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Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #1658 - ἐλεύθερος
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- freeborn
- in a civil sense, one who is not a slave
- of one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted
- free, exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation
- in an ethical sense: free from the yoke of the Mosaic Law
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ἐλεύθερος, α, ον
(ος, ον A. Ag. 328, E. El. 868): later ἐλαύθερος BCH 22.76(Delph.); Elean ἐλεύθαρος Schwyzer 416.3: —
I
1. free, Hom. has the word only in Il. in two phrases, ἐλεύθερον ἦμαρ the day of freedom, i.e. freedom, Il. 6.455, 16.831, al.; and κρητὴρ ἐλεύθερος the cup drunk to freedom, 6.528; ἐ. πιοῦσαν οἶνον ἀποθανεῖν Xenarch. 5 codd. Ath. (fort. -ριον, cf. ἐλευθέριος 1.2); of persons, Alc. Supp. 25.11, Hdt. 1.6, A. Pr. 50, S. Aj. 1020, Th. 8.15, etc.: Comp., X. Cyr. 8.3.21: Sup., Id. Hier. 1.16; τὸ ἐ. freedom, Hdt 7.103, etc.; τοὐλεύθερον E. Supp. 438: c.gen., free or freed from a thing, φόνου, πημάτων, φόβου, A. Eu. 603 codd., Ch. 1060, E. Hec. 869; αἰτίας Men. Sam. 272; ἔξω αἰτίας ἐ. S. Ant. 445; ἐ. ἀπ' ἀλλήλων independent, X. Cyr. 3.2.23, Pl. Lg. 832d. ἐλευθέρα, ἡ, married woman, Ath. 13.571d; wife, POxy. 1872.8 (v/vi A.D.); but, freedwoman, IG 14.2490(Vienne). free, of cities, in Roman Law, BGU 316.3 (iv A.D.).
2. of things, free, open to all, ἀγορά X. Cyr. 1.2.3; ἐ. φυλακή,= Lat. libera custodia, D.S. 4.46; περιωπή Ael. NA 15.5; unencumbered, of property, D. 35.21, IG 9(1).32.10 (Stiris), SIG 364.36 (Ephesus, iii B.C.).
3. ἐλεύθερον εἶναί τινι, c. inf., legally permissible, open to.., ib.45.42 (Halic., v B.C.).
II = cross ἐλευθέριος, fit for a freeman, free, frank, φρήν Pi. P. 2.57; ἐλευθερωτέρη ὑπόκρισις Hdt. 1.116; ἐλεύθρα βάζειν A. Pers. 593 (lyr.); ὦ μηδὲν ὑγιὲς μηδ' ἐ. φρονῶν S. Ph. 1006; δούλη μέν, εἴρηκεν δ' ἐ. λόγον Id. Tr. 63, cf. El. 1256; φρονήματα Pl. R. 567a; βάσανοι ἐ. tortures such as might be used to a freeman, Id. Lg. 946c (so φάσγανα E. Fr. 495.38); τὸ ἐ. Pl. Mx. 245c: freq. in Adv. -ρως, εἰπεῖν Hdt. 5.93, al.; χαίρειν.. καὶ γελᾶν ἐ. S. El. 1300; τεθραμμένους Isoc. 7.43 codd. (fort. -ερίως) ; παιδευθεὶς ἐ. Aeschin. 3.154 codd. (fort. -ερίως) ; ἐ. δούλευε, δοῦλος οὐκ ἔσει Men. 857; ἐλεύθεροι ἐλευθέρως free and like free men, Pl. Lg. 919e. (Cf. Lat. lîber, fr. Ital. * loufero -(cf. Osc. Luvfreis 'Liberi'), I.- E. (e)leudh-ero -: the connexion with Slav. liud, OHG. liut, etc. 'people' is doubtful.)
ἐλεύθερος, ἐλευθέρα, ἐλεύθερον (ἘΛΑΥΘΩ equivalent to ἔρχομαι (so Curtius, p. 497, after Etym. Magn. 329, 43; Suidas col. 1202 a., Gaisf. edition; but others besides, cf. Vanicek, p. 61); hence, properly, one who can go whither he pleases) (from Homer down), the Sept. for חָפְשִׁי, free;
1. freeborn; in a civil sense, one who is not a slave: John 8:33; 1 Corinthians 7:22; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:11; Revelation 6:15; Revelation 13:16; Revelation 19:18; feminine, Galatians 4:22f, 30f. (opposed to ἡ παιδίσκη); of one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted: γίνεσθαι ἐλεύθερον, 1 Corinthians 7:21.
2. free, exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation: 1 Corinthians 9:1; ἐκ πάντων (see ἐκ, I. 6 at the end), 1 Corinthians 9:19; ἀπό τίνος, free from i. e. no longer under obligation to, so that one may now do what was formerly forbidden by the person or thing to which he was bound, Romans 7:3 (cf. Winers Grammar, 196f (185); Buttmann, 157f (138), 269 (231)); followed by an infinitive (Winers Grammar, 319 (299); Buttmann, 260 (224)), ἐλευθέρα ἐστιν ... γαμηθῆναι she is free to be married, has liberty to marry, 1 Corinthians 7:39; exempt from paying tribute or tax, Matthew 17:26.
3. in an ethical sense: free from the yoke of the Mosaic law, Galatians 4:26; 1 Peter 2:16; from the bondage of sin, John 8:36; left to one's own will and pleasure, with the dative of respect, τῇ δικαιοσύνη, so far as relates to righteousness, as respects righteousness, Romans 6:20 (Winers Grammar, § 31, 1 k.; Buttmann, § 133, 12).
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ἐλεύθερος , -α , -ον ,
[in LXX chiefly for H2670;]
free;
(a) in civil sense, not a slave: John 8:33, 1 Corinthians 7:21-22; 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 6:8, Colossians 3:11, Revelation 6:15; Revelation 13:16; Revelation 19:18; fem., Galatians 4:22-23; Galatians 4:30;
(b) as regards restraint and obligation in general: Matthew 17:26, 1 Corinthians 9:1; seq. ἐκ , 1 Corinthians 9:19; ἀπό , Romans 7:3; c. inf., 1 Corinthians 7:39; from the law, Galatians 4:26, 1 Peter 2:16; from sin, John 8:36; τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ , as regards righteousness, Romans 6:20 (Cremer, 249).†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
For the spiritual significance of this term in the Pauline writings cf. the preceding article, and what is said s.v. ἀπελεύθερος. In the oldest Greek marriage contract we possess, P Eleph 1 (B.C. 311–0) (= Selections, p. 1 ff.), the contracting parties are described as ἐλεύθερος ἐλευθέρα, and in the curious law-suit, P Oxy I. 37i. 18 (A.D. 49) (= Selections, p. 50), which recalls in various particulars the Judgment of Solomon, the nurse, who is charged with carrying off a foundling, defends herself on the ground that she did so ὀν [ό ]ματι ἐλευθέρου, ";in virtue of its being freeborn."; Other exx. of the adj. are P Ryl II. 117.26 (A.D. 269) πρὸς τὸ ἔχειν με τ [ὰ ἐ ]μὰ ἐλεύθερον, ";so that I may keep my property in freedom,"; and P Oxy IX. 1186.6 (iv/A.D.), the edict of a Preses in which it is declared that for slaves punishment by scourging (διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων) is lamentable (ἀνιαρόν), but ";for free men to be submitted to such an outrage is contrary to the laws and an injustice";—ἐλευθέρους δὲ ἄνδρας τοιαύτην ὕβρειν ὑπομένειν οὔτε τοῖς [νόμοις ] ἀκόλ [ου ]θ ̣ο ̣ν ̣ ἀ ̣δ ̣ι ̣κει ̣αν τε [ἔ ]χον ἐστίν.
For the adverb see P Tebt II. 284.7 (i/B.C.) where the writer informs his sister that in obedience to an oracular response from the god Soknebtunis—καταβήσομαι ἐλευθέρω ̣ς ̣, ";I will go with boldness"; (Edd.).
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.