δημιουργός
dēmiourgós
G1217 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Primary meaning: one who works for the people, craftsman or artisan. Also refers to a creator or maker, especially in philosophical contexts as a divine craftsman or formative principle. In classical and Koine usage, denotes a skilled worker whose labor benefits the public; in some Hellenistic philosophical contexts, specifically the world-forming deity (e.g., in Plato's Timaeus) who orders the cosmos.
Semantic Range
craftsman, artisan, skilled worker, builder, maker, creator (especially in a philosophical or cosmological sense as a 'divine craftsman' or 'cosmic maker')
Root / Etymology
Compound of δῆμος (dēmos, 'people') and ἔργον (ergon, 'work, deed') – literally 'public worker.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, δημιουργός designated various artisans or craftsmen – such as carpenters, physicians, oracles, and poets – whose services benefited the wider community rather than a single household or individual. The term carried no direct religious connotation originally. From the 4th century BCE (notably in Plato and later Middle Platonism), δημιουργός developed the extended philosophical meaning of 'divine craftsman' or 'cosmic maker', especially as the world-forming deity in Platonic cosmology (Timaeus). In the Koine period, its non-philosophical usage persisted, although references to the Platonic demiurge had become significant within philosophical and sometimes syncretistic or Jewish-Hellenistic writings. In the New Testament and LXX, the term can refer to God as maker or creator, yet this meaning was filtered through philosophical usage and is not the standard biblical term for 'creator.' English Bible translations as 'maker' or 'creator' sometimes obscure the technical and historical meanings tied to public craft and philosophical concepts of creation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from δῆμος and ἔργον; a worker for the people, i.e. mechanic (spoken of the Creator):--maker.
Root Family
δημιουργός (dēmiourgos) — craftsman, artisan, maker, creator, public worker
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1217-01 |
δημιουργὸς | demiourgos | N NOM M SG |
maker | craftsman | craftsman | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1217-01 |
Hebrews 11:10 | δημιουργὸς | demiourgos | N NOM M SG |
maker | craftsman | craftsman |