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Magistrate

Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term

How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.

GREEK · G1348

δικαστής

dikastēs — magistrate

δικαστής, -οῦ, ὁ (δικάζω), [in LXX for שָׁפַט ;] a judge: Act.7:27, 35" (LXX) .† SYN.: κριτής, WH. "gives prominence to the mental process" (Thayer). δ. is the forensic term. In Attic law, the δικασταί were jurors, with a κριτής as presiding officer (LS, see word; Enc. Brit. 11, xii, 504 f.) (AS)

2 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G2962

κύριος

kurios — lord: God

κύριος, -α, -ον (also -ος, -ον), [in LXX (subst.) chiefly for יהוה, also for בַּעַל ,אָדוֹן, etc. ;] having power (κῦρος) or authority; as subst., ὁ κ., lord, master; 1. in general: with genitive of thing(s), Mat.9:38 20:8, Mrk.12:9 13:35, Luk.19:33; τ. σαββάτου, Mat.12:8, Mrk.2:28, Luk.6:5; with genitive of person(s), δούλου, etc., Mat.10:24, Luk.14:21, Act.16:16, al.; absol, opposite to οἱ δοῦλοι, Eph.6:5, 9 al.; of the Emperor (Deiss., LAE, 161), Act.25:26; θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κ. πολλοί, 1Co.8:5; of a husband, 1Pe.3:6; in voc, as a title of respect to masters, teachers, magistrates, etc., Mat.13:27 16:22 27:63, Mrk.7:28, Luk.5:12, Jhn.4:11, Act.9:5, al. 2. As a divine title (frequently in π.; Deiss., LAE, 353 ff.); in NT, (a) of God: ὁ κ., Mat.5:33, Mrk.5:19, Luk.1:6, Act.7:33, Heb.8:2, Jas.4:15, al.; anarth. (Bl., §46, 6), Mat.21:9, Mrk.13:20, Luk.1:17, Heb.7:21, 1Pe.1:25, al.; κ. τ. οὐρανοῦ καὶ τ. γῆς, Mat.11:25; τ. κυριευόντων, 1Ti.6:15; κ. ὁ θεός, Mat.4:7, 10 al.; id. before παντοκράτωρ, Rev.4:8; κ. σαβαώθ, Rom.9:29; (ὁ) ἄγγελος κυρίου, Mat.1:20 2:13, Luk.1:11, al.; πνεῦμα κυρίου, Luk.4:18, Act.8:39; (b) of the Christ: Mat.21:3, Mrk.11:3, Luk.1:43 20:44, al.; of Jesus after his resurrection (Dalman, Words, 330), Act.10:36, Rom.14:8, 1Co.7:22, Eph.4:5, al.; ὁ κ. μου, Jhn.20:28; ὁ κ. Ἰησοῦς, Act.1:21, 1Co.11:23, al.; id. before Χριστός, Eph.1:2, al.; ὁ κ. ἡμῶν, 1Ti.1:14, Heb.7:14, al.; id. before Ἰησοῦς, 1Th.3:11, Heb.13:20, al.; Χριστός, Rom.16:18; Ἰ Χ., 1Co.1:2, 1Th.1:3, al.; Ἰ. Χ. (Χ. Ἰ) ὁ κ. (ἡμῶν), Rom.1:4, Col.2:6, Eph.3:11, al.; ὁ κ. καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ, 2Pe.3:2; id. before Ἰ. Χ., ib. 18; anarth., 1Co.7:22, 25 Jas.5:4, al.; κ. κυρίων, Rev.19:16; with prep., ἀπὸ (κατὰ, πρὸς, σὺν, etc.) κ., Col.3:24, al. SYN: see: δεσπότης. (AS)

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GREEK · G1849

ἐξουσία

exousia — authority

ἐξουσία, -ας, ἡ (ἔξεστι), [in LXX: 4Ki.20:13, Psa.113 (114):2 135 (136)8, 9, Isa.39:2, Jer.28 (51):28 (מֶמְשָׁלָה), frequently in Da for Aram. שָׁלְטָן, etc., Wis.10:14, Sir.9:13, al. ;] 1. prop., liberty or power to act, freedom to exercise the inward force or faculty expressed by δύναμις (which see): 1Co.9:12; ἐ. ἔχειν, 2Th.3:9; id. before inf., Jhn.10:18, 1Co.9:4, 5; with genitive obj., Rom.9:21; before ἐπί, with accusative, Rev.22:14; περί, 1Co.7:37. 2. Later (cf. Milligan, Th., 114; MM, Exp., xiv), of the power of right, authority: Mat.21:33, Mrk.11:28, Luk.20:2; of Messianic authority, Mat.9:6, Mrk.2:10, al.; of apostolic authority, 2Co.10:8 13:10; of the authority of government: Mat.8:9 28:18, Ju 25, Rev.12:10, al.; esp. of judicial authority, Luk.20:20, Jhn.19:10, 11. 3. Meton., (a) jurisdiction: Luk.23:7 (cf. 1Ma.6:11, Isa.39:2); (b) a ruler or magistrate: Rom.13:1-3; pl., Luk.12:11, Rom.13:1, Tit.3:1; (with) of supramundane powers (syn. with ἀρχή, δύναμις, θρόνος, κυριότης): 1Co.15:24, Eph.1:21 3:10, Col.2:10, 1Pe.3:22, al. (Cremer. 236). SYN.: see: δύναμις. (AS)

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GREEK · G758

ἄρχων

archōn — ruler

ἄρχων, -οντος, ὁ (present ptcp. of ἄρχω), [in LXX for נָשִׂיא., רֹאשׁ, שַׂר, etc. ;] a ruler, chief: Jesus, Rev.1:5; rulers of nations, Mat.20:25, Act.4:26 7:35; magistrates, Act.23:5, Rom.13:3; judges, Luk.12:58, Act.7:27, 35 16:19; members of the Sanhedrin, Luk.14:1 23:13, 35 24:20, Jhn.3:1 7:26, 48 12:42, Act.3:17 4:5, 8 13:27 14:5; rulers of synagogues, Mat.9:18, 23, Luk.8:41 18:18; οἱ ἄ. τ. αἰῶνος τούτου, 1Co.2:6-8; of the devil: ἄ. τῶν δαιμονίων, Mat.9:34 12:24, Mrk.3:22, Luk.11:15; ὁ ἄ. τοῦ κόσμου, Jhn.12:31 14:30 16:11; ἄ. τ. ἐξουσίας τ. ἀέρος, Eph.2:2 (MM, see word; DB, iii, 838; Ext., 99 f; DCG, ii, 419; DCG, see word Archon).† (AS)

36 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G5257

ὑπηρέτης

hupēretēs — servant

ὑπηρέτης, -ου, ὁ (ὑπό + ἐρέτης, a rower) [in LXX: Pro.14:35 (עֶבֶד), Wis.6:4, al. ;] prop., an under rower; hence, generally, a servant, attendant, minister: of a magistrate's attendant, Mat.5:25; of officers of the Synagogue or Sanhedrin, Mat.26:58, Mrk.14:54, 65, Luk.4:20, Jhn.7:32, 45-46 18:3, 12 18:22 19:6, Act.5:22, 26; of the attendants of kings, οἱ ὑ. οἱ ἑμοί Jhn.18:36; of Christian ministers, Act.13:5 26:16; ὑπηρέται λόγου, Luk.1:2; Χριστοῦ, 1Co.4:1; δοῦλοι κ. ὑ., Jhn.18:18.† SYN.: see: διάκονος (AS)

20 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G968

βῆμα

bēma — judgement seat

βῆμα, -τος, τό (βαίνω), [in LXX: Deu.2:5 (מִדְרָךְ), Neh.8:4 (מִגְדָּל), I Est.9:42, Sir.19:30 45:9, 2Ma.13:26 * ;] 1. a step, stride, pace: Act.7:5. 2. a raised place, a platform reached by steps, originally that in the Pnyx at Athens from which orations were made; frequently of the tribune or tribunal of a Roman magistrate or ruler: Mat.27:19, Jhn.19:13, Act.12:21, 18:12, 16, 17 25:6, 10, 17; β. τοῦ θεοῦ, Rom.14:10; τ. Χριστοῦ, 2Co.5:10. † (AS)

12 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G4755

στρατηγός

stratēgos — officer/magistrate

στρατηγός, -οῦ, ὁ (στραός, ἄγω), [in LXX chiefly for סָגָן (always in pl.), שַׂר ;] 1. a military commander, a general (Hdt., al.). 2. A civic commander, a governor, magistrate (Hdt., Xen., al.): Act.16:20, 22 16:35-36, 38. 3. The commander of the Levitical guard of the Temple, ὁ σ. τ. ἱεροῦ (EV, captain of the Temple): Act.4:1 5:24, 26; pl., Luk.22:4, 52.† SYN.: ἄρχων (cf. EGT on Act.16:20; Ramsay, St. Paul, 217). (AS)

10 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G5537

χρηματίζω

chrēmatizō — to announce

χρηματίζω (χρῆμα), [in LXX: Jer.26:2 29:23 30:2 36:2, 4 A (דָבַר pi.), Jer.25:30) (שָׁאַג), 3Ki.18:27, Job.40:8 * ;] 1. to transact business, hence, to consult, deliberate (Thuc., Dem., al.); hence in later writers, 2. to make answer (esp. of offcial pronounce­ments by magistrates, etc.; in π. of the royal reply to an ἔντευξις, which see; cf. Deiss., BS, 122); of an answer by an oracle (Died., Plut., al.); in FlJ, LXX and NT, of divine communications, to instruct, admonish, warn: pass. (Bl., § 54, 3), Mat.2:22, Heb.8:5 11:7 12:25; with inf. (Bl., § 69,4; 70, 3; 72, 5), Mat.2:12, Luk.2:26, Act.10:22 3. to assume a name (as in business), be called (Polyb., al.): Act.11:26, Rom.7:3 (gnomic fut.; cf. Burton, § 69).† (AS)

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GREEK · G6308

ἀναρπάζω

anarpazō — to kidnap

1. to snatch up , (Iliad by Homer) 2. to snatch away, carry off , (Homer), etc.; of slave-dealers, to kidnap , (Odyssey by Homer):—;Pass., (Sophocles Tragicus): in Prose also, to be dragged before a magistrate, carried off to prison , Lat. rapi in jus, (Demosthenes Orator) 3. in good sense, to rescue , (Plutarch) 4. to take by storm, plunder , (Euripides); of persons, ἀναρπασόμενος τοὺς Φωκέας to take them by storm or at once , (Herdotus Historicus) 5. to carry off, steal , (Xenophon Historicus) (ML)

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GREEK · G6387

ἀπαγωγή

apagōgē — enslavement

1. a leading away , (Xenophon Historicus) 2. payment of tribute, (Herdotus Historicus) 3. as attic law-term, a process by which a person caught in the act ( ἐπ᾽ αὐτοφώρωι) might be arrested and brought before the Magistrates , (Isaeus Orator): —; the written complaint laid before the Court , (Lysias Orator) (ML)

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GREEK · G9565

ὑπεύθυνος

hupeuthunos — accountable

1. liable to give account for one's administration of an office, accountable, responsible , (Herdotus Historicus), etc.:—; ὑπεύθυνοι, οἱ, at Athens, magistrates who had to submit their accounts to public auditors λογισταί); (Aristophanes Comicus), etc. 2. with genitive responsible for , ὑπ. ἀρχῆς ἑτέρας quoted in (Demosthenes Orator); of slaves, σῶμα ὑπ. ἀδικημάτων their body is liable for their misdeeds, i. e. they must pay for them with their body, (Demosthenes Orator) 3. with dative responsible to another, dependent on them, Lat. obnoxius, (Demosthenes Orator) (ML)

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Historical dictionary entry

A public civil officer invested with authority. The Hebrew shophetim, or judges, were magistrates having authority in the land (Deut. 1:16, 17). In Judg. 18:7 the word “magistrate” (A.V.) is rendered in the Revised Version “possessing authority”, i.e., having power to do them harm by invasion. In the time of Ezra (9:2) and Nehemiah (2:16; 4:14; 13:11) the Jewish magistrates were called seganim, properly meaning “nobles.” In the New Testament the Greek word archon, rendered “magistrate” (Luke 12:58; Titus 3:1), means one first in power, and hence a prince, as in Matt. 20:25, 1 Cor. 2:6, 8. This term is used of the Messiah, “Prince of the kings of the earth” (Rev. 1:5). In Acts 16:20, 22, 35, 36, 38, the Greek term strategos, rendered “magistrate,” properly signifies the leader of an army, a general, one having military authority. The strategoi were the duumviri, the two praetors appointed to preside over the administration of justice in the colonies of the Romans. They were attended by the sergeants (properly lictors or “rod bearers”).

Scripture references

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.

Compare other reference traditions

Look up Magistrate in Smith’s Bible Dictionary and ISBE →