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Greek · G1203 · unreviewed

δεσπότης

An absolute ruler ("despot")

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δεσπότης G1203
Pronunciation despótēs

What does δεσπότης (despótēs) mean in the Bible?

δεσπότης (despótēs) is a Greek word meaning "an absolute ruler ("despot")". δεσπότης, -ου, ὁ [in LXX chiefly for אָדוֹן, אֲדֹנָי; in Jdth. The prayer begins by affirming God’s absolute authority over creation and history. This term runs through the canonical themes of Creation.

Full entry for δεσπότης (G1203) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

an absolute ruler ("despot")
Extended definition

Absolute owner with uncontrolled power, contrasting with κύριος which implies more limited authority

; a master, lord, correlative of δοῦλος, οἰκέτης: 1Ti.6:1, 2, 2Ti.2:21, Tit.2:9, 1Pe.2:18; as title of God, voc., δέσποτα (so usually in LXX), Luk.2:29, Act.4:24; ὁ δ. = voc. δέσποτα (cf. B1., § 33, 4), Rev.6:10; of Christ, 2Pe.2:1, Ju 4, R, txt. (but cf. mg.).

Synonymsκύριος (which see), implying limitation of authority and a more general relation than δ., which "denoted absolute ownership and uncontrolled power" (Thayer).
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Why This Word Matters
The prayer begins by affirming God’s absolute authority over creation and history. Acts 4:23-31
Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Masculine Rev 6:10 1×
Dative · Plural · Masculine Titus 2:9 · 1 Pet 2:18 2×
Dative · Singular · Masculine 2 Tim 2:21 1×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine 1 Tim 6:1 · 1 Tim 6:2 2×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine 2 Pet 2:1 · Jude 1:4 2×
Vocative · Singular · Masculine Luke 2:29 · Acts 4:24 2×
10 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Canonical Themes
Creation
Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

New Testament Witnesses
Acts 4:23-31 Sovereign Lord despótēs Vocative · Singular · Masculine
Master or absolute ruler.
Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Acts 4 — Christ Alone Saves and His Witnesses Speak Boldly

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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