Bible Dictionaries
Prince

Holman Bible Dictionary

A ruler, one of noble birth and high position; not just the limited sense of a male heir of a sovereign. (Compare Zephaniah 1:8 which distinguishes princes and king's sons.) KJV used prince as a title for Israel's king ( 1 Samuel 13:14 ), a leading priest (1 Chronicles 12:27 ), a Midianite tribal chief (Numbers 25:18 ), the leading men of a city or province (Genesis 34:2; 1 Kings 20:15; Jeremiah 34:19 ), and for rulers in general (Matthew 20:25; 1Corinthians 2:6,1 Corinthians 2:8 ). By extension, prince applies to supernatural beings. “Prince of Peace” ( Isaiah 9:6 ), “Prince of life” (Acts 3:15 ), and “Prince and a Savior” (Acts 5:31 ) are messianic titles. Daniel 8:25 refers to God as “Prince of princes.” Daniel 12:1 gives Michael, the angelic advocate of Israel, the title prince . Satan is often described as “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; compare Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24; Ephesians 2:2 ).