Keraia
Lexicon

ἀρχή

archēbeginningHow to read Greek
greekNew TestamentNoun · feminine56 occurrences18 books55 verses

Definition

ἀρχή, -ῆς, ἡ

[in LXX for קֶדֶם, רֹאשׁ, רֹאשׁ, etc. ;]

1. beginning, origin;

(a) absol., of the beginning of all things: of God as the Eternal, the First Cause, Revelation 21:6 (cf. 18); 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 1:1-2; ἀπ᾽ ἀ. (and ἀπ᾽ ἀ. κτισεως), Matthew 19:4, 8; 24:21, Mark 10:6; 13:19, John 8:44, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 3:4, 1 John 1:1, John 2:13-14, John 2:24; κατ ἀρχἀς, 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; 16:4; ἀπ᾽ ἀ., Luke 1:2, John 15:27, 1 John 2:7, John 2:24, John 3:11, 2 John 5-6; ἐν ἀ., Acts 11:15; 26:4, Philippians 4:15; τὴν ἀρχήν, adverbially, at all (Hdt., al.; v MM, see word): John 8:25.

2. an extremity, a corner: Acts 10:11; 11:5.

3. sovereignty, principality, rule (cf. DB, i, 616 f.): Luke 12:11; 20:20, Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 15:24, Ephesians 1:21; 3:10; 6:12, Colossians 1:16; 2:10, 15, Titus 3:1, Jude 6 (Cremer, 113).

Hebrew words it translates

The Hebrew words that the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament renders as ἀρχή:

Usage patterns

Old TestamentNew Testament

Occurrences

56 total
  1. 2 John 1:5ἀρχῆς · [the] beginning
    And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.
  2. 2 John 1:6ἀρχῆς · [the] beginning
    And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love.
  3. Jude 1:6ἀρχὴν · domain
    And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day.
  4. Revelation 3:14ἀρχὴ · Originator
    To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.
  5. Revelation 21:6ἀρχὴ · Beginning
    And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
  6. Revelation 22:13ἀρχὴ · Beginning
    I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”