πρεσβύτερος
elder
‘elder’ is one of 4 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Thayer's Greek Lexicon
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Where this word appears
See every Accusative-case word in the Greek New Testament →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Adjective
- A word that describes or qualifies a noun.
Case
- Genitive
- The case of source, possession, or “of” — answers “whose / from what.”
- Nominative
- The case of the subject (and the predicate nominative).
- Accusative
- The case of the direct object and of extent.
- Dative
- The case of the indirect object, means, or location — “to / for / with / in.”
- Vocative
- The case of direct address (“O Lord”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one.
- Singular
- One.
Degree
- Comparative
- Expresses a greater degree (“greater,” “more”).
1 verse where G4245 appears in the Dative case in the Book of 1 Timothy. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Greek form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Greek New Testament; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences of this word are not indexed here.
1 Timothy
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
πρεσβυτερος (presbýteros) is a Greek adjective most often rendered “elder.” Its lexical range runs to 4 senses. With 66 verses in 13 books, it is a moderately common word in the Greek New Testament. It concentrates in Acts, which alone accounts for 27% of its uses. Debuting at Matthew 15:2, it then recurs through the corpus. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G4245 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 66
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 66 distinct verses.
- 13 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 13 of 27 New Testament books.
- #251
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Greek words (rank 251 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 66 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Acts 18 verses 27%
- Matthew 12 verses 18%
- Revelation 12 verses 18%
By section of the New Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 66 distinct verses.
- Gospels 25 verses · 38%
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 23 verses · 35%
- Johannine 15 verses · 23%
- Revelation 12 verses · 18%
- Pauline corpus 5 verses · 8%
- General (Catholic) Epistles 5 verses · 8%
- Hebrews 1 verse · 2%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Elders 57×, Elder 6×
- American Standard Version: Elders 54×, Elder 6×
- Berean Standard Bible: Elders 57×, Elder 3×, Older 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Elders 57×, Elder 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G4245 across 67 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G4245 across 65 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders G4245 across 66 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G4245 across 67 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in Thayer's
The 4 senses Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- elder, of age,
- among the Jews
- among the Christians…
- the twenty four members of the heavenly Sanhedrin or court seated on thrones around the throne of God
Word origin
Origin: comparative of presbus (elderly)
Comparative of πρέσβυς presbus ( elderly ); older ; as noun a senior ; specifically an Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively member of the celestial council) or Christian presbyter : - elder (-est) old.
— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.
Forms in the corpus
The 9 distinct written forms G4245 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that case’s occurrences in the concordance.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| πρεσβυτέρων presbytérōn | Adjective, Genitive, Plural, Masculine, Comparative | Matthew 15:2 | 22 |
| πρεσβύτεροι presbýteroi | Adjective, Nominative, Plural, Masculine, Comparative | Matthew 21:23 | 21 |
| πρεσβυτέρους presbytérous | Adjective, Accusative, Plural, Masculine, Comparative | Luke 7:3 | 11 |
| πρεσβυτέροις presbytérois | Adjective, Dative, Plural, Masculine, Comparative | Matthew 27:3 | 5 |
| πρεσβύτερος presbýteros | Adjective, Nominative, Singular, Masculine, Comparative | Luke 15:25 | 3 |
| Πρεσβυτέρους Presbytérous | Adjective, Accusative, Plural, Masculine, Comparative | 1 Peter 5:1 | 1 |
| Πρεσβυτέρῳ Presbytérō | Adjective, Dative, Singular, Masculine, Comparative | 1 Timothy 5:1 | 1 |
| πρεσβυτέρας presbytéras | Adjective, Accusative, Plural, Feminine, Comparative | 1 Timothy 5:2 | 1 |
| πρεσβυτέρου presbytérou | Adjective, Genitive, Singular, Masculine, Comparative | 1 Timothy 5:19 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G4245, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- πρεσβευω presbeúō G4243 to be elder
- πρεσβυτεριον presbytérion G4244 presbytery
- πρεσβυτης presbýtēs G4246 old man
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word πρεσβυτερος appears 155 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 145 verses in 25 books.
- 155
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 145
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 25 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 25 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Genesis 18:11 πρεσβύτερος
- Exodus 10:9 πρεσβύτερος
- Leviticus 4:15 πρεσβύτερος
- Numbers 11:16 πρεσβύτερος
- Deuteronomy 31:9 πρεσβύτερος
- Joshua 7:6 πρεσβύτερος
- Judges 2:7 πρεσβύτερος
- Ruth 4:2 πρεσβύτερος
- 1 Samuel 4:3 πρεσβύτερος
- 2 Samuel 3:17 πρεσβύτερος
- 1 Kings 1:1 πρεσβύτερος
- 2 Kings 6:32 πρεσβύτερος
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G4245) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 145. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Genesis 18:11 πρεσβύτερος Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. It had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
- Genesis 18:12 πρεσβύτερος Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
- Genesis 19:4 πρεσβύτερος But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.
- Genesis 19:31 πρεσβύτερος The firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth.
- Genesis 19:33 πρεσβύτερος They made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father. He didn't know when she lay down, nor when she arose.
- Genesis 19:34 πρεσβύτερος It came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said to the younger, "Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine again, tonight. You go in, and lie with him, that we may preserve our father's seed."
- Genesis 19:37 πρεσβύτερος The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab. The same is the father of the Moabites to this day.
- Genesis 24:1 πρεσβύτερος Abraham was old, and well stricken in age. Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things.
- Genesis 24:2 πρεσβύτερος Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please put your hand under my thigh.
- Genesis 27:1 πρεσβύτερος It happened, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, "My son?" He said to him, "Here I am."
- Genesis 27:15 πρεσβύτερος Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son.
- Genesis 27:42 πρεσβύτερος The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.
- Genesis 29:26 πρεσβύτερος Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first born.
- Genesis 35:29 πρεσβύτερος Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.
- Genesis 43:27 πρεσβύτερος He asked them of their welfare, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?"
- Genesis 44:12 πρεσβύτερος He searched, beginning with the eldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
- Genesis 44:20 πρεσβύτερος We said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.'
- Genesis 50:7 πρεσβύτερος Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, all the elders of the land of Egypt,
- Exodus 10:9 πρεσβύτερος Moses said, "We will go with our young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast to Yahweh."
- Exodus 17:5 πρεσβύτερος Yahweh said to Moses, "Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go.
- Exodus 18:12 πρεσβύτερος Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
- Exodus 19:7 πρεσβύτερος Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him.
- Exodus 24:1 πρεσβύτερος He said to Moses, "Come up to Yahweh, you, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship from a distance.
- Exodus 24:14 πρεσβύτερος He said to the elders, "Wait here for us, until we come again to you. Behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever is involved in a dispute can go to them."
- Exodus 34:30 πρεσβύτερος When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him.
- Leviticus 4:15 πρεσβύτερος The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh; and the bull shall be killed before Yahweh.
- Leviticus 19:32 πρεσβύτερος You shall rise up before the gray head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.
- Numbers 11:16 πρεσβύτερος Yahweh said to Moses, Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you.
- Numbers 11:24 πρεσβύτερος Moses went out, and told the people the words of Yahweh: and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent.
- Numbers 11:25 πρεσβύτερος Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders: and it happened that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.
- Numbers 11:30 πρεσβύτερος Moses got him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
- Numbers 16:25 πρεσβύτερος Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
- Deuteronomy 31:9 πρεσβύτερος Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel.
- Deuteronomy 31:28 πρεσβύτερος Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
- Deuteronomy 32:7 πρεσβύτερος Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations: Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you.
- Joshua 7:6 πρεσβύτερος Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of Yahweh until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.
- Joshua 7:23 πρεσβύτερος They took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel; and they laid them down before Yahweh.
- Joshua 8:10 πρεσβύτερος Joshua arose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
- Joshua 9:2 πρεσβύτερος that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
- Joshua 9:11 πρεσβύτερος Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and tell them, We are your servants: and now make you a covenant with us.
- Joshua 13:1 πρεσβύτερος Now Joshua was old and well stricken in years; and Yahweh said to him, You are old and well stricken in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed.
- Joshua 23:1 πρεσβύτερος It happened after many days, when Yahweh had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old and well stricken in years;
- Joshua 24:1 πρεσβύτερος Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
- Joshua 24:29 πρεσβύτερος It happened after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died, being one hundred ten years old.
- Judges 2:7 πρεσβύτερος The people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Yahweh that he had worked for Israel.
- Judges 8:14 πρεσβύτερος He caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders of it, seventy-seven men.
- Judges 8:16 πρεσβύτερος He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
- Judges 11:5 πρεσβύτερος It was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah out of the land of Tob;
- Judges 11:7 πρεσβύτερος Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Didn't you hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? and why are you come to me now when you are in distress?
- Judges 11:8 πρεσβύτερος The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, Therefore are we turned again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and you shall be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G4245) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.
