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πατριά

patriá

G3965 noun

SILEX Entry

Root πατρι- ancestral line, clan, family by paternal descent

Definition

A kinship group descending from a common ancestor, generally denoting an extended family, clan, or lineage. In the context of Greek usage, specifically refers to a patrilineal subgroup within a tribe. May also denote a broader ancestral grouping, such as a clan or sub-tribe, especially within the context of Israelite tribal structure. In some contexts, can extend to heritage or descent defined by a shared ancestor.

Semantic Range

family; lineage; clan; subgroup within a tribe; patrilineal group; ancestral family; descent group

Root / Etymology

Feminine noun formed from the root πατρι- (from πατήρ, ‘father’), meaning 'line of descent from a paternal ancestor' or 'clan descended from a common father.' The suffix -ιά creates a collective noun indicating a group or collection.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, πατριά designates a paternal lineage or an extended family (clan) within the larger structure of a tribe or nation. In the Septuagint, used to translate Hebrew מִשְׁפָּחָה (mishpachah), signifying a clan or sub-tribe within Israelite society—more specific than tribe (φυλή) but broader than household (οἶκος). In the New Testament (e.g., Luke 2:4; Acts 3:25; Eph 3:15), employed to denote ancestral or familial groupings, with particular reference to Israelite or Judean kinship structures. English translations frequently render as 'family,' 'clan,' or occasionally 'kindred,' but may blur distinctions with other Greek familial terms. The sense of 'race' or 'nation' is secondary and more interpretive, rarely if ever primary. Not to be conflated with φυλή ('tribe') or γένος ('generation, people group'). The derivational comment in the Strong's gloss (“as if feminine of a derivative of πατήρ”) reflects the grammatical gender and the formation from the root for 'father.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

as if feminine of a derivative of πατήρ; paternal descent, i.e. (concretely) a group of families or a whole race (nation):--family, kindred, lineage.

Root Family

πατριά (patria) — ancestral line, clan, family by paternal descent

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G3965-02 πατριαὶ patriai N NOM F PL families ancestral clans 1
G3965-03 πατριᾶς patrias N GEN F SG family of a paternal clan 1
G3965-01 πατριὰ patria N NOM F SG family ancestral clan 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G3965-03 Luke 2:4 πατριᾶς patrias N GEN F SG family of a paternal clan
G3965-02 Acts 3:25 πατριαὶ patriai N NOM F PL families ancestral clans
G3965-01 Ephesians 3:15 πατριὰ patria N NOM F SG family ancestral clan
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