Exploring the Meaning of Simon in Greek

Σίμων is a personal name used for several different individuals across the Gospel narratives, including key disciples and other figures encountered in specific episodes. In the passages below, the name marks identity, distinguishes between people who share it, and anchors each scene in a concrete network of relationships and places.

Occurrences

“Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.” (Matthew 4:18)

Here Σίμων identifies one of two brothers encountered together “by the sea of Galilee.” The clause “who is called Peter” immediately specifies which Simon is meant and presents him in tandem with Andrew. The name functions within a working scene—“casting a net into the sea”—locating Simon in an ordinary livelihood and a sibling partnership.

“Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother;” (Matthew 10:2)

In the apostolic list, Σίμων stands at the head: “The first, Simon, who is called Peter.” The name is not merely included; it is ranked and clarified by the same identifying tag, distinguishing him from other bearers of the name. Within this roll-call style sentence, “Simon” serves as a fixed label that orders the group and introduces the chain of named relationships (“his brother”).

“Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.” (Matthew 10:4)

Σίμων appears again, now as “Simon the Zealot,” showing that the name can refer to a different person within the same circle of apostles. The descriptor attached to the name distinguishes him from “Simon, who is called Peter” earlier in the list. In this compressed naming formula, the word’s contribution is its role as an identifying handle that must be qualified to avoid confusion.

“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?” (Matthew 13:55)

In this question about family identity, Σίμων names one of the brothers listed alongside “James, Joses, … and Judas.” The name is set inside a cluster of kinship terms: “mother” and “brothers.” Its function is genealogical and social—part of a catalog meant to situate a person within a known household.

“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”” (Matthew 16:16)

Σίμων occurs in the compound identification “Simon Peter,” linking the personal name with the byname used elsewhere. The narrative assigns the confession to this particular individual by naming him at the moment of speech (“answered”), so that the utterance is anchored to a specific speaker rather than left anonymous.

“Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17)

Here the name is expanded: “Simon Bar Jonah.” In direct address, Σίμων marks the person being spoken to, and the fuller form personalizes the exchange while differentiating him through an additional identifier. The scene’s force depends on the address: Jesus’ response (“Blessed are you…”) is targeted to Simon as the recipient of the insight described in the sentence.

“He said, “Yes.” When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?”” (Matthew 17:25)

Σίμων appears again in direct speech: “What do you think, Simon?” The name frames a question posed to a particular conversation partner, set inside a domestic setting (“into the house”). By naming him, the question becomes pointed and dialogical, drawing Simon into a comparison about “toll or tribute” and compelling a response as part of the narrative exchange.

“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,” (Matthew 26:6)

In this location marker, Σίμων designates the householder: “the house of Simon the leper.” The name functions as a geographic and social anchor—Bethany is specified, and then the particular house is identified by its association with a man named Simon. The accompanying descriptor distinguishes this Simon from others and makes him the reference point for the setting of the event.

“As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.” (Matthew 27:32)

Σίμων here names “a man of Cyrene” encountered on the way: “Simon by name.” The phrasing introduces a new figure briefly but vividly, identified by origin (“of Cyrene”) and then by name. The name attaches responsibility in the scene: the one compelled “to go with them” and to “carry his cross” is not an unnamed passerby but a specifically identified person.

“Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.” (Mark 1:16)

Mark’s account again places Σίμων in the fishing scene “by the sea of Galilee.” The name appears both as a standalone (“he saw Simon”) and as a relational marker (“Andrew, the brother of Simon”), using Simon as the point of reference for Andrew’s identity. The repeated action—“casting a net into the sea”—keeps the name tied to a working context and a pair of brothers.

“Immediately, when they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.” (Mark 1:29)

Σίμων here helps identify a household: “the house of Simon and Andrew.” The name functions as a practical locator immediately after a public setting (“out of the synagogue”), shifting the narrative into a private space. By naming the house’s association, the text makes Simon part of the hosting framework into which additional companions (“James and John”) enter.

“Now Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.” (Mark 1:30)

In this sentence, Σίμων appears as the family reference point: “Simon’s wife’s mother.” The name supports a chain of relationships—Simon, his wife, and her mother—and ties the illness (“lay sick with a fever”) to Simon’s household circle. The final clause (“they told him about her”) depends on Simon’s named identity as the one informed and presumably involved in what follows.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages, Σίμων operates as a stable personal name that requires contextual shaping to pinpoint which individual is meant. The texts regularly supply distinguishing material alongside the name: “who is called Peter” (Matthew 4:18; 10:2), an epithet (“Simon the Zealot,” Matthew 10:4), an extended form of address (“Simon Bar Jonah,” Matthew 16:17), a household-identifying label (“Simon the leper,” Matthew 26:6), or an origin marker (“a man of Cyrene, Simon by name,” Matthew 27:32). This pattern reflects the narrative need to separate multiple Simons who appear within overlapping circles and to attach each name to a recognizable profile in the story.

Several uses show how a name can function relationally, not just referentially. In Mark 1:16, Andrew is introduced as “the brother of Simon,” and in Mark 1:30 the ill woman is specified as “Simon’s wife’s mother,” using Simon as the anchor for the reader’s understanding of family connections. Likewise, “the house of Simon and Andrew” (Mark 1:29) and “the house of Simon the leper” (Matthew 26:6) employ the name to locate events in particular domestic spaces. In these settings, Σίμων does more than tag a character: it organizes the scene by tying people and places together under a known personal identifier.

Other uses show Σίμων as a direct addressee and a marked speaker. “Simon Peter answered” (Matthew 16:16) assigns words to a named individual at a decisive moment, and “What do you think, Simon?” (Matthew 17:25) draws the named person into reasoning through a question. Even where the name occurs in a list (Matthew 10:2, 10:4; Matthew 13:55), it carries narrative weight by mapping a community—apostles, or a household—through enumerated names.

Imagery in Context

The occurrences of Σίμων are repeatedly embedded in tangible settings: the shoreline where nets are cast (Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16), the movement from synagogue to home (Mark 1:29), a sickbed within family space (Mark 1:30), a house in Bethany associated with a named host (Matthew 26:6), and the road where a passerby is compelled to carry a cross (Matthew 27:32). The name appears where decisions, speech, work, and obligation take concrete form, so that “Simon” becomes a way the narratives keep lived scenes attached to particular, identifiable people.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).