How To Pronounce Clopas In The Bible: Meaning and Who He Was

If you have reached John 19 while reading the Bible aloud, you may have stopped at one unfamiliar name: Clopas.

So, how do you pronounce Clopas in the Bible?

The simplest pronunciation is:

Clopas = KLO-pas

You may also see it written phonetically as KLOH-pas. The first part sounds much like “clo” in “close,” followed by a short “pas.”

The Greek name behind the English spelling is Κλωπᾶς (Klōpas). Biblical pronunciation resources commonly give a pronunciation close to KLO-pas.

Clopas is mentioned only briefly in the New Testament, but his name appears in one of the most important scenes in all four Gospels: the crucifixion of Jesus.

John 19:25 describes several women standing near the cross, including Mary, who is identified in most English translations as “Mary the wife of Clopas.”

That short reference raises several questions. Who was Clopas? How do you pronounce Mary of Clopas? What does the name Clopas mean? And is Clopas the same person as Cleopas, the disciple who met the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus?

The answers become clearer when we look carefully at Scripture, the Greek text, and what early Christian writers actually said.

How To Pronounce Clopas In The Bible Correctly

The easiest way to say Clopas is:

KLO-pas

Break it into two parts:

KLO + pas

Put the stronger emphasis on the first syllable.

Say it slowly:

KLO…pas

Then say it naturally:

KLO-pas

BibleSpeak gives the pronunciation as KLO-pas, while the Blue Letter Bible Greek lexicon also represents the name as klo-pas.

You may hear small differences depending on a speaker’s country or Bible-reading tradition. One person may make the second syllable sound more like “pass,” while another may pronounce it more softly.

That does not mean one person is necessarily reading the wrong name. Biblical names moved through Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and finally many forms of English. Small differences in English pronunciation are normal.

The important thing to remember is the basic sound:

Clopas: KLO-pas.

A Simple Way to Remember the Pronunciation

If Clopas looks difficult at first, do not try to pronounce every letter separately.

Think of the name as two sounds.

KLO + PAS

Once you have those two pieces, the name becomes easy.

For example, when reading John 19:25 aloud, you could say:

“Mary the wife of KLO-pas.”

After saying it two or three times, it usually begins to feel natural.

Many unfamiliar biblical names become easier in the same way. If you are learning how to pronounce Bible names, breaking them into short syllables is often more useful than trying to guess the pronunciation from English spelling alone.

How Do You Say Clopas in John 19:25?

Clopas appears in John 19:25.

Most modern English translations identify one of the women near Jesus’ cross as Mary the wife of Clopas. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NASB, and several other translations use the spelling Clopas.

When reading the passage aloud, simply pronounce the name:

KLO-pas

So the phrase becomes:

Mary the wife of KLO-pas.

The setting is important.

Jesus has been crucified. His suffering is nearing its end. Yet several people who loved Him remain nearby. John mentions Jesus’ mother, another woman identified in relation to His mother, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Clopas himself is not described as standing there. His name enters the story because Mary is identified through her connection with him.

This is why readers asking who is Clopas in the Bible sometimes expect to find a longer story about him. There is not one. The New Testament gives us only this short direct reference.

Yet that brief mention connects his name with the solemn scene of the cross.

How Do You Pronounce Mary of Clopas?

The phrase Mary of Clopas can be pronounced:

MAIR-ee of KLO-pas

The difficult part is usually not Mary but Clopas.

Once you know that Clopas is pronounced KLO-pas, the whole expression is straightforward.

Most English Bible translations describe her as Mary the wife of Clopas. That interpretation has a long history and is the familiar reading for most Christians.

There is, however, an interesting detail in the Greek.

The Greek expression is essentially Mary of Clopas. The word “wife” is supplied by translators because they understand the phrase as describing Mary’s relationship to her husband. Some translation notes acknowledge that the grammatical relationship is not stated as fully as it is in ordinary English.

This does not mean that translating the phrase as “wife of Clopas” is unreasonable. It simply means we should distinguish between what the Greek phrase literally says and how translators understand the relationship.

This is also why discussions about how many Marys are in the Bible can become confusing. Several women named Mary appear in the New Testament, and the Gospel writers sometimes distinguish them through family relationships, hometowns, or other identifying details.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary associated with Clopas are not presented as one person in John 19:25.

Who Is Clopas in the Bible?

Clopas is a man connected with a woman named Mary who stood near Jesus during the crucifixion.

That is the clearest answer Scripture itself gives us.

The Greek name Κλωπᾶς occurs once in the Greek New Testament, in John 19:25. Greek concordances therefore give Clopas only one New Testament occurrence.

We should be cautious about going beyond that.

You may find Bible dictionaries or traditional accounts that identify Clopas with other people in the New Testament. Some connect him with Alphaeus. Others connect his family with James. Early Christian tradition also gives him a relationship to Joseph, the husband of Mary, Jesus’ mother.

Some of those ideas are historically interesting, but not all of them can be proven directly from the biblical text.

What John 19:25 Actually Tells Us

John 19:25 gives us a small amount of definite information.

Clopas was associated with a woman named Mary. Most translations understand Mary to have been his wife. Mary was present near Jesus’ cross. She was distinguished in the passage from Mary Magdalene and from Jesus’ mother.

John does not record Clopas speaking.

He does not tell us Clopas’s occupation.

He does not tell us where Clopas lived.

He does not give us the story of Clopas becoming a follower of Jesus.

That silence matters.

When Scripture says little about a person, it is better to admit that than to turn later traditions into biblical facts.

This is particularly important when studying lesser-known biblical figures. A good Bible study should separate three things: what Scripture clearly says, what can reasonably be inferred, and what later traditions report.

For Clopas, the first category is quite small.

What Early Christian Writers Said About Clopas

Although the New Testament says very little, an important early Christian tradition appears in the writings preserved by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea.

Eusebius quoted an earlier Christian writer named Hegesippus. In that tradition, Clopas was described as a brother of Joseph, the man traditionally recognized as Mary’s husband and Jesus’ earthly guardian. The same tradition identified Symeon, son of Clopas, as an important leader of the Jerusalem church after James.

That tradition is valuable when studying early Christian history, but it should be introduced honestly.

John 19:25 itself does not say:

Clopas was Joseph’s brother.

It also does not directly say that Symeon was Clopas’s son.

Those details come from early post-biblical testimony preserved by Eusebius.

This distinction allows us to respect early Christian sources without pretending they are verses of Scripture.

Is Clopas the Same Person as Cleopas?

This is where the subject becomes especially interesting.

Clopas and Cleopas look very similar in English.

Because of that similarity, some readers naturally assume they are two spellings of the same person’s name.

But the question is not that simple.

Clopas appears in John 19:25.

Cleopas appears in Luke 24:18.

Luke’s Cleopas is one of two disciples traveling toward Emmaus after Jesus’ resurrection. They speak with the risen Jesus without recognizing Him at first. Later, when Jesus breaks bread with them, their eyes are opened and they recognize Him.

The Greek name in Luke is Κλεοπᾶς (Kleopas). The Greek name in John is Κλωπᾶς (Klōpas). They are therefore spelled differently in the Greek New Testament.

That difference is worth noticing.

Some Christian traditions have identified Clopas and Cleopas as the same man. Other Bible dictionaries and scholars distinguish them and argue that the similarity of the English names is not enough to prove that they are one person. Smith’s Bible Dictionary, for example, notes the traditional connection but regards them as probably different names and persons.

So what should a careful reader believe?

The safest answer is:

The Bible does not clearly identify Clopas of John 19:25 with Cleopas of Luke 24:18.

They may have been connected in some way according to later traditions, but Scripture does not tell us that they were the same individual.

This is a good example of why names matter in Bible study. One letter can point toward a different Greek form and possibly a different person.

Clopas and Cleopas at a Glance

The two names are similar, but their Greek forms and biblical settings are different.

Readers interested in who was Cleopas in the Bible should therefore study Luke 24 separately rather than automatically combining his story with the Clopas mentioned by John.

Why Does the King James Bible Say Cleophas?

There is another reason people become confused.

If you read the King James Version, John 19:25 does not say Clopas. It says Cleophas.

The KJV reads:

“Mary the wife of Cleophas.”

Modern translations frequently use Clopas for the same person. Bible Gateway’s comparison of English translations shows this difference clearly.

This is primarily a difference in how the name was carried into English, not evidence that the KJV is speaking about an entirely different character in John 19:25.

The Greek name in that verse is Κλωπᾶς.

Blue Letter Bible’s Greek lexicon notes that the KJV translates this Greek name as Cleophas, while modern translations often use Clopas.

So if you grew up reading the KJV, you may know this biblical figure as Cleophas rather than Clopas.

That is completely understandable.

But do not confuse the KJV’s Cleophas in John 19:25 with Cleopas in Luke 24:18 simply because the English spellings look similar.

The Greek text helps us see the distinction.

What Is the Meaning of the Name Clopas?

The meaning of Clopas is less certain than many popular Bible-name websites suggest.

This is an area where careful language is important.

Some online explanations give confident meanings for Clopas, but biblical lexicons indicate that the name probably has a Semitic or Aramaic background. BiblicalTraining describes Κλωπᾶς as probably Semitic in origin and discusses a possible connection with a Semitic form related to Alphaeus.

Blue Letter Bible likewise identifies the name as being of Aramaic or Chaldean origin in its Strong’s information.

Because the history of the name is uncertain, assigning one simple English definition to Clopas can give readers more confidence than the evidence allows.

One traditional lexical gloss associated with the name is “my exchanges.” Yet even this should be treated as an etymological proposal rather than as something the Bible itself teaches about Clopas.

Most importantly, the Bible never pauses in John 19 to explain the meaning of his name.

Clopas is simply used as a personal name.

Does Clopas Mean “Glory of the Father”?

You may encounter a claim that Clopas means something such as “glory of the father” or “of a renowned father.”

That explanation needs qualification.

The meaning “renowned father” is associated more directly with Cleopas, the Greek name Κλεοπᾶς in Luke 24:18. Mounce’s Greek dictionary gives “renowned father” as the gloss for Cleopas.

Clopas in John 19:25 is Κλωπᾶς, a different Greek form.

Since the two names have sometimes been identified with one another in Christian tradition, their meanings also tend to become mixed together in popular explanations.

A careful answer to “What does the name Clopas mean?” is therefore:

The exact meaning of Clopas is uncertain. The name is usually regarded as having a Semitic or Aramaic background, and it should not simply be given the Greek meaning commonly associated with Cleopas.

That answer is less dramatic, but it is more accurate.

Why Bible Names Can Sound Different in English

Clopas gives us a useful lesson about biblical names in general.

The Bible was not originally written in English.

The New Testament was written in Greek, although many people and places in it came from Hebrew or Aramaic-speaking settings. Names could therefore move from one language into another before eventually appearing in English Bible translations.

When a name moves between languages, spelling and pronunciation can shift.

That is one reason you may see:

Clopas

Cleophas

and discussions involving Cleopas

in sources dealing with this part of the New Testament.

The words may look almost interchangeable to an English reader, yet the Greek text helps us see that Clopas in John and Cleopas in Luke are written differently.

This is also why using a Greek lexicon or a trusted pronunciation guide can be helpful when you meet a difficult biblical name.

You do not need to become a Greek scholar before reading Scripture aloud.

A little background simply helps prevent unnecessary confusion.

How To Pronounce Clopas In The Bible Without Second-Guessing Yourself

If you remember only one thing from this discussion, remember this:

Clopas is pronounced KLO-pas.

You can also think of it as KLOH-pas if that spelling helps you reproduce the long “o” sound more naturally.

You do not need to make the name complicated.

When reading John 19:25 aloud, say:

Mary the wife of KLO-pas.

If someone from another country gives the second syllable a slightly different sound, there is no need for an argument. English speakers often pronounce ancient biblical names with small regional differences.

The goal is not to reproduce a first-century accent perfectly. The goal is to read the biblical name clearly and recognize the person being discussed.

What Clopas Helps Us Notice in John’s Gospel

Clopas receives only a few letters in a single verse, yet his name appears beside a powerful moment.

John brings us close to the cross.

Jesus is suffering. His followers are grieving. The future must have seemed uncertain to those standing nearby.

And there was Mary of Clopas.

We know little about Clopas himself, but his name helps John identify a woman who remained near Jesus during His crucifixion.

That detail reminds us that Scripture often preserves the names of people who might otherwise have disappeared from history.

Some biblical figures preach sermons.

Some lead nations.

Some perform miracles.

Others are remembered because they were connected with someone who quietly remained faithful during a painful moment.

Clopas belongs to that quieter part of the biblical record.

When studying where the crucifixion is in the Bible, John 19 is valuable not only because it records what happened to Jesus but also because it shows us some of the people standing nearby.

The passage does not invite us to build elaborate theories about Clopas. It invites us to pay attention to what is actually written.

That is a healthy habit whenever we read Scripture.

There is no shame in stopping at an unfamiliar name and asking how to say it. Those small questions can lead us deeper into the biblical text.

So the next time you reach John 19:25, you can read the name confidently:

Clopas: KLO-pas.

And you can remember the difference that matters most: Clopas is the man connected with Mary in John 19:25, while Cleopas is the named traveler on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:18. Scripture does not clearly tell us they were the same man.

Sometimes careful Bible reading means accepting that we know only a little about a person. That is not a weakness in Scripture. It is an invitation to stay close to what the text actually tells us.

Dr. Rachel Adams

Dr. Rachel is very smart and knows a lot about the Bible. He helps us understand the Bible better by talking about the old texts in a simple way.