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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #2776 - κεφαλή
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- the head, both of men and often of animals. Since the loss of the head destroys life, this word is used in the phrases relating to capital and extreme punishment.
- metaph. anything supreme, chief, prominent
- of persons, master lord: of a husband in relation to his wife
- of Christ: the Lord of the husband and of the Church
- of things: the corner stone
- Book
- Word
- Parsing
did not use
this Strong's Number
κεφᾰλή, ἡ,
I
1. head of man or beast, Hom. (v.infr.), Alc. 15, etc.; once in A., Th. 525 (lyr.), once in S., Aj. 238 (anap.), also in E., Fr. 308 (anap.), Rh. 226 (lyr.), al.; ἄλλου οὐδενὸς ἐμψύχου κ. γεύσεται Αἰγυπτίων οὐδείς Hdt. 2.39; κεφαλῇ.. μείζονες taller in stature, Il. 3.168; so μείων.. κεφαλήν ib. 193 Aristarch.: freq. with Preps., κατὰ κεφαλῆς, κὰκ κεφαλῆς, down over the head, κόνιν.. χεύατο κὰκ κεφαλῆς Il. 18.24, cf. Od. 8.85, etc. κατὰ κεφαλήν, κὰκ κεφαλήν on the head, Ἐρύλαον.. βάλε πέτρῳ μέσσην κὰκ κεφαλήν Il. 16.412, cf. 20.387, 475: in Prose, from above, X. HG 7.2.8: c.gen., above, κ. κ. τινῶν γενέσθαι ib. 7.2.11; τὸ κ. κ. ὕδωρ, of rain water, Thphr. HP 4.10.7 (- ὴν codd.), CP 6.18.10 (- ῆς): in Archit., upright, IG 22.463.42; also, per head, each person (cf. infr. 1.2), Arist. Pol. 1272a14, LXX Exodus 16:16; κατὰ κεφαλὴν τῶν κωμητῶν PPetr. 2p.17 (iii B. C.). ἐς πόδας ἐκ κεφαλῆς from head to foot, Il. 23.169; τὰ πράγματα ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν ἐς τὴν κ. σοι πάντ' ἐρῶ Ar. Pl. 650. ἐπὶ κεφαλήν head foremost, ἐπὶ κ. κατορύξαι to bury head downwards, Hdt. 3.35; ἐπὶ κ. ὠθέεσθαι to be thrust headlong, Id. 7.136, cf. Hyp. Fr. 251; ἐπὶ κ. ὠθεῖν τινα ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου Pl. R. 553b; ἐπὶ τὴν κ. εἰς κόρακας ὦσον Men. Sam. 138; εὐθὺς ἐπὶ κ. εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον βαδίζειν D. 42.12; οὐ βουλόμενος πολίτας ἄνδρας ἐπὶ κ. εἰσπράττειν τὸν μισθόν recklessly, Hyp. Lyc. 17; ἐπὶ ταῖς κεφαλαῖς περιφέρειν carry on high, in token of admiration, Pl. R. 600d.
2. as the noblest part, periphr. for the whole person, πολλὰς ἰφθίμους κ. Il. 11.55, cf. Od. 1.343, etc.; ἶσον ἐμῇ κ. no less than my self, Il. 18.82; ἑᾷ κ. Pi. O. 7.67; esp. in salutation, φίλη κ. Il. 8.281, cf. 18.114; ἠθείη κ. 23.94; Ἄπολλον, ὦ δία κ. E. Rh. 226 (lyr.): in Prose, Φαῖδρε, φίλη κ. Pl. Phdr. 264a; τῆς θείας κ. Jul. Or. 7.212a: in bad sense, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί Hdt. 3.29; ὦ μιαρὰ κ. Ar. Ach. 285: periphr. in Prose, πεντακοσίας κεφαλὰς τῶν Ξέρξεω πολεμίων Hdt. 9.99: in bad sense, ἡ μιαρὰ καὶ ἀναιδὴς αὕτη κ. D. 21.117, cf. 18.153; ἡ κ. τῶν αὐτοῦ PRein. 57.8 (iv A.D.); μεγάλη κ. a great personage, Vett. Val. 74.7; cf. supr. 1 b fin.
3. life, ἐμῇ κ. περιδείδια Il. 17.242; σύν τε μεγάλῳ ἀπέτεισαν, σὺν σφῇσιν κεφαλῇσι 4.162; παρθέμενοι κεφαλάς staking their heads on the cast, Od. 2.237; τὴν κ. ἀποβαλέεις Hdt. 8.65.
4. in imprecations, ἐς κεφαλὴν τράποιτ' ἐμοί on my head be it! Ar. Ach. 833; ἐς τὴν κ. ἅπαντα τὴν σὴν τρέψεται Id. Nu. 40; ἃ σοὶ καὶ τοῖς σοῖς οἱ θεοὶ τρέψειαν εἰς κ. D. 18.290; ἐς κ. σοί (sc. τράποιτο) Ar. Pax 1063, Pl. 526; σοὶ εἰς κ. Pl. Euthd. 283e; τὰ μὲν πρότερον.. ἐγὼ κεφαλῇ ἀναμάξας φέρω Hdt. 1.155; οἷς ἂν.. τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπὶ τὴν κ. ἀναθεῖεν D. 18.294; τὸ αἷμα ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κ. ὑμῶν Acts 18:6.
II
1.of things, extremity, in Botany, κ. σκορόδου head (= inflorescence) of garlic, Ar. Pl. 718, cf. Plb. 12.6.4; κ. μήκωνος Thphr. HP 9.8.2; ῥίζα κ. ἔχουσα πλείονας tubers, Dsc. 3.120. in Anatomy, κεφαλαὶ τῆς κάτω γνάθου, prob. the condyloid and coronoid processes, Hp. Art. 30; ἡ κ. τοῦ ὄρχεως, = ἐπιδιδυμίς, Arist. HA 510a14, cf. Gal. 4.565; μηροῦ, κνήμης κ., Poll. 2.186, 188; of the base of the heart, Gal. UP 6.16; but, apex, Hp. Cord. 7; of the sac in poulps, Arist. PA 654a23, 685a5; of muscles, origin, Gal. UP 7.14. generally, top, brim of a vessel, Theoc. 8.87; coping of a wall, X. Cyr. 3.3.68; capital of a column, CIG 2782.31 (Aphrodisias), LXX 3 Ki. 7.16, Poll. 7.121. in pl., source of a river, Hdt. 4.91 (butsg., mouth, οἶδα Γέλα ποταμοῦ κεφαλῇ ἐπικείμενον ἄστυ Call. Aet.Oxy. 2080.48): generally, source, origin, Ζεὺς κ. (v.l. ἀρχή), Ζεὺς μέσσα, Διὸς δ' ἒκ πάντα τελεῖται τέτυκται codd.) Orph. Fr. 21a; starting-point, κ. χρόνου Placit. 2.32.2 (κρόνου codd.), Lyd. Mens. 3.4; κ. μηνός ib. 12. extremity of a plot of land, PPetr. 3p.72 (iii B.C.), PFlor. 50.83 (iii A.D.).
III
1. Ὁμηρείη κ. bust of Homer, IG 14.1183.10. κ. περίθετος wig, head-dress, Ar. Th. 258. metaph., κ. δείπνου pièce de résistance, Alex. 172.15.
2. crown, completion, κεφαλὴν ἐπιθεῖναι Pl. Ti. 69b; ὥσπερ κ. ἀποδοῦναι τοῖς εἰρημένοις Id. Phlb. 66d, cf. Grg. 505d; ὥσπερ κεφαλὴν ἔχουσα ἐπιστήμη Arist. EN 1141a19; consummation, σχεῖν κ. Pl. Ti. 39d.
3. sum, total, πάσας ἐρρηγείας Tab.Heracl. 1.36; of money, IG 12(9).7 (Carystus, iv B. C.), SIG 245ii 36 (Delph., iv B. C.).
4. band of men, LXX Job 1:17; right-hand half of a phalanx (opp. οὐρά), Arr. Tact. 8.3, Ael. Tact. 7.3.
5. Astron., κ. τοῦ κόσμου, of Aries, Heph.Astr. 1.1. (ghebh -, cf. κεβλή and Engl. gable.)
κεφαλή, κεφαλῆς, ἡ, the Sept. for רֹאשׁ; the head, both of men: Matthew 5:36; Mark 6:24; Luke 7:38, 44 (Rec.),46; John 13:9; Acts 18:18; 1 Corinthians 11:4; Revelation 1:14; Revelation 4:4, and often; and of animals: Revelation 9:7, 17, 19, etc.; on the phrases κλίνειν τήν κεφαλήν, ἐπαίρειν τήν κεφαλήν, see κλίνω, 1 and ἐπαίρω; on the saying in Romans 12:20, see under ἄνθραξ. Since the loss of the head destroys the life, κεφαλή is used in phrases relating to capital and extreme punishments: so in τό αἷμα ὑμῶν ἐπί τήν κεφαλήν ὑμῶν (see αἷμα, 2 a., p. 15{b}), Acts 18:6, and similar phrases in classical Greek; see Passow, under the word, p. 1717{a}; Pape under the word, 3; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, I. 3 and 4). Metaphorically, anything supreme, chief, prominent; of persons, master, lord: τίνος, of a husband in relation to his wife, 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23; of Christ, the lord of the husband, 1 Corinthians 11:3 (cf. Buttmann, 124f (109)); of the church, Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 2:19 (cf. Buttmann, § 143, 4 c.); τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, Colossians 1:18; πάσης ἀρχῆς καί ἐξουσίας, Colossians 2:10; so Judges 11:11; 2 Samuel 22:44, and in Byzantine writings of things: κεφαλῆς γωνίας, the corner-stone, see γωνία, a. ((From Homer down.))
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κεφαλή , -ῆς , ἡ ,
[in LXX nearly always for H7218;]
the head: Matthew 5:35, Mark 6:24, Revelation 1:14; Revelation 9:7, al. mult.; fig., ἄνθρακες ἐπὶ τὴν κ ., Romans 12:20 (LXX); αἷμι , Acts 18:6; metaph., of a husband, c. gen., 1 Corinthians 1:13, Ephesians 5:23; of Christ, 1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:10; Colossians 2:19; of things, κ . γωνίας , Matthew 21:42 (LXX).
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
For the literal sense of κεφαλή it is sufficient to quote PSI V. 455.12 (A.D. 178) ἐφῖδον τοῦτον. . . ἔχοντα ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς τραύματα τρία, and P Lond 47.8 (ii/A.D.) (= I. p. 81) κεφαλὴν κομόωσαν ἐθείραις. Cf. also P Par 574.1226 (iiil/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 113) λόγος λεγόμενος ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, ";an invocation to be uttered over the head (of the possessed one),"; and the Christian amulet BGU III. 954.6 (vi/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 133) κλίνω τὴν κεφαλήν [μο ]υ κα <τ >ενώπιόν σου. With Acts 18:6 we may compare BGU IV. 1024iv. 17 (end of iv/A.D.) ἐκδέξι το [ίνυν ] τὴην (l. τὴν) ἕως κεφ [αλῆ ]ς τ [ι ]μωρῖαν, and to McNeile’s ren–dering of Matthew 21:42 κεφαλὴν γωνίας, ";the furthest extremity (not ‘the top’) of the corner,"; a certain support is given by P Flor I. 50.83 (A.D. 268) ἐπ᾽ ἀπηλ ̣ι ̣ωτικῆ [ς κε ]φαλῆς πρώτης μερίδος, apparently = ";at the eastern extremity of the first division."; In P Oxy II. 273.18 (A.D. 95) κεφαλή is used of the ";whole amount"; of land that was being ceded; in Michel 588.16 (2nd half ii/B.C.) of ";the total expenditure";; and in Vett. Val. pp. 74.7, 292.11, .13, κεφαλὴ μεγάλη = πρόσωπον. The late P Lond 1075.19 (vii/A.D.) (= III. p. 82) gives us ἀνεγκἑφαλος used figuratively like our ";brainless,"; and an imprecatory tablet from Palestine (Bliss and Macalister Excavations in Palestine, 1902, p. 174, No. 34.8) shows a man calling down punishment on another—διὰ τὸ κεφαιλαλγεῖν με, ";because I am suffering from headache.";
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.
