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κριτήριον

kritḗrion

G2922 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A means or place of judging; a tribunal or court where judicial decisions are rendered. In broader contexts, it refers to any standard, norm, or criterion for making judgments. The term denotes both the abstract concept of that by which a matter is judged and the concrete assembly of judges or legal proceedings.

Semantic Range

tribunal, court, place of judgment, means of judging, standard or norm for judgment, judicial process

Root / Etymology

From κριτής (judge), itself from the root κρι- (to separate, to judge), plus the neuter suffix -ήριον, typically used to indicate a place or instrument associated with an action. Thus, κριτήριον literally refers to a 'place or means of judging.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, κριτήριον most often refers to a legal tribunal, judgment seat, or the bench where decisions are made, attaching both to the physical location and to the assembly of judges. By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, including the Septuagint and the New Testament, it retains this legal sense, sometimes extending more abstractly to the setting or process of judgment. In the New Testament (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:2,4), the word is used to denote tribunals or judicial proceedings among people, particularly in the context of disputes within assemblies. English translation as 'judgment seat' or 'court' is generally accurate for these settings, but the sense of a normative 'criterion' or means of determining remains present in some philosophical Greek literature, though less so in biblical contexts. The word emphasizes the formal setting for discerning and settling disputes, as distinct from the broader or personal sense of judgment. Its use differs from other judgment terms such as κρίσις (judgment as the act or process), focusing more on the venue or institution of judgment than the abstract decision or process itself.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

neuter of a presumed derivative of κριτής; a rule of judging ("criterion"), i.e. (by implication) a tribunal:--to judge, judgment (seat).

Root Family

κριτήριον (kritērion) — place of judging, tribunal, standard of judgment, means of judging

Root κρι- to distinguish, to judge, to separate

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2922-01 κριτήρια kriteria N ACC N PL courts tribunals tribunals 2
G2922-02 κριτηρίων kriterion N GEN N PL the smallest matters of tribunals of tribunals 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2922-02 1 Corinthians 6:2 κριτηρίων kriterion N GEN N PL the smallest matters of tribunals of tribunals
G2922-01 1 Corinthians 6:4 κριτήρια kriteria N ACC N PL judgments tribunals tribunals
G2922-01 James 2:6 κριτήρια kriteria N ACC N PL courts tribunals tribunals
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