Lemma

θεός

theos

God. The usual Greek noun for God, and for a god when the setting is pagan or plural.

Forms

  • θεός theos Nominative singular.
  • θεοῦ theou Genitive singular, as in “of God.”
  • θεῷ theō Dative singular, as in “to God.”
  • θεόν theon Accusative singular.
  • θεοί theoi Nominative plural, gods.

θεός is the usual Greek noun for God. The Greek Old Testament uses it for אֱלֹהִים, and the New Testament keeps the same word. This Bible prints God, god, or gods by the passage.

John 1:1 says, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Acts 17:23 has an altar “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” 1 Corinthians 8:5 speaks of “many gods and many lords,” then 1 Corinthians 8:6 returns to “one God, the Father.”

Other Greek words stay on their own English. θεῖος is divine. δαιμόνιον is demon. εἴδωλον is idol. Those lines are not this entry.

In this Bible, “God,” “god,” and “gods” link here only in the verses where the Greek is θεός.

Strong’s

Strong’s dictionaries compiled by Open Scriptures, used under CC-BY-SA 4.0.

θεός G2316

theós

figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very

of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with G3588 (ὁ)) the supreme Divinity;

KJV glosses: X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward)

Thayer’s

Joseph Henry Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889). Public-domain digital text.

θεός G2316

theós

Θεός, Θεοῦ, ὁ and ἡ, vocative θῇ, once in the N. T., Mat 27:46; besides in Deu 3:24; Jdg 16:28; Jdg 21:3; (2Sa 7:25; Isa 38:20); Sir 23:4; Wis 9:1; 3Ma 6:3; 4Ma 6:27; Act. Thom. 44f, 57; Eus. h. e. 2, 23, 16; (5, 20, 7; vit. Const. 2, 55, 1. 59); cf. Winers Grammar, § 8, 2 c.; (Buttmann, 12 (11)); ((on the eight or more proposed derivations see Vanicek, p. 386, who follows Curtius, (after Döderlein), p. 513ff in connecting it with a root meaning to supplicate, implore; hence, the implored; per contra cf. Max Müller, Chips etc. 4:227f; Liddell and Scott, under the word, at the end)); (from Homer down); the Sept. for אֵל, אֶלֹהִים and יְהוָה; a god, a goddess;

1. a general appellation of deities or divinities: Act 28:6; 1Co 8:4; 2Th 2:4; once ἡ Θεός, Act 19:37 G L T Tr WH; Θεοῦ φωνή καί οὐκ ἀνθρώπου, Act 12:22; ἄνθρωπος ὤν ποιεῖς σεαυτόν Θεόν, Joh 10:33; plural, of the gods of the Gentiles: Act 14:11; Act 19:26; λεγόμενοι θεοί, 1Co 8:5 a; οἱ φύσει μή ὄντες θεοί, Gal 4:8; τοῦ Θεοῦ Ρ᾽εφαν (which see), Act 7:43; of angels: εἰσί θεοί πολλοί, 1Co 8:5 b (on which cf. Philo de somn. i. § 39 ὁ μέν ἀλήθεια Θεός εἰς ἐστιν, οἱ δ' ἐν καταχρησει λεγόμενοι πλείους). (On the use of the singular Θεός (and Latindeus) as a generic term by (later) heathen writers, see Norton, Genuineness of the Gospels, 2nd edition iii. addit. note D; cf. Dr. Ezra Abbot in Chris. Exam. for Nov. 1848, p. 389ff; Huidekoper, Judaism at Rome, chapter i. § ii.; see Bib. Sacr. for July 1856, p. 666f, and for addit. examples Nagelsbach, Homer. Theol., p. 129; also his Nachhomerische Theol., p. 139f; Stephanus' Thesaurus, under the word; and references (by Prof. Abbot) in the Journal of the Society for Biblical Literature and Exegesis, i., p. 120 note.)

2. Whether Christ is called God must be determined from Joh 1:1; Joh 20:28; 1Jn 5:20; Rom 9:5; Tit 2:13; Heb 1:8 f, etc.; the matter is still in dispute among theologians cf. Grimm, Institutio theologiae dogmaticae, edition 2, p. 228ff (and the discussion (on Rom 9:5) by Professors Dwight and Abbot in the Journal of the Society for Biblical Literature, etc. as above, especially, pp. 42ff, 113ff).

3. spoken of the only and true God: with the article, Mat 3:9; Mar 13:19; Luk 2:13; Act 2:11, and very often; with prepositions: ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, Joh 8:42; Joh 8:47 and often in John's writings; ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ Luk 1:26 (T Tr WH ἀπό); Act 26:6; παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ, Joh 8:40; Joh 9:16 (L T Tr WH here omit the article); παρά τῷ Θεοῦ, Rom 2:13 (Tr text omits, and L WH Tr marginal reading brackets the article);; ἐν τῷ Θεοῦ, Col 3:3; ἐπί τῷ Θεῷ, Luk 1:47; εἰς τόν Θεόν, Act 24:15 (Tdf. πρός); ἐπί τόν Θεόν, Act 15:19; Act 26:18; Act 26:20; πρός τόν Θεόν, Joh 1:2; Act 24:1-27 :(15 Tdf.),16, and many other examples without the article: Mat 6:24; Luk 3:2; Luk 20:38; Rom 8:8; Rom 8:33; 2Co 1:21; 2Co 5:19; 2Co 6:7; 1Th 2:5, etc.; with prepositions: ἀπό Θεοῦ, Joh 3:2; Joh 16:30; Rom 13:1 (L T Tr WH ὑπό) παρά Θεοῦ, Joh 1:6; ἐκ Θεοῦ, Act 5:39; 2Co 5:1; Php 3:9; παρά Θεῷ, 2Th 1:6; 1Pe 2:4; κατά Θεόν, Rom 8:27; 2Co 7:9 f; cf. Winer's Grammar, § 19, under the word ὁ Θεός τίνος (genitive of person), the (guardian) God of anyone, blessing and protecting him: Mat 22:32; Mar 12:26 f (Mar 12:29 WH marginal reading (see below)); Luk 20:37; Joh 20:17; Act 3:13; Act 13:17; 2Co 6:16; Heb 11:16; Rev 21:3 (without ὁ; but G T Tr WH text omit the phrase); ὁ Θεός μου, equivalent to οὗ εἰμί, ᾧ καί λατρεύω (Act 27:23): Rom 1:8; 1Co 1:4 (Tr marginal reading brackets the genitive); 2Co 12:21; Php 1:3; Php 4:19; Phm 1:4; κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, ἡμῶν, ὑμῶν, αὐτῶν (in imit. of Hebrew אֱלֹהֶיך יְהוָה, אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה, אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה, אֶלֹהֵיהֶם יְהוָה): Mat 4:7; Mat 22:37; Mar 12:29 (see above); Luk 4:8; Luk 4:12; Luk 10:27; Act 2:39; cf. Thilo, Cod. apocr. Nov. Test., p. 169; (and Lightfoot as quoted under the word κύριος, c. α. at the beginning); ὁ Θεός καί πατήρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ: Rom 15:6; 2Co 1:3; 2Co 11:31 (L T Tr WH omit ἡμῶν and Χριστοῦ); Eph 1:3; Col 1:3 (L WH omit καί); 1Pe 1:3; in which combination of words the genitive depends on ὁ Θεός as well as on πατήρ, cf. Fritzsche on Romans, iii., p. 232f; (Oltramare on Romans, the passage cited; Lightfoot on Gal 1:4; but some would restrict it to the latter; cf. e. g. Meyer on Romans, the passage cited; also on Ephesians, the passage cited; Ellicott on Galatians, the passage cited; also, Ephesians, the passage cited); ὁ Θεός τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, Eph 1:17; ὁ Θεός καί πατήρ ἡμῶν, Gal 1:4; Php 4:20; 1Th 1:3; 1Th 3:11; 1Th 3:13; Θεός ὁ πατήρ, 1Co 8:6; ὁ Θεός καί πατήρ, 1Co 15:24; Eph 5:20; Jas 1:27; Jas 3:9 (Rec.; others κύριος καί πατήρ); ἀπό Θεοῦ πατρός ἡμῶν, Rom 1:7; 1Co 1:3; 2Co 1:2; Eph 1:2; Php 1:2; Col 1:2; 2Th 1:2; 1Ti 1:2 (Rec., others omit ἡμῶν); Phm 1:3; (ὁ Θεός πατήρ, Col 3:17 L T Tr WH (cf. Lightfoot at the passage); elsewhere without the article as) Θεοῦ πατρός (in which phrase the two words have blended as it were into one, equivalent to a proper name, German Gottvater (A. V. God the Father)): Php 2:11; 1Pe 1:2; ἀπό Θεοῦ πατρός, Gal 1:3; Eph 6:23; 2Ti 1:2; Tit 1:4; παρά Θεοῦ πατρός, 2Pe 1:17; 2Jn 1:3; cf. Wieseler, commentary üb.

d. Brief a. d. Galat., p. 10ff ὁ Θεός with the genitive of the thing of which God is the author (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 30, 1): τῆς ὑπομονῆς καί τῆς παρακλήσεως, Rom 15:5; τῆς ἐπλιδος, Rom 15:13; τῆς εἰρήνης, Rom 15:33; 1Th 5:23; τῆς παρακλήσεως, 2Co 1:3. τά τοῦ Θεοῦ, the things of God, i. e. α. his counsels, 1Co 2:1 L β. his interests, Mat 16:23; Mar 8:33. γ. things due to God, Mat 22:21; Mar 12:17; Luk 20:25. τά πρός τόν Θεόν, things respecting, pertaining to, God — contextually equivalent to the sacrificial business of the priest, Rom 15:17; Heb 2:17; Heb 5:1; cf. Xenophon, rep. Lac. 13, 11; Fritzsche on Romans, iii., p. 262f Nom. ὁ Θεός for the vocative: Mar 15:34; Luk 18:11; Luk 18:13; Joh 20:28; Act 4:24 (R G; Heb 1:8 ?);; cf. Winers Grammar, § 29, 2; (Buttmann, 140 (123)). τῷ Θεῷ, God being judge (cf. Winers Grammar, § 31, 4 a.; 248 (232f); Buttmann, § 133, 14): after δυνατός, 2Co 10:4; after ἀστεῖος, Act 7:20 (after ἄμεμπτος, Wis 10:5; after μέγας, Jon 3:3; see ἀστεῖος, 2). For the expressions ἄνθρωπος Θεοῦ, δύναμις Θεοῦ, υἱός Θεοῦ, etc., Θεός τῆς ἐλπίδος etc., ὁ ζῶν Θεός etc., see under ἄνθρωπος 6, δύναμις a., υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλπίς 2, ζάω I. 1, etc.

4. Θεός is used of whatever can in any respect be likened to God, or resembles him in any way: Hebraistically, equivalent to God's representative or vicegerent, of magistrates and judges, Joh 10:34 f after Psa 81:6 (of the wise man, Philo de mut. nom. § 22; quod omn. prob. book § 7; (ὁ σοφός λέγεται Θεός τοῦ ἄφρονος... Θεός πρός φαντασίαν καί δοκησιν, quod det. pot. insid. § 44); πατήρ καί μήτηρ ἐμφανεις εἰσί θεοί, μιμούμενοι τόν ἀγεννητον ἐν τῷ ζοωπλάστειν, de decal. § 23; ὠνομάσθη (i. e. Moses) ὅλου τοῦ ἔθνους Θεός καί βασιλεύς, de vita Moys. i. § 28; (de migr. Abr. § 15; de alleg. leg. i. § 13)); of the devil, ὁ Θεός τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου (see αἰών, 3), 2Co 4:4; the person or thing to which one is wholly devoted, for which alone he lives, e. g. ἡ κοιλία, Php 3:19.