ἐπίσκοπος
Overseer
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What does ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos) mean in the Bible?
ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos) is a Greek word meaning "overseer". ἐπί-σκοπος, -ου, ὁ (σκοπός, a watcher), [in LXX for פָּקַד, its parts and derivatives, Num. By calling the elder an ἐπίσκοπος and God’s steward, Paul emphasizes accountability to God and the protective role leaders must exercise over doctrine and conduct. This term runs through the canonical themes of Spirit.
Full entry for ἐπίσκοπος (G1985) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Overseer or superintendent; in NT letters, a formal church office supervising a local congregation.
(σκοπός, a watcher), [in LXX for פָּקַד, its parts and derivatives, Num.4:16 31:14, Jdg.9:28, 4Ki.11:15 11:18, 2Ch.34:12 34:17, Neh.11:9, 14 11:22; אֵל, Job.20:29; נָגַשׂ:, Isa.60:17; Wis.1:6, 1Ma.1:51 * ;] a superintendent, guardian, overseer (cl.; for exx. see LS, see word): Act.20:28, 1Pe.2:25 (ICC, in l); as technical term for a religious office (Deiss., BS, 230 f.), in later Paul. epp. of the head of a church (Vg. episcopus), a bishop: Php.1:1, 1Ti.3:2, Tit.1:7 (see reff. see word ἐπισκοπή).
Why This Word Matters
By calling the elder an ἐπίσκοπος and God’s steward, Paul emphasizes accountability to God and the protective role leaders must exercise over doctrine and conduct. Acts 20:25-38
Identifies Spirit-appointed leadership in the church. Titus 1:5-9
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
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.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain