πολίτης
polítēs
G4177 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A member or inhabitant of a city, one entitled to civic rights and responsibilities within a πόλις (city-state or municipality); more broadly, an individual who possesses recognized community status and affiliation with a particular city. By extension, one who shares communal obligations, privileges, or identity conferred by belonging to a specific civic body.
Semantic Range
citizen (person with legal membership in a city), inhabitant of a city or town, townsman, person with recognized civic rights or responsibilities, member of a metaphorical or spiritual community
Root / Etymology
From πόλις (polis, 'city'), formed with the agentive suffix -της, indicating a person associated with the root's activity or place.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek usage, πολίτης denoted a male member of the citizen body of a city-state, typically including legal privileges, civic duties, and participation in political life—women, children, and resident foreigners (μέτοικοι) were generally excluded from this status. The concept of πολίτης is deeply linked to the Greek idea of the πόλις, where citizenship combined political, legal, and social dimensions. In Hellenistic and Roman periods, as civic structures evolved, πολίτης could still denote those recognized as citizens of particular cities, but the term sometimes stretched metaphorically to include shared membership in broader associations or symbolic communities. In the Septuagint, the word often translates terms for 'inhabitant' or 'member of a town,' though not always with the strong legal or political sense of classical usage. In the New Testament (e.g., Acts 21:39; Ephesians 2:19), it is used to signal recognized belonging to a city or community, sometimes with a focus on civic rights (as with Paul claiming Roman citizenship via πολιτεύομαι-related terminology), but also metaphorically for membership in the community of believers. English translations rendering it as 'citizen' capture the core sense but may not always reflect nuances related to specific rights, ancestral city identity, or shifting political realities of the period. The term contrasts with ἔποικος (resident alien), ξένος (stranger/foreigner), and μέτοικος (resident foreigner with limited rights).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from πόλις; a townsman:--citizen.
Root Family
πολίτης (polítēs) — city, inhabitant, member
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4177-01 |
πολῖται | politai | N NOM M PL |
citizens | citizens | citizens | 1 |
G4177-02 |
πολίτην | politen | N ACC M SG |
neighbour | a citizen | a citizen | 1 |
G4177-03 |
πολίτης | polites | N NOM M SG |
a citizen | city-citizen | city-citizen | 1 |
G4177-04 |
πολιτῶν | politon | N GEN M PL |
citizens | of citizens | citizens | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4177-04 |
Luke 15:15 | πολιτῶν | politon | N GEN M PL |
citizens | of citizens | citizens |
G4177-01 |
Luke 19:14 | πολῖται | politai | N NOM M PL |
citizens | citizens | citizens |
G4177-03 |
Acts 21:39 | πολίτης | polites | N NOM M SG |
a citizen | city-citizen | city-citizen |
G4177-02 |
Hebrews 8:11 | πολίτην | politen | N ACC M SG |
neighbour | a citizen | a citizen |