ἀρχιερεῖς
archiereis
from ἀρχή and ἱερεύς; the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ); by extension a chief priest:--chief (high) priest, chief of the priests.
Matthew 21:23 · Word #11
Lexicon G749
| Lemma | ἀρχιερεύς |
| Transliteration | archiereús |
| Strong's | G749 |
Morphology N NOM M PL
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Case | NOM — Nominative — The subject of the sentence |
| Gender | M — Masculine — Grammatical masculine |
| Number | PL — Plural — More than one |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ἀρχιερεύς |
| Strong's | G749 |
SIBI-P1 G749-03
ruling-priests (masculine plural, nominative/accusative)
| Root | ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus) |
| Core Meanings | chief priest, ruling priest, leading sacred official |
| Semantic Range | the highest-ranking priest in Israel; members of the high-priestly families; leading temple authorities; chief religious officials |
| Conceptual Significance | Designates the highest priestly authorities in Second Temple Judaism, often associated with temple governance and participation in the Sanhedrin. In the Gospels and Acts, the ruling-priests play a central role in opposition to Jesus and the early assembly, representing established religious authority. |
| Morphological Notes | Noun; masculine plural; appears in nominative masculine plural (NMP) and accusative masculine plural (AMP) forms. No tense or voice (nominal form). |
| Rendering Rationale | The compound joins ἀρχή (rule, first, chief) with ἱερεύς (priest, sacred officiant), yielding the sense of priests who hold ruling or chief status. The rendering "ruling-priests" preserves this root connection. The morphology indicates masculine plural in either nominative or accusative case, reflected in the plural English form suitable for subject or object usage. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root ἀρχιερεύς (chief priest, ruling priest, leading sacred official)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
G749-01 |
archierea | the chief-priest |
G749-02 |
archierei | to the chief-priest |
G749-04 |
archiereon | of the ruling-priests |
Word Usage (122 occurrences of G749)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew 2:4 | ἀρχιερεῖς | archiereis | chief priests |
| Matthew 16:21 | ἀρχιερέων | archiereon | |
| Matthew 20:18 | ἀρχιερεῦσιν | archiereusin |