Bible Encyclopedias
Fellow

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fel´ō ( חבר , ḥābhēr , רע , rēa‛ ; ἑταῖρος , hetaı́ros ): Meant originally a "partner," from fe , "property," and lag , "to lay," then "a companion," "an equal," "a person or individual," "a worthless person."

(1) As "companion" it is the translation of ḥābhēr , "associate," "companion," "friend" (also ḥābbār , Job 41:6 (Hebrew 40:30), where we have the original sense of partnership, translated "bands" the Revised Version (British and American), the King James Version "companions"); Psalm 45:7 , "God hath anointed thee ... above thy fellows"; of habhrāh (Ecclesiastes 4:10; Daniel 7:20 ); of rēa‛ , "companion," "friend," "another" (Exodus 2:13; Judges 7:13 , Judges 7:14 , Judges 7:22 ); rē‛āh (or ra‛yāh ), "a female friend" (Judges 11:37 , "I and my fellows," the Revised Version (British and American) "companions"; here the King James Version applies "fellow" to a female; compare Baruch 6:43, "She reproacheth her fellow," hē plēsı́on ); in Judges 11:38 , "companions" is the translation of ‛āmı̄th , "fellowship"; ‛amı̄th (Zechariah 13:7 , "the man that is my fellow," literally, "the man of my fellowship"); hetairos , "companion" (Matthew 11:16 ); métochos , "partner"; (compare Luke 5:7; Hebrews 1:9 , quoted from Psalm 45:7 , Septuagint for ḥābhēr ).

(2) As an individual or person "fellow" is the translation of 'ı̄sh , "a man," "an individual": "make this fellow return" (1 Samuel 29:4 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "the man"); in the same verse "fellow" is supplied instead of "he"; "fellow" in 1611 meant simply "a man," and it is difficult to say in what passages the ideas of "worthless," etc., are meant to be implied; probably, however, in Judges 18:25 , where the Hebrew is simply 'ĕnōsh , "man," and the text is almost the only deviation from the rendering "man," "men," "lest angry (margin, Revised Version "bitter of soul") fellows fall upon you"; also Acts 17:5 , anḗr , "a man," "certain lewd fellows of the baser sort," the Revised Version (British and American) "vile fellows"; compare 2 Samuel 6:20 , "vain (rēḳ ) fellows" (supplied); 1 Macc 10:61, "contain pestilent fellows" (anēr ); Ecclesiasticus 8:15, "a bold fellow" (tolmērós ), the Revised Version (British and American) "a rash man"; in several places of the Old Testament "fellow" represents zeh , "this," and in these instances there seems to be something of worthlessness or contempt implied (1 Samuel 21:15 bis; 1 Samuel 25:21; 1 Kings 22:27; 2 Kings 9:11 , and, as before, 1 Samuel 29:4 the Revised Version (British and American)); in the New Testament also "fellow" often represents hoútos , "this," and in most of these cases the King James Version seems to intend something depreciatory to be understood; the Revised Version (British and American) gives simply "man" (Matthew 12:24; Matthew 26:61 , Matthew 26:71; Luke 22:59; Luke 23:2; John 9:29; Acts 18:13 ); so Ecclesiasticus 13:23, "If the poor man speaks, they say, What fellow is this?" the Revised Version (British and American) "who is this?" 1 Macc 4:5, "These fellows flee from us," the Revised Version (British and American) "these men." the Revised Version (British and American) has "fellows" for "persons" (Judges 9:4 ), for "men" (Judges 11:3 ); "base fellows" for "men the children of Belial" (Deuteronomy 13:13 ), margin, "sons of worthlessness"; the American Standard Revised Version "worthless fellow" for "son of Belial" (1 Samuel 25:17 , 1 Samuel 25:25 ), "base fellows" for "sons of Belial" (Judges 19:22; Judges 20:13 , etc.); the Revised Version (British and American) has also "companions" for "fellows" (Judges 11:37 , as above; Ezekiel 37:19; Daniel 2:13 ), "each man his fellow" for "one another" (2 Kings 3:23 ); "fellow by" for "neighbor in" (1 Kings 20:35 ).

Fellow-citizen , Fellow-disciple , Fellow-heirs , Yokefellow , etc. In composition, "fellow" always means partner or companion.