πρεσβυτέριον
presbuterion
council of elders
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word πρεσβυτέριον (presbuterion) refers to a council or assembly of elders. This word highlights the significant role of elderly individuals in guiding their communities. Its short definition suggests a formal or official setting where the collective wisdom and experience of the elders are brought together to make decisions. The word occurs three times in the Bible, which indicates a deliberate emphasis on its importance. This scarcity of occurrences underscores the word's weight and significance, implying that the author wanted to convey a distinct message about the value of elder-led decision-making. The term's range of usage is limited to a council or assembly setting, which implies a structured and purposeful gathering of elderly individuals. The absence of other uses or contexts suggests that its meaning is more concrete and specific rather than abstract or metaphorical.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences across the text
As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people were gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying,
Acts 22:5As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.
1 Timothy 4:14Don’t neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the elders.