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Bible Dictionaries
Prince (2)
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or PRINCE.—There are four Gr. words occurring in the Gospels or applied to Christ in the NT which either in Authorized Version or Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 are rendered ‘prince.’
1. ἡγεμών, Matthew 2:6. Both Authorized Version and Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 here give ‘princes’—the only occasion of ἡγεμών being so rendered in NT. Otherwise it is almost invariably translated ‘governor,’ and, in particular, is used to denote the Roman governor or procurator. So of Pilate (Matthew 27 passim, Luke 20:20), as of Felix and Festus (Acts 23:24; Acts 23:26; Acts 23:33-34; Acts 26:30). The description of Bethlehem as ‘in no wise least among the princes of Judah’ is perplexing in view of Micah 5:2 [1]) from which the quotation is taken. The Heb. expression is בְּאַלִפֵי ‘among the thousands of’ (LXX Septuagint ἐν χιλιάσιν). Differently pointed, however, the word becomes בְּאַלֻּפֵי ‘among the heads of thousands of,’ i.e. the chieftains; and this apparently is the sense assigned to it in the quotation. It is worth noting that in the Gr. there is a close correspondence between the ‘princes’ (ἡγεμόνες) of Micah 5:6 a and the ‘governor’ (ἡγούμενος) of Micah 5:6 b. The whole verse, however, is a very free rendering of the Heb. (see the Comm.; and cf. Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible iv. 185a).
2. δυνάστης, Luke 1:52. Here Authorized Version has ‘the mighty,’ but Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 ‘princes.’ Elsewhere in NT the word is used only in Acts 8:27 of the Ethiopian eunuch (Authorized and Revised Versions ‘of great authority’) and in 1 Timothy 6:15 of God (Authorized and Revised Versions ‘Potentate’).
3. ἂρχων. In Matthew 20:25 Authorized Version gives ‘the princes of the Gentiles,’ where Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 has ‘rulers.’ Similarly in Revelation 1:5, as applied to Jesus, we have ‘prince [Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 ‘ruler’] of the kings of the earth’—an expression that was probably suggested by the LXX Septuagint rendering of Psalms 89:27 [88:28]. More important is the use of ἄρχων in two of the Gospels as applied to Satan in the phrases ἄρχων τῶν δαιμονίων (Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24, Authorized and Revised Versions ‘prince of the devils’), and ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11, Authorized and Revised Versions ‘prince of this world’). The Matthaean phrase calls for no remark, especially as in John 12:24 ‘the prince of the devils’ is said to be Beelzebub (wh. see). ‘The prince of this world,’ on the other hand, is a title that belongs to the special Johannine conception of the world as an order of things that is alienated from God and hostile to Him, and of Satan as a power dominating this sinful world and operating in it and through it (cf. Ephesians 2:2 ‘the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience’). But, according to the Johannine view (1 John 4:4), ‘Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ).’ The secret of the Saviour’s superiority lay ultimately in His absolute sinlessness. The prince of this world came and had nothing in Him (John 14:30; cf. the Temptation narratives (Matthew 4:1 ff., Luke 4:1 ff.), and especially the offer of ‘all the kingdoms of the world’). The world was Satan’s, but Christ over-came the world (John 16:33). So far from finding in Jesus anything that he could claim as his own, the prince of this world was himself judged by Jesus (John 16:11), and by Him cast out (John 12:31; cf. Luke 10:18).
4. ἀρχηγός is twice applied to Christ in Acts in the expressions ‘Prince [EVm ‘Author’] of life’ (acts Acts 3:15) and ‘a Prince and a Saviour’ (Acts 5:31). Elsewhere the Gr. word is used in NT only in Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 12:2, both times of Christ. In Hebrews 2:10 Authorized Version renders ‘captain,’ Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 ‘author,’ (Revised Version margin) ‘captain’; in Hebrews 12:2 Authorized Version and Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 have ‘author,’ AVm [Note: Vm Authorized Version margin.] ‘beginner,’ (Revised Version margin) ‘captain.’ For the precise force of the word in the two passages in Heb. reference may be made to art. Captain. The ‘Prince’ (Vulgate princeps) of Acts 5:31 is thoroughly justified in this connexion by both classical and LXX Septuagint usage, and is particularly appropriate if, as Chase suggests (Credibility of Acts, p. 130), we may see in the expression ‘a Prince and a Saviour’ an echo of ‘the current phraseology—liturgical and literary—of the Messianic hope.’ In Acts 3:15, on the other hand, ‘Author of life’ (Vulgate auctor vitœ) is more suitable than ‘Prince of life.’ The use of ἀρχηγός with a causative force (often making it practically synonymous with αἴτιος, with which it is sometimes joined) is common in Gr. writers from Plato downwards, more especially when it is followed by the genitive of the thing. Moreover, there is no suggestion here of that idea of ‘leadership’ which is in keeping with both of the passages in Hebrews, and seems best to bring out their full meaning.
Literature.—The Lexx. s.vv.; Alford’s Gr. Test.; Westcott’s St. John; Bruce and Dods in EGT [Note: GT Expositor’s Greek Testanent.] ; Holtzmann in Hand-Com.; Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible , art. ‘Prince’; Chase, Credibility of the Acts, p. 129 ff.; Spurgeon, The Messiah, 163, 175.
J. C. Lambert.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Prince (2)'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/p/prince-2.html. 1906-1918.
