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Ἡρώδης

Hērṓdēs

G2264 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ἡρώδ- personal name, Herodian dynasty, ruler

Definition

A proper name referring to several rulers of the Herodian dynasty in the late Second Temple period, each holding power over parts or all of Roman-controlled Judea and neighboring regions. In Hellenistic and Roman contexts, the name designates individuals associated with Herodian royal authority, and by metonymy, sometimes their descendants or house. The word itself is not used in a common lexical sense beyond being a personal name.

Semantic Range

a dynastic personal name, a royal title for Herodian rulers, members of the Herodian family/dynasty, by metonymy sometimes for royal household or regime

Root / Etymology

Usually analyzed as a compound of ἥρως ('hero') and the suffix -ἴδης (son of), or possibly εἶδος ('form, appearance'). The exact derivation is uncertain and may represent a hybrid or specifically dynastic coinage established by the Herodian family during or prior to their reign. Some scholars consider the original etymology uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ἡρώδης is not a common noun but a dynastic personal name used by members of the Herodian family who ruled regions of the Land of Israel and adjacent territories under Roman authority (from Herod the Great, r. 37–4 BCE, through later descendants such as Herod Antipas and Herod Agrippa). The use of Ἡρώδης in the New Testament and other first-century texts refers to specific historical figures: Herod the Great, Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Herod Philip, Herod Agrippa I, and Herod Agrippa II. The name itself became closely associated in the period with monarchy and client kingship, and in some Greco-Roman references, 'Herod' could serve as a synecdoche for the Herodian dynasty as a whole. Standard English translations simply transliterate the name as 'Herod,' but this loses the background of its Greco-Semitic origin and the dynastic implications it held for contemporary audiences.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

compound of (a "hero") and εἶδος; heroic; Herod, the name of four Jewish kings:--Herod.

Root Family

Ἡρῴδης (Hērōdēs) — personal name, Herodian dynasty, ruler

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G2264-03 Ἡρῴδης erodes N NOM M SG Herod Herod 25
G2264-04 Ἡρῴδου erodou N GEN M SG Herod's of Herod 13
G2264-01 Ἡρῴδῃ erode N DAT M SG Herod to Herod 3
G2264-02 Ἡρῴδην eroden N ACC M SG Herod Herod 2

Occurrences in Scripture

43 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G2264-04 Matthew 2:1 Ἡρῴδου erodou N GEN M SG of Herod of Herod
G2264-03 Matthew 2:3 Ἡρῴδης erodes N NOM M SG Herod Herod
G2264-03 Matthew 2:7 Ἡρῴδης erodes N NOM M SG Herod Herod
G2264-02 Matthew 2:12 Ἡρῴδην eroden N ACC M SG Herod Herod
G2264-03 Matthew 2:13 Ἡρῴδης erodes N NOM M SG Herod Herod
G2264-04 Matthew 2:15 Ἡρῴδου erodou N GEN M SG of Herod of Herod
G2264-03 Matthew 2:16 Ἡρῴδης erodes N NOM M SG Herod Herod
G2264-04 Matthew 2:19 Ἡρῴδου erodou N GEN M SG Herod's of Herod
G2264-04 Matthew 2:22 Ἡρῴδου erodou N GEN M SG Herod of Herod
G2264-03 Matthew 14:1 Ἡρῴδης erodes N NOM M SG Herod
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