ἀρχή
Beginning · away from
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
ἀρχή G746 beginning
ἀπό G575 away from
What does ἀρχή (archḗ) mean in the Bible?
ἀρχή · ἀπό is a Greek word meaning "(properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank)". :--beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule. Highlights rebellion against divine order, not merely misconduct. This term runs through the canonical themes of Creation, Faith, Messiah.
Full entry for ἀρχή (G746, G575) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Primary meaning: originating point or source; secondarily, those who hold first rank or authority
:--beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.
Why This Word Matters
Highlights rebellion against divine order, not merely misconduct.
Highlights rebellion against divinely appointed order.
Links mature knowledge of God to recognition of the eternal Son emphasized earlier in the letter.
Anchors faith in the original apostolic witness rather than evolving reinterpretations.
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.
Additional Occurrences
New Testament Witnesses
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