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Greek · G758 · unreviewed

ἄρχων

A first (in rank or power)

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ἄρχων G758
Pronunciation árchōn

What does ἄρχων (árchōn) mean in the Bible?

ἄρχων (árchōn) is a Greek word meaning "a first (in rank or power)". ἄρχων, -οντος, ὁ (present ptcp.

Full entry for ἄρχων (G758) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

a first (in rank or power)
Extended definition

A ruler exercising authority; in NT theology, includes demonic powers opposing God's kingdom.

(present ptcp. of ἄρχω), [in LXX for נָשִׂיא., רֹאשׁ, שַׂר, etc. ;] a ruler, chief: Jesus, Rev.1:5; rulers of nations, Mat.20:25, Act.4:26 7:35; magistrates, Act.23:5, Rom.13:3; judges, Luk.12:58, Act.7:27, 35 16:19; members of the Sanhedrin, Luk.14:1 23:13, 35 24:20, Jhn.3:1 7:26, 48 12:42, Act.3:17 4:5, 8 13:27 14:5; rulers of synagogues, Mat.9:18, 23, Luk.8:41 18:18; οἱ ἄ. τ. αἰῶνος τούτου, 1Co.2:6-8; of the devil: ἄ. τῶν δαιμονίων, Mat.9:34 12:24, Mrk.3:22, Luk.11:15; ὁ ἄ. τοῦ κόσμου, Jhn.12:31 14:30 16:11; ἄ. τ. ἐξουσίας τ. ἀέρος, Eph.2:2 (MM, see word; DB, iii, 838; Ext., 99 f; DCG, ii, 419; DCG, see word Archon).

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 9:18 · Luke 8:41 · Luke 18:18 · John 3:1 · John 12:31 · John 14:30 · John 16:11 · Rev 1:5 8×
Nominative · Plural · Masculine Matt 20:25 · Luke 23:35 · Luke 24:20 · John 7:26 · Acts 3:17 · Acts 4:26 · Acts 13:27 · Rom 13:3 8×
Genitive · Plural · Masculine Luke 14:1 · John 7:48 · John 12:42 · 1 Cor 2:6 · 1 Cor 2:8 5×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 9:23 1×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 9:34 · Matt 12:24 · Mark 3:22 · Luke 11:15 4×
Dative · Plural · Masculine Acts 14:5 1×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Luke 12:58 · Acts 7:27 · Acts 7:35 · Acts 23:5 · Eph 2:2 6×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine Luke 23:13 · Acts 4:5 · Acts 16:19 3×
Vocative · Plural · Masculine Acts 4:8 1×
37 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Biblical Occurrences

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

Biblical Witnesses
1 Corinthians 2:6-10 rulers árchōn Genitive · Plural · Masculine
Spiritual powers of this age who opposed Christ's crucifixion
Luke 14:1-6 ruler árchōn Genitive · Plural · Masculine
A Pharisee of high rank or prominent member of Jewish council
Luke 11:14-28 ruler árchōn Dative · Singular · Masculine
Demonic authority, specifically Satan as chief of demons
Ephesians 2:1-3 prince árchōn Accusative · Singular · Masculine
Spiritual ruler of the power of the air, demonic authority over creation
Luke 12:49-59 magistrate árchōn Accusative · Singular · Masculine
Civil judge or administrator responsible for legal judgment
Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

ἄρχων · δαιμόνιον G758, G1140
ruler of demons
ἄρχων · κόσμος G758, G2889
ruler of this world
ἄρχων · Φαρισαῖος G758, G5330
one of the rulers/leaders of the Pharisees
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 7 — Stephen Testifies to Israel’s Resistance and Christ’s Glory John 12 — The Anointed King, the Lifted-Up Son of Man, and the Hour of Glory John 14 — The Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Father Revealed in the Son, and the Promise of the Spirit John 16 — The Spirit’s Convicting Witness, the Disciples’ Sorrow Turned to Joy, and Christ’s Victory over the World Matthew 12 — The Lord of the Sabbath, the Servant of the Lord, and the Crisis of Unbelief Matthew 20 — The First-Last Kingdom, the Ransom-Giving Son of Man, and Mercy for the Blind Matthew 9 — Authority to Forgive, Mercy for Sinners, and Compassion for the Harvest Romans 13 — Submission to Governing Authorities, Love as the Fulfillment of the Law, and Life in the Light of the Coming Day

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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