ἄρχων
árchōn · G758 · Greek · 37 occurrences
Meanings
-
ruler, governor
(Derivative of ἄρχω ‘to rule,’) One who rules or governs
ExamplesMatthew 9:18 While He was saying these things to them, behold, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will become alive again.”
Matthew 9:23 When Jesus came into the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder,
Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
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official, judge
A minor government official serving as a judge
ExamplesLuke 12:58 “For when you are going with your accuser to appear before the magistrate, on the way, make an effort to settle with him, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
Acts 16:19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was suddenly gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities,
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power, authority, lordship, ruler, wicked force
(Ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος - title for supernatural forces and powers) A supernatural power having some particular role in controlling the destiny and activities of human beings
ExamplesEphesians 2:2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—
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a member of the Council
(A title, literally: ruler of the Jews) A member of the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews
ExamplesJohn 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
22 occurrences in 13 groups
- δαιμόνιονdemon, evil spirit 4
- κόσμοςworld 3
- αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 3
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (12) 12
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- εἷςone 1
- τὶςsomeone 1
Named alongside itApposition
6 occurrences in 5 groups
- Βεελζεβούλdung-god 2
- ἸησοῦςJesus 1
- καταργέωto abolish, to bring to an end 1
- πνεῦμαspirit 1
- ἄνθρωποςman, person, people 1
What it doesIt is the subject
14 occurrences in 12 groups
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (16) 16
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- ἔπωto say 1
- συγκαλέωto call together 1
Second object ofSecond object
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- καθίστημιto appoint, to put in charge 2
- ἀποστέλλωto send 1
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- φόβοςfear 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- οὗτοςthis 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
8 occurrences in 5 groups
- ἐνin 4
- ἐπίon 4
- ἐκfrom 2
- κατάaccording to, against, down 2
- σύνwith, together with 1
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- οἰκίαhouse, home, dwelling 1
- οἶκοςhouse, household 1
- σοφίαwisdom 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 9 words
- שַׂר sar · H8269 · commander, chief, captain
- Hebrew שַׂר denotes rulers, princes, chiefs, and captains across civil, military, and administrative domains; Greek ἄρχων similarly denotes rulers and magistrates holding first rank or governing authority, making this a direct cross-linguistic equivalent for leadership and ruling-class terminology.
- רֹאשׁ rôʼsh · H7218 · head, beginning
- רֹאשׁ (rôʼsh, H7218) רֹאשׁ denotes the physical head or positional first/beginning from which leadership metaphors derive; ἄρχων (árchōn, G758) ἄρχων refers to the functional ruler or leader role itself, abstracting from the anatomical root to emphasize governing authority.
- נָשִׂיא nâsîyʼ · H5387 · chief, ruler, leader
- Hebrew נָשִׂיא denotes a leader elevated to authority (prince, chief, ruler), directly parallel to Greek ἄρχων's semantic range of one holding first rank or ruling power.
- מָשַׁל mâshal · H4910 · to be like, to become like, to compare
- Greek ἄρχων emphasizes the status or office of a ruler ("first in rank"), while Hebrew מָשַׁל emphasizes the active exercise of dominion or governing power; both denote ruling authority but from complementary perspectives of position versus function.
- נָגִיד nâgîyd · H5057 · ruler, chief, leader
- Both denote a leader or ruler with authority; ἄρχων (árchōn, G758) emphasizes the rank or governing position itself (often translated 'ruler' or 'official'), while נָגִיד (nâgîyd, H5057) emphasizes the leadership role with connotations of designation or appointment (often translated 'prince' or 'leader'), making them functional translation equivalents across the testaments.
- נָדִיב nâdîyb · H5081 · willing, noble person
- נָדִיב (nâdîyb, H5081) נָדִיב emphasizes nobility through voluntary generosity and willing-hearted leadership (prince as benefactor), while ἄρχων (árchōn, G758) ἄρχων emphasizes ruling authority and governance position (ruler, magistrate, official); the Hebrew focuses on the moral character of magnanimous nobility, the Greek on the administrative function of holding first rank.
- נְסִיךְ nᵉçîyk · H5257 · libation, drink-offering, molten image
- Greek ἄρχων denotes a ruler or chief magistrate with governing authority, while Hebrew נְסִיךְ specifically designates a prince or noble leader, often in tribal or royal contexts; both terms refer to figures holding positions of rank and power, making them natural translation equivalents for leadership vocabulary across the Septuagint.
- סָגָן çâgân · H5461 · prefect, official
- Greek ἄρχων (árchōn, G758) and Hebrew סָגָן (çâgân, H5461) both denote governmental rulers or officials holding authority; the Greek term emphasizes primacy in rank or power (used for magistrates, synagogue rulers, and demonic princes), while the Hebrew specifically denotes officials or governors within administrative hierarchies (particularly in Persian/Babylonian contexts in post-exilic texts).
- סֶרֶן çeren · H5633 · axle, lord, ruler
- סֶרֶן (çeren, H5633) denotes specifically the Philistine rulers/lords (a technical term for the five lords of the Philistine pentapolis), while ἄρχων (árchōn, G758) is the broader Greek term for any ruler or leader; the LXX consistently renders this specific Hebrew officeholder title with the general Greek ruler term.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Power, authority, lordship, ruler, wicked force12.44
- Used of a cosmic authority hostile to God, as when Jesus speaks of the ruler of this world being cast out in John 12:31.
- Ruler, governor37.56
- Used of a general human authority figure, as of the rulers of the Gentiles in Matthew 20:25 and the ruler of the demons in Matthew 9:34.
- A member of the Council37.95
- Used of a member of the Jewish ruling council, as of Nicodemus described as a ruler of the Jews in John 3:1.
- Official, judge56.29
- Used of a civil authority who adjudicates disputes, as of the magistrate before whom a debtor may be brought in Luke 12:58.
Word family 24 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon ἄρχοντος, ὁ (present participle of the verb ἄρχω) (from Aeschylus down), a ruler,…
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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