Greek · G80 · unreviewed

ἀδελφός

A brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like )

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ἀδελφός G80

Pronunciation adelphós

What does ἀδελφός (adelphós) mean in the Bible?

ἀδελφός (adelphós) is a Greek word meaning "a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like )". ἀδελφός, -οῦ, ὁ (ἀ- copul. Defines spiritual kinship in the kingdom. This term runs through the canonical themes of Kingdom.

Full entry for ἀδελφός (G80) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like )

Extended definition

Brother encompasses literal kinship, fellow-nationals, neighbors, and crucially, fellow-Christians in Christian community.

(ἀ- copul., δελφύς, womb), in cl., a brother, born of the same parent or parents. [In LXX (Hort, Ja., 102f.), for אָח ;]

1lit. of a brother (Gen.4:2, al.).

2Of a neighbour (Lev.19:17).

3Of a member of the same nation (Exo.2:14, Deu.15:3). In NT in each of these senses (1. Mat.1:2, al.; 2. Mat.7:3; 3. Rom.9:3) and also,

4of a fellow-Christian: 1Co.1:1, Act.9:30. This usage finds illustration in π., where ἀ. is used of members of a pagan religious community (M, Th., I, 1:4; MM, VGT, see word). The ἀδελφοὶ τ. Κυρίου (Mat.12:46-49 13:55 28:10, Mrk.3:31-34, Luk.8:19-21, Jhn.2:12 7:3, 5 10 20:17, Act.1:14, 1Co.9:5) may have been sons of Joseph and Mary (Mayor, Ja., Intr. viff.; DB, i, 320ff.) or of Joseph by a former marriage (Lft., Gal., 252ff.; DCG, i, 232ff.), but the view of Jerome, which makes ἀ. equivalent to ἀνεψιός, is inconsistent with Greek usage. (Cremer, 66.)

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith

Why This Word Matters

Defines spiritual kinship in the kingdom. Acts 28:11-16

Highlights the presence of established Christian community. Luke 8:19–21

Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 5:23 · Matt 10:2 · Matt 10:21 · Matt 12:50 · Matt 18:15 · Matt 18:21 · Matt 22:24 · Mark 3:35 · Mark 6:3 · Mark 12:19 · Mark 13:12 · Luke 15:27 · Luke 15:32 · Luke 17:3 · Luke 20:28 · John 1:40 43×

Nominative · Plural · Masculine Matt 12:46 · Matt 12:47 · Matt 12:48 · Matt 12:49 · Matt 13:55 · Matt 22:25 · Matt 23:8 · Mark 3:31 · Mark 3:32 · Mark 3:33 · Mark 3:34 · Mark 12:20 · Luke 8:19 · Luke 8:20 · Luke 8:21 · Luke 20:29 39×

Genitive · Plural · Masculine Matt 20:24 · Matt 25:40 · Luke 21:16 · Acts 1:15 · Acts 3:22 · Acts 7:37 · Acts 10:23 · Acts 14:2 · Acts 15:33 · Acts 15:40 · Acts 16:2 · Acts 28:21 · Rom 9:3 · 1 Cor 16:11 · 1 Cor 16:12 · Phil 1:14 21×

Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 7:3 · Matt 7:5 · Matt 14:3 · Mark 6:17 · Mark 6:18 · Luke 3:1 · Luke 3:19 · Luke 6:41 · Luke 6:42 · John 11:19 · 1 Cor 6:5 · 1 Cor 6:6 · 1 Cor 16:12 · 2 Thess 3:6 · Jas 4:11 · 1 Pet 5:12 17×

Dative · Plural · Masculine Matt 28:10 · Acts 1:14 · Acts 7:13 · Acts 11:29 · Acts 12:17 · Acts 15:3 · Acts 15:22 · Acts 15:23 · Acts 18:18 · Rom 8:29 · 1 Cor 15:6 · Eph 6:23 · Col 1:2 · 1 Thess 5:27 · 1 Tim 4:6 · Heb 2:12 17×

Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 5:22 · Matt 5:24 · Matt 7:4 · Matt 18:35 · Matt 22:24 · Matt 22:25 · Mark 12:19 · Luke 6:42 · Luke 12:13 · Luke 20:28 · Rom 14:13 · 1 Cor 7:14 · Col 4:9 14×

Accusative · Singular · Masculine Matt 4:18 · Matt 4:21 · Matt 10:21 · Matt 17:1 · Matt 18:15 · Mark 1:16 · Mark 1:19 · Mark 3:17 · Mark 5:37 · Mark 13:12 · Luke 6:14 · John 1:41 · Acts 12:2 · Rom 14:10 · 1 Cor 8:13 · 2 Cor 2:13 41×

Accusative · Plural · Masculine Matt 1:2 · Matt 1:11 · Matt 4:18 · Matt 4:21 · Matt 5:47 · Matt 19:29 · Mark 10:29 · Mark 10:30 · Luke 14:12 · Luke 14:26 · Luke 16:28 · Luke 18:29 · Luke 22:32 · John 20:17 · John 21:23 · Acts 7:23 39×

Vocative · Plural · Masculine Acts 1:16 · Acts 2:29 · Acts 2:37 · Acts 3:17 · Acts 6:3 · Acts 7:2 · Acts 13:15 · Acts 13:26 · Acts 13:38 · Acts 15:7 · Acts 15:13 · Acts 22:1 · Acts 23:1 · Acts 23:5 · Acts 23:6 · Acts 28:17 105×

Vocative · Singular · Masculine Luke 6:42 · Acts 9:17 · Acts 21:20 · Acts 22:13 · Phlm 1:7 · Phlm 1:20 6×

Canonical Themes

Kingdom

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 28:11-16 Brothers adelphós

Fellow believers.

Luke 8:19–21 ἀδελφοί adelphós Nominative · Plural · Masculine

brothers

Additional Occurrences

Mark 3:31–35 ἀδελφός adelphós

brothers

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.

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 28 — Paul in Rome: The Kingdom Proclaimed Without Hindrance John 20 — The Risen Lord: Empty Tomb, Eyewitness Faith, Peace, Mission, Spirit, Thomas, and the Purpose of the Gospel John 21 — The Risen Lord Restores, Commissions, Shepherds, and Testifies through His Witness Mark 3 — The Servant-King Confronted: Sabbath Mercy, Demonic Accusation, and the Family of God Matthew 10 — The Mission of the Twelve, Costly Witness, and Allegiance to Christ Matthew 12 — The Lord of the Sabbath, the Servant of the Lord, and the Crisis of Unbelief Matthew 18 — Kingdom Humility, Care for the Little Ones, Discipline, and Forgiveness in Christ’s Community Matthew 23 — Woes upon Hypocritical Leadership and the Lament over Jerusalem Matthew 25 — Readiness, Stewardship, and the Final Judgment of the Son of Man Matthew 28 — The Resurrection of Jesus and the Great Commission of the Risen King Philippians 2 — The Mind of Christ and the Humility of Gospel Witness

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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