ἀρχήarchḗ
(properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank)
Greek (New Testament) · G746
Meanings
1. beginning, origin
(a) absolutely, of the beginning of all things: of God as the Eternal, the First Cause, Revelation 21:6 (cf. Revelation 1:8); similarly, of Christ, Revelation 22:13; of Christ as the uncreated principle, the active cause of creation, Revelation 3:14; in his relation to the Church, Colossians 1:18; ἐν ἀ., John 1:1, John 1:2; ἀπ᾽ ἀ. (and ἀπ᾽ ἀ. κτισεως), Matthew 19:4, Matthew 19:8, Matthew 24:21, Mark 10:6, Mark 13:19, John 8:44, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 3:4, 1 John 1:1, 1 John 2:13, 1 John 2:14, 1 John 3:8; κατ’ ἀρχάς, Hebrews 1:10
(b) relatively: Hebrews 7:3; ἀ. ὠδίνων, Matthew 24:8, Mark 13:9; τ. σημείων, John 2:11; τ. ὑποστάσεως, Hebrews 3:14; τ. λογίων, Hebrews 5:12; ὁ τ. ἀρχῆς τ. Χριστοῦ λόγος, the account of the beginning, the elementary view of Christ, Hebrews 6:1; ἀρχὴν λαμβάνειν, to begin, Hebrews 2:3; ἐξ ἀ., John 6:64, John 16:4; ἀπ’ ἀ., Luke 1:2, John 15:27, 1 John 2:7, 1 John 2:24, 1 John 3:11, 2 John 1:5, 2 John 1:6; ἐν ἀ., Acts 11:15, Acts 26:4, Philippians 4:15; τὴν ἀρχήν, adverbially, at all: John 8:25.
2. an extremity, a corner: Acts 10:11, Acts 11:5.
3. sovereignty, principality, rule: Luke 12:11, Luke 20:20, Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 15:24, Ephesians 1:21, Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 6:12, Colossians 1:16, Colossians 2:10, Colossians 2:15, Titus 3:1, Jude 1:6.
Same root
- ἄρχομαιárchomai · G756to commence (in order of time)
- ἐθνάρχηςethnárchēs · G1481the governor (not king) of a district
- ἀρχιερεύςarchiereús · G749the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ); by extension a chief priest
- ἀρχιτρίκλινοςarchitríklinos · G755director of the entertainment
- ἀρχηγόςarchēgós · G747a chief leader
- ἀρχιτέκτωνarchitéktōn · G753a chief constructor, i.e. "architect"
- ἌρχιπποςÁrchippos · G751horse-ruler; Archippus, a Christian
- ἀρχιτελώνηςarchitelṓnēs · G754a principle tax-gatherer
Where it appears
Appears 55 times in the Bible.
- Matthew 19:4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’”
- Matthew 19:8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.
- Matthew 24:8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
- Matthew 24:21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.
- Mark 1:1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began
- Mark 10:6 But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation.
See every passage
- Matthew 19:4, 19:8, 24:8, 24:21
- Mark 1:1, 10:6, 13:8, 13:19
- Luke 1:2, 12:11, 20:20
- John 1:1, 1:2, 2:11, 6:64, 8:25, 8:44, 15:27, 16:4
- Acts 10:11, 11:5, 11:15, 26:4
- Romans 8:38
- 1 Corinthians 15:24
- Ephesians 1:21, 3:10, 6:12
- Philippians 4:15
- Colossians 1:16, 1:18, 2:10, 2:15
- Titus 3:1
- Hebrews 1:10, 2:3, 3:14, 5:12, 6:1, 7:3
- 2 Peter 3:4
- 1 John 1:1, 2:7, 2:13, 2:14, 2:24, 3:8, 3:11
- 2 John 1:5, 1:6
- Jude 1:6
- Revelation 3:14, 21:6, 22:13
Source: G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), public domain.