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G123 · Greek · New Testament
αἰγιαλός
aigialos
Noun, masculine
Shore, beach; the area where the sea meets the land

Definition

The Greek noun aigialos refers to the seashore or beach — the sandy or pebbly margin where the sea meets the land. It is the place where water meets earth, associated in Scripture with miraculous catches of fish, resurrection appearances, and the great gathering at the end of the age.

Usage & Theological Significance

The aigialos (shore) is a liminal space in the Gospels and Acts — a threshold between worlds, a place of encounter between the divine and human. Jesus taught the crowds from a boat just off the shore (Matthew 13:2). After his resurrection, he stood on the shore of Galilee while the disciples were fishing, and they did not recognize him until he performed the miraculous catch — and then John said 'It is the Lord!' (John 21:4-7). The shore also appears in Matthew 13:48 as the place where the dragnet is pulled in at the end of the age, and the good are separated from the bad. The beach is both an ordinary place of daily work and a holy threshold where eternity intersects with time.

Key Bible Verses

Matthew 13:2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.
Matthew 13:48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
John 21:4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Acts 21:5 And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another.
Acts 27:39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore.

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