Καῖσαρ
Kaîsar
G2541 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The title 'Caesar,' originally a personal name, which became the standard designation for the Roman emperor; by extension, refers to the ruler or office of Roman imperial authority. In biblical and Hellenistic contexts, functions as a formal title for the reigning emperor, regardless of the individual’s personal name.
Semantic Range
imperial title, Roman emperor, person holding highest political office in the Roman state, figuratively the office of Roman imperial power
Root / Etymology
Borrowed directly from Latin 'Caesar,' the cognomen of Gaius Julius Caesar, which became an honorific and dynastic title for successive rulers of the Roman Empire. It is not Greek in origin but is transliterated into Greek script as Καῖσαρ. The precise etymology of the Latin is debated but may derive from a Sabine or Etruscan root, or from the Latin word for 'cut' (caedere), possibly alluding to the fabled caesarean birth of Julius Caesar.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Καῖσαρ appears in Greek literature only after the rise of Roman hegemony. In the New Testament and related literature, Καῖσαρ designates the emperor of Rome—Tiberius in the time of Jesus; Nero in later apostolic contexts. It does not denote a proper name, but rather the official imperial office, similar to how 'Pharaoh' or 'Tsar' function as dynastic titles. In the Septuagint, the term does not occur, appearing principally in New Testament and Jewish-Hellenistic texts. The Greek does not convey any intrinsic judgment about the office or its holder, but denotes the supreme political authority in the Roman world. English 'Caesar' is a traditional rendering, but can obscure the fact that the term uniformly refers to whatever individual occupied the imperial position at a given time.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Latin origin; Cæsar, a title of the Roman emperor:--Cæsar.
Root Family
Καῖσαρ (Kaisar) — imperial ruler, emperor, holder of supreme Roman authority
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2541-03 |
Καίσαρος | kaisaros | N GEN M SG |
Caesar's | of the emperor | Kaisar | 12 |
G2541-02 |
Καίσαρι | kaisari | N DAT M SG |
to Caesar | to the emperor | Kaisar | 9 |
G2541-01 |
Καίσαρα | kaisara | N ACC M SG |
Caesar | the emperor | Kaisar | 8 |
Occurrences in Scripture
29 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2541-02 |
Matthew 22:17 | Καίσαρι | kaisari | N DAT M SG |
to Caesar | to the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-03 |
Matthew 22:21 | Καίσαρος | kaisaros | N GEN M SG |
Caesar's | of the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-03 |
Matthew 22:21 | Καίσαρος | kaisaros-2 | N GEN M SG |
Caesar's | of the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-02 |
Matthew 22:21 | Καίσαρι | kaisari | N DAT M SG |
to Caesar | to the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-02 |
Mark 12:14 | Καίσαρι | kaisari | N DAT M SG |
to Caesar | to the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-03 |
Mark 12:16 | Καίσαρος | kaisaros | N GEN M SG |
Caesar's | of the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-03 |
Mark 12:17 | Καίσαρος | kaisaros | N GEN M SG |
of Caesar | of the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-02 |
Mark 12:17 | Καίσαρι | kaisari | N DAT M SG |
to Caesar | to the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-03 |
Luke 2:1 | Καίσαρος | kaisaros | N GEN M SG |
Caesar | of the emperor | Kaisar |
G2541-03 |
Luke 3:1 | Καίσαρος | kaisaros | N GEN M SG |
Caesar | of the emperor | Kaisar |