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ELDER, ELDEST
A. Adjectives.
1. PRESBUTEROS (πρεςβύτερος
, (4245)), an adjective, the comparative degree of presbus,
an old man, an elder, is used (a) of age, whether of the
elder of two persons, Luke 15:25, or more, John 8:9, “the
eldest;” or of a person advanced in life, a senior, Acts 2:17;
in Heb. 11:2, the “elders” are the forefathers in Israel; so in
Matt. 15:2; Mark 7:3, 5; the feminine of the adjective is used
of elder women in the churches, 1 Tim. 5:2, not in respect of
position but in seniority of age; (b) of rank or
positions of responsibility, (1) among Gentiles, as in the
Sept. of Gen. 50:7; Num.
22:7; (2) in the Jewish nation, firstly, those who were the
heads or leaders of the tribes and families, as of the seventy
who assisted Moses, Num. 11:16; Deut. 27:1, and those
assembled by Solomon; secondly, members of the Sanhedrin,
consisting of the chief priests, elders and scribes, learned in
Jewish Law, e.g., Matt.
16:21; 26:47; thirdly, those who managed public affairs in the
various cities, Luke 7:3; (3) in the Christian churches,
those who, being raised up and qualified by the work of the Holy
Spirit, were appointed to have the spiritual care of, and to
exercise oversight over, the churches. To these the term
bishops, episkopoi, or overseers, is applied (see Acts
20, ver. 17 with ver. 28,
and Tit. 1:5 and 7), the latter term indicating the nature of
their work, presbuteroi their maturity of spiritual
experience. The Divine arrangement seen throughout the
N.T. was for a plurality
of these to be appointed in each church, Acts 14:23; 20:17;
Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 5:17; Tit. 1:5. The duty of elders is
described by the verb episkopeō. They were appointed
according as they had given evidence of fulfilling the Divine
qualifications, Tit. 1:6 to 9; 1Tim. 3:1-7 and 1 Pet. 5:2; (4)
the twenty–four elders enthroned in Heaven around the throne of
God, Rev. 4:4, 10; 5:5-14; 7:11, 13; 11:16; 14:3; 19:4. The
number twenty–four is representative of earthly conditions. The
word “elder” is nowhere applied to angels. See
Old.
2. SUMPRESBUTEROS (ςυμπρεςβύτερος
, (4850)), a fellow–elder (sun, with), is used in 1 Pet.
5:1.¶
3. MEIZŌN (μείζων
, (3187)), greater, the comparative degree of megas,
great, is used of age, and translated “elder” in Rom. 9:12, with
reference to Esau and Jacob. See
Greater,
Greatest,
More.
B. Noun.
PRESBUTERION (πρεςβυτέριον
, (4244)), an assembly of aged men, denotes (a) the
Council or Senate among the Jews, Luke 22:66; Acts 22:5; (b)
the elders or bishops in a local church, 1 Tim. 4:14, “the
presbytery.” For their functions see A,
No. 1, (3).
[1]
e.g. exempli gratia, for example
[1]Vine, W., & Bruce, F.
(1981; Published in electronic form by Logos Research
Systems, 1996). Vine's Expository dictionary of Old and
New Testament words : W.E. Vine ; Old Testament edited by
F.F. Bruce. (electronic ed.). Old Tappan NJ: Revell.
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