κυβερνήτης
kybernḗtēs
G2942 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Principal steering officer of a ship; one who governs, directs, or pilot a vessel. More broadly, a person at the helm or in a guiding position of authority, particularly in maritime contexts. The primary sense is a helmsman, specifically responsible for navigating and steering the course of a ship. In extended or metaphorical use, may refer to a leader, pilot, or director in a non-nautical setting, though this sense is rare in Greek literature.
Semantic Range
helmsman, pilot, shipmaster, captain, steersman; leader or director (rare/metaphorical)
Root / Etymology
From κυβερνάω (kybernáō, 'to steer, to guide, to direct'). The suffix -της (-tēs) is a common Greek agentive ending, indicating 'one who does.' Thus, κυβερνήτης means 'one who steers' or 'steersman.' Related to the noun κυβέρνησις ('steering, government').
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical and Hellenistic Greek, κυβερνήτης primarily referred to the individual physically responsible for steering a ship—the helmsman or pilot—distinguished from the ship owner (ναύκληρος, nauklēros) or captain (ἄρχων/ἄρχων ναυκλήρου). By the Koine period, especially in the Septuagint and New Testament (e.g., Acts 27:11; Revelation 18:17), it regularly denoted the principal officer in charge of a ship's navigation, essentially the 'master' or 'captain' of the ship. While some English translations render it as 'shipmaster' or 'captain,' the primary image remains that of the steersman, the person at the steering oar, rather than the ultimate owner or even the broader captain role as in later naval usages. There is occasional metaphorical extension to leadership or governance in Hellenistic literature but this is not prevalent in biblical usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as κυβέρνησις; helmsman, i.e. (by implication) captain:--(ship) master.
Root Family
κυβερν- (kybérnēsis) — to steer, to direct, to guide
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G2941 | κυβέρνησις | acts of steering |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2942-01 |
κυβερνήτῃ | kubernete | N DAT M SG |
pilot | to the helmsman | pilot | 1 |
G2942-02 |
κυβερνήτης | kubernetes | N NOM M SG |
shipmaster | helmsman | helmsman | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2942-01 |
Acts 27:11 | κυβερνήτῃ | kubernete | N DAT M SG |
pilot | to the helmsman | pilot |
G2942-02 |
Revelation 18:17 | κυβερνήτης | kubernetes | N NOM M SG |
shipmaster | helmsman | helmsman |