ἀρχή (G746) — Greek Lexicon

ἀρχή

archḗ

G746 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ἀρχ- to begin, to rule, to be first, to exercise authority

Definition

Primary lexical meaning: origin, beginning, or starting point of something. Semantic range includes: (1) point in time at which something begins ('beginning'), (2) foundational cause or source, (3) position of leadership, rule, or authority ('rulership, dominion'), (4) person or entity holding first place (leader, ruler, authority), (5) office or sphere of authority, (6) occasionally, a principle or elemental force (in philosophical contexts). The word ranges from abstract sense of origination to concrete senses of rule and authority, depending on context.

Semantic Range

beginning, origin, starting point, first principle, ruler, magistracy, rule, authority, domain, power, principality, sphere of influence

Root / Etymology

From the root ἀρχ- (arch-), related to the verb ἄρχομαι ('to begin') and the verb ἄρχω ('to rule, to be first'); the noun ἀρχή is thus built from this stem and maintains both temporal and authoritative nuances.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical Greek, ἀρχή regularly signified both 'beginning' (the starting point in time or sequence, e.g., Herodotus, Plato) and 'rule, authority' (such as a magistracy or office). In the Septuagint, it often translates Hebrew רֵאשִׁית (rēʾšît, 'beginning' or 'first fruit') and רֹאשׁ (rosh, 'head, chief'). In the New Testament, 'beginning' refers to the start of an event or time ('in the beginning'), but ἀρχή also designates supernatural powers or 'principalities' (e.g., Ephesians 6:12) in the sense of spiritual rulers or domains of authority—demonstrating a shift toward abstract ‘forces’ or ‘spheres of rule’ in later Hellenistic and Jewish thought. The English term 'principality' translates some of these nuances but may obscure the broader sense of 'origin.' The meaning depends heavily on context—chronological, spatial, hierarchical, or metaphysical; both temporal ('beginning') and official/functional ('authority, ruler'). Notably, ἀρχή contrasts with τέλος ('end') and is distinguished from νόμος ('law') and δύναμις ('power'), being more about foundational primacy or rule than legality or sheer force. In philosophical and cosmological writings (e.g., Aristotle, Stoicism), denotes a 'first principle' or 'elemental reality.' The breadth of ἀρχή in Koine Greek thus encompasses and overlaps the categories of beginning, authority, and first cause.

Translation Consistency

primary "beginning" 42 occurrences

Most common and natural rendering (30 of 55 occurrences) that captures the primary lexical sense of ἀρχή as origin/starting point. It also reasonably covers related senses of source or first place; rarer senses of rule/authority can be handled by context-specific wording.

Alternatives (13 occurrences):

"ruling authorities" (5x) "rule" (3x) "corners" (2x) "authority" (1x) "rulers" (1x) "principalities" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἄρχομαι; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):--beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

Root Family

ἀρχή (archē) — beginning, origin, rule, authority, first place

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G746-06`	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning	26
`G746-04`	ἀρχὴ	arche	`N NOM F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning	12
`G746-05`	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	beginning	origin	the beginning	7
`G746-02`	ἀρχαῖς	archais	`N DAT F PL`	corners	to the ruling authorities	corners	4
`G746-03`	ἀρχὰς	archas	`N ACC F PL`	rulers	ruling authorities	ruling authorities	4
`G746-01`	ἀρχαὶ	archai	`N NOM F PL`	principalities	ruling authorities	principalities	2

Occurrences in Scripture

55 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G746-06`	Matthew 19:4	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	Matthew 19:8	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-04`	Matthew 24:8	ἀρχὴ	arche	`N NOM F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-06`	Matthew 24:21	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-04`	Mark 1:1	ἀρχὴ	arche	`N NOM F SG`	The beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-06`	Mark 10:6	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-04`	Mark 13:8	ἀρχὴ	arche	`N NOM F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-06`	Mark 13:19	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	Luke 1:2	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-03`	Luke 12:11	ἀρχὰς	archas	`N ACC F PL`	rulers	ruling authorities	ruling authorities
`G746-04`	Luke 20:20	ἀρχῇ	arche	`N DAT F SG`	authority	origin	authority
`G746-04`	John 1:1	ἀρχῇ	arche	`N DAT F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-04`	John 1:2	ἀρχῇ	arche	`N DAT F SG`	the beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-05`	John 2:11	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	beginning	origin	the beginning
`G746-06`	John 6:64	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	the beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-05`	John 8:25	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	beginning	origin	the beginning
`G746-06`	John 8:44	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-06`	John 15:27	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	John 16:4	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-02`	Acts 10:11	ἀρχαῖς	archais	`N DAT F PL`	corners	to the ruling authorities	corners
`G746-02`	Acts 11:5	ἀρχαῖς	archais	`N DAT F PL`	corners	to the ruling authorities	corners
`G746-04`	Acts 11:15	ἀρχῇ	arche	`N DAT F SG`	the beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-06`	Acts 26:4	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-01`	Romans 8:38	ἀρχαὶ	archai	`N NOM F PL`	principalities	ruling authorities	ruling authorities
`G746-05`	1 Corinthians 15:24	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	rule	origin	rule
`G746-06`	Ephesians 1:21	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	rule	of beginning	rule
`G746-02`	Ephesians 3:10	ἀρχαῖς	archais	`N DAT F PL`	rulers	to the ruling authorities	ruling authorities
`G746-03`	Ephesians 6:12	ἀρχάς	archas	`N ACC F PL`	rulers	ruling authorities	rulers
`G746-04`	Philippians 4:15	ἀρχῇ	arche	`N DAT F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-01`	Colossians 1:16	ἀρχαὶ	archai	`N NOM F PL`	principalities	ruling authorities	principalities
`G746-04`	Colossians 1:18	ἀρχή	arche	`N NOM F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-06`	Colossians 2:10	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	rule	of beginning	rule
`G746-03`	Colossians 2:15	ἀρχὰς	archas	`N ACC F PL`	rulers	ruling authorities	ruling authorities
`G746-02`	Titus 3:1	ἀρχαῖς	archais	`N DAT F PL`	to rulers	to the ruling authorities	to the ruling authorities
`G746-03`	Hebrews 1:10	ἀρχάς	archas	`N ACC F PL`	the beginning	ruling authorities	beginning
`G746-05`	Hebrews 2:3	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	beginning	origin	the beginning
`G746-05`	Hebrews 3:14	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	beginning	origin	the beginning
`G746-06`	Hebrews 5:12	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	first	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	Hebrews 6:1	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-05`	Hebrews 7:3	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	beginning	origin	the beginning
`G746-06`	2 Peter 3:4	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	the beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 1:1	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 2:7	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 2:13	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 2:14	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 2:24	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	the beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 2:24	ἀρχῆς	arches-2	`N GEN F SG`	the beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 3:8	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	1 John 3:11	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-06`	2 John 1:5	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	beginning	of beginning	the beginning
`G746-06`	2 John 1:6	ἀρχῆς	arches	`N GEN F SG`	the beginning	of beginning	of beginning
`G746-05`	Jude 1:6	ἀρχὴν	archen	`N ACC F SG`	domain	origin	the beginning
`G746-04`	Revelation 3:14	ἀρχὴ	arche	`N NOM F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-04`	Revelation 21:6	ἀρχὴ	arche	`N NOM F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning
`G746-04`	Revelation 22:13	ἀρχὴ	arche	`N NOM F SG`	beginning	origin	beginning

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