Exploring the Meaning of Tounoma in Greek

τοὔνομα expresses identification “by name,” and it appears in the passion narrative when a particular man is introduced with a personal designation. In its lone New Testament occurrence, it serves to single out an individual within a brief, tightly framed description.

Root and Related Words

τοὔνομα corresponds to a form built from the article ho (ὁ), “the/this/who” (Strong’s G3588), and onoma (ὄνομα), “name” (Strong’s G3686). The combination yields a compact expression that ties a name to a person already being introduced in the sentence.

Occurrences

“When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus’ disciple came.” (Matthew 27:57)

In Matthew 27:57 the narrative moves into evening and introduces a new figure with several identifying details: his wealth (“a rich man”), his origin (“from Arimathaea”), his personal designation (“named Joseph”), and his relationship to Jesus (“who himself was also Jesus’ disciple”). τοὔνομα is tied to the moment of naming: it anchors the introduction of “Joseph” as the specific individual who enters the scene at that time. The sentence does not present him as an anonymous representative of a group; instead, it points to a particular person whose name is given as part of his identification.

The naming functions alongside the other descriptors rather than replacing them. “A rich man from Arimathaea” places him socially and geographically; “who himself was also Jesus’ disciple” places him relationally; the “named Joseph” element pinpoints him personally. In that layered introduction, τοὔνομα contributes to the precision of the account: the man is not merely described, he is identified by a name within the narrative flow. The word thus serves the discourse purpose of attaching a personal label to the subject introduced at the transition “When evening had come.”

Sense and Usage

As used here, “by name” operates as an identifying tag within a larger cluster of descriptive information. The expression does not stand alone; it is integrated into a sentence that is already supplying multiple coordinates for recognizing the person in view. In this setting, “by name” marks the point where description becomes direct identification: after wealth and hometown have been stated, the clause supplies a specific name as the decisive personal marker.

The effect is to present the named person as a concrete participant in the unfolding events rather than a faceless character. Matthew 27:57 introduces him at a specific time (“When evening had come”) and then narrows the reader’s attention through successive qualifiers until the person is fixed “by name.” The naming also works coherently with the final clause—“who himself was also Jesus’ disciple”—because it identifies which individual is being described as a disciple in this context. The reader is not left to infer which “rich man” is meant; the account gives a name as part of the identification.

Within this verse, then, “by name” is not an ornamental flourish but a narrative device for specificity. It signals that the account intends a particular, identifiable individual, introduced with a personal designation embedded in the description.

Imagery

The verse’s imagery is quiet and concrete: evening arrives, and a man comes forward, introduced by origin, status, and personal designation. The “by name” element belongs to that grounded scene-setting, where the narrative slows long enough to identify a person precisely as he enters the story.

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).