ΠΡΈΣΒΥΣ: πρέσβυς, -εως, ὁ, poët. form of πρεσβύτης (q.v.), [ [in LXX (= πρεσβευτής, an ambassador): Nu 21:20 (21), al. (מַלְאָךְ), Is 13:8 57:9 (צִיר), I Mac 9:70, al.;] ] an old man. Compar., πρεσβύτερος, -α, -ον, [in LXX chiefly for זָקֵן;] 1. . of age, elder: ὁ νἱὸς ὁ π., Lk 15:25; as subst., opp. to νεανίσκοι, Ac 2:17; to νεώτερος, I Ti 5:1, 2; of the religious leaders of the past, Mt 15:2, Mk 7:3, 5, He 11:2 (= οἱ πατέρες, He 1:1).
2. . Of dignity, rank or office (as found in π. and Inscr. of civil and religious offices, including priesthood, in Asia Minor and in Egypt; v. Deiss., BS, 154 ff., 233 ff.; LAE, 373); (a) . among Jews: Mt 16:21 26:47, 57 27:3, 12, 20, 41 28:12, Mk 8:31 11:27 14:43, 53 15:1, Lk 7:3 9:22 20:1 22:52, Jo 8:[9], Ac 4:5, 8, 23 6:12 23:14 24:1; τ. Ἰουνδαίων, Ac 25:15; τ. λαοῦ, Mt 21:23 26:3 27:1; (b) . among Christians: Ac 11:30 14:23 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23 16:4 21:18, I Ti 5:17, 19, Tit 1:5, II Jo 1, III Jo 1, I Pe 5:1, 5; τ. ἐκκλησίας, Ac 20:17, Ja 5:14; (c) . in the visions of the Apocalypse: Re 4:4, 10 5:5, 6, 8, 11, 14 7:11, 13 11:16 14:3 19:4. (On the NT use of this word and its relation to ἐπίσκοπος (q.v.), cf. Lft., Phl., 93 ff., 189 ff.; CGT, Past. Epp., lvi ff.) †