ἀδελφός,
-οῦ,
ὁ (from
α copulative and
δελφύς,
from the same womb; cf.
ἀγάστωρ) [from Homer down];
1. a brother (whether born of the same two parents, or only of the same father or the same mother):
Matthew 1:2;
Matthew 4:18, and often. That '
the brethren of Jesus,'
Matthew 12:46,
47 [but WH only in marginal reading];
Matthew 13:55f;
Mark 6:3 (in the last two passages also
sisters);
Luke 8:19;
John 2:12;
John 7:3;
Acts 1:14;
Galatians 1:19;
1 Corinthians 9:5, are neither sons of Joseph by a wife married before Mary (which is the account in the Apocryphal Gospels [cf.
Thilo, Cod. Apocr.
N. T. i. 362f]), nor cousins, the children of Alphæus or Cleophas [i. e. Clopas] and Mary a sister of the mother of Jesus (the current opinion among the doctors of the church since Jerome and Augustine [cf. Bp. Lightfoot's Commentary on Galatians, diss. ii.]), according to that use of language by which
ἀδελφός like the Hebrew
אָח denotes any blood-relation or kinsman (
Genesis 14:16;
1 Samuel 20:29;
2 Kings 10:13;
1 Chronicles 23:22, etc.), but own brothers, born after Jesus, is clear principally from
Matthew 1:25 [only in R G];
Luke 2:7 — where, had Mary borne no other children after Jesus, instead of
υἱὸν πρωτότοκον, the expression
υἱὸν μονογενῆ would have been used, as well as from
Acts 1:14, cf.
John 7:5, where the Lord's brethren are distinguished from the apostles.
See further on this point under
Ἰάκωβος, 3. [Cf.
B. D. under the word Brother;
Andrews, Life of our Lord, pp. 104-116; Bib. Sacr. for 1864, pp. 855-869; for 1869, pp. 745-758;
Laurent,
N. T. Studien, pp. 153-193;
McClellan, note on
Matthew 13:55.]
2. according to a Hebrew use of
אָח (
Exodus 2:11;
Exodus 4:18, etc.), hardly to be met with in secular authors,
having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same people, countryman; so the Jews (as the
σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ,
υἱοἰ Ἰσραήλ, cf.
Acts 13:26; [in
Deuteronomy 15:3 opposed to
ὁ ἀλλότριος, cf.
Acts 17:15;
Acts 15:12; Philo de septen. § 9 at the beginning]) are called
ἀδελφοί:
Matthew 5:47;
Acts 3:22 (
Deuteronomy 18:15);
Acts 7:23;
22:5;
28:15,
21;
Romans 9:3; in address,
Acts 2:29;
Acts 3:17;
Acts 23:1;
Hebrews 7:5.
3. just as in
Leviticus 19:17 the word
אָח is used interchangeably with
רֵַעַ (but, as
Leviticus 19:16,
18 show, in speaking of
Israelites), so in the sayings of Christ,
Matthew 5:22,
24;
Matthew 7:3ff,
ἀδελφός is used for
ὁ πλησίον to denote (as appears from
Luke 10:29ff)
any fellow-man — as having one and the same father with others, viz. God (
Hebrews 2:11), and as descended from the same first ancestor (
Acts 17:26); cf. Epictetus diss. 1, 13, 3.
4. a fellow-believer, united to another by the bond of affection; so most frequently of Christians, constituting as it were but a single family:
Matthew 23:8;
John 21:23;
Acts 6:3 [Lachmann omits];
Acts 9:30;
11:1;
Galatians 1:2;
1 Corinthians 5:11;
Philippians 1:14, etc.; in courteous address,
Romans 1:13;
Romans 7:1;
1 Corinthians 1:10;
1 John 2:7 Rec., and often elsewhere; yet in the phraseology of John it has reference to the new life unto which men are begotten again by the efficiency of a common father, even God:
1 John 2:9ff;
1 John 3:10,
14; etc., cf.
1 John 5:1.
5. an associate in employment or
office: 1 Corinthians 1:1;
2 Corinthians 1:1;
2 Corinthians 2:13 (12);
Ephesians 6:21;
Colossians 1:1.
6. brethren of Christ is used of,
a. his brothers by blood; see 1 above.
b. all men:
Matthew 25:40 [Lachmann brackets];
Hebrews 2:11f [others refer these examples to d.]
c. apostles:
Matthew 28:10;
John 20:17.
d. Christians, as those who are destined to be exalted to the same heavenly
δόξα (which see, III. 4 b.) which he enjoys:
Romans 8:29.
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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