jeremiah 2:10; Ezek. 27:6, 7). (see CHITTIM.) The shores of the Mediterranean are called the "islands of the sea" (Isaiah 11:11), or the "isles of the Gentiles" (Genesis 10:5), and sometimes simply "isles" (Psalm 72:10); Ezek. 26:15, 18; 27:3, 35; Dan. 11:18 ).

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) A tract of land surrounded by water, and smaller than a continent. Cf. Continent.

2. (n.) Anything regarded as resembling an island; as, an island of ice.

3. (n.) See Isle.

4. (v. t.) To cause to become or to resemble an island; to make an island or islands of; to isle.

5. (v. t.) To furnish with an island or with islands; as, to island the deep.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ISLAND; ISLE

i'-land, il

(1) 'i, "island" or "isle"; the American Standard Revised Version has "coast" or "coast-land" in Isaiah 20:6; Isaiah 23:2, 6; the Revised Version margin has "coast-lands" in Genesis 10:5 Isaiah 11:11; Isaiah 24:15; Isaiah 59:18 Jeremiah 25:22 Ezekiel 39:6 Daniel 11:18; Ze 2:11; the Revised Version margin has "sea-coast" in Jeremiah 47:4.

(2) plural 'iyim, the King James Version "wild beasts of the islands," the Revised Version (British and American) "wolves," the Revised Version margin "howling creatures" (Isaiah 13:22; Isaiah 34:14 Jeremiah 50:39).

(3) nesion, "small island" (Acts 27:16)

(4) nesos, "island" (Acts 13:6; Acts 27:26; Acts 28:1, 7, 9, 11 Revelation 1:9; Revelation 6:14; Revelation 16:20):

Except as noted above, 'i in the Revised Version (British and American) is translated "isle" or "island." ARVAD (which see), a Phoenician island-city North of Tripoli, Syria, is mentioned in Genesis 10:18 1 Chronicles 1:16; Ezekiel 27:8, 11. This and Tyre were the only important islands on the coast, both of them very small. We find references to Kittim or Chittim, Cyprus (Genesis 10:4 Numbers 24:24 1 Chronicles 1:7 Isaiah 23:1, 12 Jeremiah 2:10 Ezekiel 27:6 Daniel 11:30); to Elisha, perhaps Carthage (Genesis 10:4 1 Chronicles 1:7 Ezekiel 27:7); to "isles of the nations" (Genesis 10:5 Zephaniah 2:11); to "isles of the sea" (Esther 10:1; 11:11; 24:15:00; Ezekiel 26:18); to "Tarshish and the isles" (Psalm 72:10; compare Isaiah 66:19); to "isle (the Revised Version margin "sea-coast") of Caphtor" (Jeremiah 47:4). Communication with these islands or distant coasts is kept up by the Tyrians (Ezekiel 27:3, 15). The Jews were not a maritime people, and in early times their geographical knowledge was very limited. Of 32 Old Testament passages referring to "island" or "isle," 25 are in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. In the New Testament, besides the passages noted above, and Patmos (Revelation 1:9), various islands are mentioned by name in connection with the voyages of Paul, e.g. Cyprus, Crete, Lesbos, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Melita, Sicily (Syracuse, Acts 28:12). "Jackals" is a perfectly possible translation of 'iyim (the King James Version "wild beasts of the islands," the Revised Version (British and American) "wolves," the Revised Version margin "howling creatures").

See COAST; GEOGRAPHY; JACKAL; WOLF.

Alfred Ely Day

Greek

3520. nesos -- an island
... nesos. 3521 . an island. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: nesos
Phonetic Spelling: (nay'-sos) Short Definition: an island Definition: an island ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3520.htm - 6k

3519. nesion -- a small island
... a small island. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: nesion Phonetic Spelling:
(nay-see'-on) Short Definition: a little island Definition: a little ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3519.htm - 6k

4499. Rhodos -- Rhodes, an island in the Mediterranean
... Rhodes, an island in the Mediterranean. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
Rhodos Phonetic Spelling: (hrod'-os) Short Definition: Rhodes Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4499.htm - 6k

5508. Chios -- Chios, an island in the Aegean Sea
... Chios, an island in the Aegean Sea. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
Chios Phonetic Spelling: (khee'-os) Short Definition: Chios Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5508.htm - 6k

4543. Samothrake -- "Samos of Thrace," Samothrace, an island in ...
... "Samos of Thrace," Samothrace, an island in the ... From Samos and Thraike (Thrace);
Samo-thrace (Samos of Thrace), an island in the Mediterranean -- Samothracia. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4543.htm - 6k

2802. Klauda -- Clauda, an island near Crete
... Clauda, an island near Crete. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Klauda
Phonetic Spelling: (klow'-day) Short Definition: Cauda, Clauda Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2802.htm - 6k

4544. Samos -- Samos, an island in the Aegean
... Samos, an island in the Aegean. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
Samos Phonetic Spelling: (sam'-os) Short Definition: Samos Definition: Samos, an ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4544.htm - 6k

2972. Kos -- Cos, an island in the Aegean Sea
... Cos, an island in the Aegean Sea. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
Kos Phonetic Spelling: (koce) Short Definition: Cos Definition: Cos, an island ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2972.htm - 6k

3963. Patmos -- Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea
... Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
Patmos Phonetic Spelling: (pat'-mos) Short Definition: Patmos Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3963.htm - 6k

2914. Krete -- Crete, an island in the Mediterranean
... Crete, an island in the Mediterranean. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
Krete Phonetic Spelling: (kray'-tay) Short Definition: Crete Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2914.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

339. i -- coast, region
... country, isle, island. From 'avah; properly, a habitable spot (as desirable); dry
land, a coast, an island -- country, isle, island. see HEBREW 'avah. ...
/hebrew/339.htm - 6k

336. i -- not.
... adverb Definition not. island Probably identical with 'ay (through the idea of a
query); not -- island (Job 22:30). see HEBREW 'ay. 335, 336. i. 337 . ...
/hebrew/336.htm - 5k

719. Arvad -- a city of Phoenicia
... Arvad. Probably from ruwd; a refuge for the roving; Arvad, an island-city of Palestine
-- Arvad. see HEBREW ruwd. 718, 719. Arvad. 720 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/719.htm - 6k

3731. Kaphtor -- probably a name for Crete
... Or (Am. 9:7) Kaphtowr {kaf-tore'}; apparently the same as kaphtor; Caphtor (ie A
wreath-shaped island), the original seat of the Philistines -- Caphtor. ...
/hebrew/3731.htm - 6k

Library

Wesley on Holy Island
... Chapter 13. Wesley in Scotland Again; Methodist's Wealth; "No Law for
Methodists"; Exhausting Days; Whitefield Wesley on Holy Island. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesley on holy island.htm

The White Island
... The Treasury of Sacred Song. Book First XC THE WHITE ISLAND. R. Herrick. ... Unto young
Eternity. Uniting: In that whiter Island, where. Things are evermore sincere; ...
/.../palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/xc the white island.htm

Persecution of the Egyptian Monks, and of the Disciples of St. ...
... of St. Antony. They were enclosed in a Certain Island on Account of their
Orthodoxy; the Miracles which they Wrought. Lucius went ...
/.../chapter xx persecution of the egyptian.htm

How the Isle of Wight Received Christian Inhabitants, and Two ...
... BOOK IV CHAP. XVI. How the Isle of Wight received Christian inhabitants, and two
royal youths of that island were killed immediately after Baptism. [686 AD]. ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xvi how the isle.htm

How St Francis Passed the Time of Lent in an Island, on the Lake ...
... HERE BEGIN THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHAPTER VII HOW ST FRANCIS
PASSED THE TIME OF LENT IN AN ISLAND, ON THE LAKE OF PERUGIA, WHERE HE ...
/.../the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter vii how st francis.htm

Since Our Brother and Fellow-Worker, John, Bishop of the Island of ...
... The Sixth Ecumenical Council. Canon XXXIX. Since our brother and
fellow-worker, John, bishop of the island of Cyprus� Since our ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon xxxix since our brother.htm

Book 8 Footnotes
... [6] What Josephus here puts into his copy of Hiram's epistle to Solomon, and repeats
afterwards, ch.5. sect.3, that Tyre was now an island, is not in any of ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 8 footnotes.htm

Epistle Xli. To Constantina Augusta.
... Having ascertained that there are many of the natives in the island of Sardinia
who still, after the evil custom of their race, practise sacrifices to idols ...
/.../the epistles of saint gregory the great/epistle xli to constantina augusta.htm

Of the Situation of Britain and Ireland, and of their Ancient
... Britain, an island in the Atlantic, formerly called Albion, lies to the north-west,
facing, though at a considerable distance, the coasts of Germany, France ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap i of the situation.htm

Did we Bring it About, that Ten Thousand Years Ago a Vast Number ...
... Did we bring it about, that ten thousand years ago a vast number of men burst forth
from the island which is called the Atlantis of Neptune, [3254] as Plato ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/5 did we bring it.htm

Thesaurus

Island (16 Occurrences)
... Cf. Continent. 2. (n.) Anything regarded as resembling an island; as, an
island of ice. 3. (n.) See Isle. 4. (vt) To cause to become ...
/i/island.htm - 16k

Isle (15 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) An island. ... 3. (vt) To cause to become an island,
or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island. Int. ...
/i/isle.htm - 15k

Chios (1 Occurrence)
... Mentioned in Acts 20:15, an island in the Aegean Sea, about 5 miles distant from
the mainland, having a roadstead, in the shelter of which Paul and his ...
/c/chios.htm - 11k

Rhodes (2 Occurrences)
... A rose, an island to the south of the western extremity of Asia Minor, between
Coos and Patara, about 46 miles long and 18 miles broad. ...
/r/rhodes.htm - 13k

Delos
... de'-los (Delos): An island, now deserted, one of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea,
about 3 miles long and 1 mile broad, with a rocky mountain (Cynthus) several ...
/d/delos.htm - 10k

Melita (1 Occurrence)
... (Acts 27:28), an island in the Mediterranean, the modern Malta. ... The island is
about 17 miles long and 9 wide, and about 60 in circumference. ...
/m/melita.htm - 10k

Samothrace (1 Occurrence)
... sam'-o-thras (Samothrake, "the Thracian Samos"; the King James Version Samothracia,
sam-o-thra'sha; the island was formerly Dardania; for change of name see ...
/s/samothrace.htm - 9k

Crete (7 Occurrences)
... It was at one time a very prosperous and populous island, having a "hundred cities."
The character of the people is described in Paul's quotation from "one of ...
/c/crete.htm - 19k

Patmos (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary A small rocky and barren island, one of the group
called the "Sporades," in the AEgean Sea. It is mentioned ...
/p/patmos.htm - 9k

Salamis (1 Occurrence)
... It lay near the river Pediaeus, at the eastern extremity of the great plain of the
Mesorea, which runs far into the interior of the island toward Nicosia ...
/s/salamis.htm - 11k

Bible Concordance

Island (16 Occurrences)

Acts 13:6 When they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar Jesus,
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 21:3 After sighting Cyprus and leaving that island on our left, we continued our voyage to Syria and put in at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.
(WEY)

Acts 27:14 But before long, a stormy wind beat down from shore, which is called Euroclydon.
(See NIV)

Acts 27:16 Running under the lee of a small island called Clauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 27:26 But we must run aground on a certain island."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 28:1 When we had escaped, then they learned that the island was called Malta.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 28:7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us, and courteously entertained us for three days.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 28:9 Then when this was done, the rest also who had diseases in the island came, and were cured.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 28:11 After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose sign was "The Twin Brothers."
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 1:9 I John, your brother, and a sharer with you in the sorrows and Kingship and patient endurance of Jesus, found myself in the island of Patmos, on account of the Word of God and the truth told us by Jesus.
(WEY BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 6:14 The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 16:20 Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 22:30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
(KJV WBS)

Isaiah 23:2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
(See NIV)

Isaiah 23:6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.
(See NIV)

Jeremiah 47:4 because of the day that cometh to lay waste all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remaineth; for Jehovah will lay waste the Philistines, the remnant of the island of Caphtor.
(DBY)

Subtopics

Island

Island Isle

Island: Prophecies Concerning

Related Terms

Isle (15 Occurrences)

Chios (1 Occurrence)

Rhodes (2 Occurrences)

Delos

Melita (1 Occurrence)

Samothrace (1 Occurrence)

Crete (7 Occurrences)