3359. metópon
Lexical Summary
metópon: Forehead

Original Word: μέτωπον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: metópon
Pronunciation: meh'-to-pon
Phonetic Spelling: (met'-o-pon)
KJV: forehead
NASB: forehead, foreheads
Word Origin: [from G3326 (μετά - after) and ops (the face)]

1. the forehead (as opposite the countenance)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
forehead.

From meta and ops (the face); the forehead (as opposite the countenance) -- forehead.

see GREEK meta

HELPS Word-studies

3359 métōpon – properly, "after the eye," referring to the forehead.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from meta and óps (an eye, face)
Definition
the forehead
NASB Translation
forehead (4), foreheads (4).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3359: μέτωπον

μέτωπον, μετώπου, τό (μετά, ὤψ 'eye'), from Homer down; the Sept. for מֵצַח (literally, the space between the eyes) the forehead: Revelation 7:3; Revelation 9:4; Revelation 13:16; Revelation 14:1, 9; Revelation 17:5; Revelation 20:4; Revelation 22:4.

Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and Literary Setting

The word appears eight times, exclusively in Revelation (7:3; 9:4; 13:16; 14:1, 9; 17:5; 20:4; 22:4). In every case the term designates the forehead as a conspicuous surface for an identifying inscription or mark. John’s repeated placement of names, seals, and brands on the forehead establishes a deliberate contrast between those who belong to God and those who capitulate to the satanic trinity of dragon, beast, and false prophet.

Old Testament Antecedents

Revelation’s imagery is firmly rooted in prior biblical revelations. Aaron’s high-priestly mitre bore a gold plate on his forehead engraved with “Holy to the LORD” (Exodus 28:36-38), a perpetual emblem of consecration. Ezekiel’s vision of the man with the ink horn marking the righteous “on their foreheads” (Ezekiel 9:4) supplies the prototype for the sealing of the 144,000. Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:18 enjoin Israel to bind God’s words “as frontlets between your eyes,” foreshadowing the internalization and public display of covenant loyalty.

Seal of Divine Protection

“Do not harm the earth … until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3). The sealing of the one hundred forty-four thousand serves a dual purpose: (1) ownership—identifying them as bond-servants purchased by the Lamb, and (2) preservation—immunity from trumpet judgments that assail the unsealed (Revelation 9:4). The forehead thus becomes the theater where divine election is publicly certified before hostile powers.

Counterfeit Mark of the Beast

“He causes all … to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead” (Revelation 13:16). The beast mimics God’s sealing act, coercing universal allegiance through an economic sanction. The brand is the satanic parody of covenant sign, binding recipients to idolatry and final judgment (Revelation 14:9-11). The stark alternative—name of the Father or number of the beast—eliminates neutrality; every forehead will testify for or against its bearer.

Covenantal Consummation

“They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:4). History culminates with unhindered communion: the redeemed gaze upon God’s unveiled glory, their foreheads radiant with His name. The mark once given for protection in the wilderness becomes an emblem of perfected fellowship in the new Jerusalem, fulfilling Jeremiah 31:33’s interior covenant and surpassing the high priest’s solitary privilege.

Historical Background

In the Greco-Roman world, slaves, soldiers, and devotees of particular deities were often tattooed or branded on the forehead. Such indelible marks communicated ownership, loyalty, and cultic affiliation. John leverages this societal practice to portray ultimate spiritual realities, contrasting voluntary devotion to the Lamb with compelled subservience to the beast.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Identity: Believers derive self-understanding from God’s irrevocable claim, not from shifting cultural labels.
• Witness: The forehead is the most visible part of the body; likewise, Christian allegiance must be unmistakable in public life.
• Perseverance: The seal guarantees both temporal preservation within God’s purposes and eternal vindication, motivating steadfastness under persecution.
• Discernment: Congregations must resist any ideology that impersonates divine authority and demands conscience-compromising conformity.

Theological Synthesis

Throughout Revelation the forehead serves as the canvas upon which covenant faithfulness or rebellion is emblazoned. The motif unites priestly holiness, prophetic warning, and eschatological hope, underscoring that the decisive issue of human history is worship. To bear the Father’s name is to share the Lamb’s victory; to receive the beast’s mark is to partake in his defeat. The faithful therefore await the day when every redeemed brow will shine with the name above every name, and God will be “all in all.”

Forms and Transliterations
μέτωπα μετωπον μέτωπον μέτωπόν μετωπου μετώπου μετώπω μετωπων μετώπων μέτωπων metopon metōpon metōpōn metṓpon metṓpōn métopon métōpon metopou metōpou metṓpou
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Englishman's Concordance
Revelation 7:3 N-GNP
GRK: ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν
NAS: of our God on their foreheads.
KJV: in their foreheads.
INT: on the foreheads of them

Revelation 9:4 N-GNP
GRK: ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων
NAS: the seal of God on their foreheads.
KJV: in their foreheads.
INT: on the foreheads

Revelation 13:16 N-ANS
GRK: ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν
NAS: hand or on their forehead,
KJV: in their foreheads:
INT: on the forehead of them

Revelation 14:1 N-GNP
GRK: ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν
NAS: written on their foreheads.
KJV: in their foreheads.
INT: on the foreheads of them

Revelation 14:9 N-GNS
GRK: ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου αὐτοῦ ἢ
NAS: a mark on his forehead or
KJV: in his forehead, or in
INT: on the forehead of him or

Revelation 17:5 N-ANS
GRK: ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα
NAS: and on her forehead a name
KJV: her forehead [was] a name
INT: upon the forehead of her a name

Revelation 20:4 N-ANS
GRK: ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον καὶ ἐπὶ
NAS: the mark on their forehead and on their hand;
KJV: upon their foreheads, or in
INT: upon the forehead and upon

Revelation 22:4 N-GNP
GRK: ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν
NAS: and His name [will be] on their foreheads.
KJV: [shall be] in their foreheads.
INT: on the foreheads of them

Strong's Greek 3359
8 Occurrences


μετώπων — 4 Occ.
μέτωπον — 3 Occ.
μετώπου — 1 Occ.

3358
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