ἑκατοντάρχης (G1543) — Greek Lexicon

ἑκατοντάρχης

hekatontárchēs

G1543 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Military officer commanding approximately one hundred soldiers; specifically, a centurion in the Roman army. The term identifies a middle-ranking officer with command responsibility, and by extension refers to an individual with local authority within a military hierarchy. In some Greek contexts, it can be used more generally for an officer with similar command over a contingent, even if not strictly one hundred.

Semantic Range

commander of a hundred (centurion); Roman military officer; mid-level military leader

Root / Etymology

From ἑκατόν ('one hundred') and ἄρχω ('to rule, command'); denoting 'one who commands a hundred.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term ἑκατοντάρχης appears primarily in Koine and later Greek as a calque of the Latin centurio, emerging in Hellenistic sources to render the Roman officer's title in Greek-speaking contexts. In both the New Testament and the Septuagint (especially where later books or revisions reference Roman military structure), it refers to Roman centurions stationed in Judea and other provinces. Earlier Greek military structures used different officer titles (e.g., λοχαγός), but as Roman power expanded, ἑκατοντάρχης became the usual Greek designation for a legionary officer of this rank. The word is nearly synonymous with the more classical ἑκατόνταρχος and the Macedonian/Seleucid term ταξίαρχος. English Bible translations traditionally render ἑκατοντάρχης as 'centurion,' but the connotation in Greek is distinctly that of a Roman office, not generic 'captain,' and so should not be confused with local or Israelite military leadership. The office was significant in the Roman administrative and military presence in the eastern Mediterranean and often depicted as a reputable and influential intermediary between Roman authority and provincial populations.

Translation Consistency

primary "centurion" 19 occurrences

Most common and specific rendering in the corpus and standard English Bibles. The Greek term denotes a Roman mid-level officer commanding roughly one hundred men; 'centurion' is the natural, widely recognized noun that preserves that military rank and fits all occurrences better than the generic 'commander.'

Alternatives (1 occurrence):

"hundred-commander" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἑκατόν and ἄρχω; the captain of one hundred men:--centurion.

Root Family

ἑκατοντάρχης (hekatontarchēs) — commander of a hundred, centurion, military officer, unit leader

Root ἑκατονταρχ- to command a hundred, to lead a unit

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G1543-03`	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion	8
`G1543-02`	ἑκατοντάρχῃ	ekatontarche	`N DAT M SG`	centurion	to a commander of a hundred	to a centurion	4
`G1543-05`	ἑκατόνταρχος	ekatontarchos	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion	3
`G1543-04`	ἑκατόνταρχον	ekatontarchon	`N ACC M SG`	centurions	commander of a hundred	centurions	3
`G1543-06`	ἑκατοντάρχου	ekatontarchou	`N GEN M SG`	centurion's	of a hundred-commander	of a hundred-commander	1
`G1543-01`	ἑκατοντάρχας	ekatontarchas	`N ACC M PL`	centurions	commanders of a hundred	centurions	1

Occurrences in Scripture

20 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G1543-05`	Matthew 8:5	ἑκατόνταρχος	ekatontarchos	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-05`	Matthew 8:8	ἑκατόνταρχος	ekatontarchos	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-02`	Matthew 8:13	ἑκατοντάρχῃ	ekatontarche	`N DAT M SG`	centurion	to a commander of a hundred	to a centurion
`G1543-05`	Matthew 27:54	ἑκατόνταρχος	ekatontarchos	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-06`	Luke 7:2	ἑκατοντάρχου	ekatontarchou	`N GEN M SG`	centurion's	of a hundred-commander	of a hundred-commander
`G1543-03`	Luke 7:6	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-03`	Luke 23:47	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-03`	Acts 10:1	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-03`	Acts 10:22	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	a centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-01`	Acts 21:32	ἑκατοντάρχας	ekatontarchas	`N ACC M PL`	centurions	commanders of a hundred	centurions
`G1543-04`	Acts 22:25	ἑκατόνταρχον	ekatontarchon	`N ACC M SG`	centurion	commander of a hundred	centurion
`G1543-03`	Acts 22:26	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-04`	Acts 23:17	ἑκατονταρχῶν	ekatontarchon	`N GEN M PL`	centurions	commander of a hundred	centurions
`G1543-04`	Acts 23:23	ἑκατονταρχῶν	ekatontarchon	`N GEN M PL`	centurions	commander of a hundred	centurions
`G1543-02`	Acts 24:23	ἑκατοντάρχῃ	ekatontarche	`N DAT M SG`	centurion	to a commander of a hundred	to a centurion
`G1543-02`	Acts 27:1	ἑκατοντάρχῃ	ekatontarche	`N DAT M SG`	to a centurion	to a commander of a hundred	to a centurion
`G1543-03`	Acts 27:6	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-03`	Acts 27:11	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion
`G1543-02`	Acts 27:31	ἑκατοντάρχῃ	ekatontarche	`N DAT M SG`	centurion	to a commander of a hundred	to the centurion
`G1543-03`	Acts 27:43	ἑκατοντάρχης	ekatontarches	`N NOM M SG`	centurion	hundred-commander	centurion

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