Ancient
ἀρχαῖοςStrong’s G0744archaios
Appears in 12 verses of the New Testament
In short
Archaios is the Greek word usually translated “ancients”, “ancient” and “early”. It appears in 12 verses of the New Testament.
“And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;”
Meaning
Usually translated “ancients”, “ancient” and “early”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- ancients 5
- ancient 3
- early 1
- of old 1
- an early 1
- old things 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Matthew 3
- Acts 3
- Luke 2
- Revelation 2
- 2 Corinthians 1
- 2 Peter 1
6 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Matthew 5:21Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
- Matthew 5:27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
- Matthew 5:33Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
- Luke 9:8And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.
- Luke 9:19They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
- Acts 15:7And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Greek dictionary
ἀρχαῖος archaios · ancient
ἀρχαῖος, -αία, -αῖον (ἀρχή), [in LXX chiefly for קֶדֶם ;] original, ancient: Mat.5:21, 33, Luk.9:8, 19, Act.15:7, 21 21:16, 2Co.5:17, 2Pe.2:5, Rev.12:9 20:2.† SYN.: παλαιός, old, without the reference to beginning and origin contained in ἀ. The distinction is observed in π. (MM, see word). ἀ. is the antithesis to καινός: παλ. to vέος (see Westc., He., 223; Cremer, 116) (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “ancient” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
AN'CIENT, adjective
Usually pronounced most anomalously, ancient The pronunciation of the first vowel ought to accord with that is antiquity, anger, anchor, etc. [Lt. ante, antiquus.] We usually apply ancient and old to things subject to gradual decay. We say, an old man, an ancient record; but never the old sun, old stars, an old river or mountain.
- Old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; as, ancient authors, ancient days.
- Old; that has been of long duration; as, an ancient forest; an ancient city.
- Known from ancient times; as the ancient continent, opposed to the new continent.
All definitions and other forms of “ancient”
AN'CIENT, noun
Generally used in the plural, ancients. Those who lived in former ages, opposed to moderns.
- In scripture, very old men.“The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people” Isaiah 3:14
- ancient is also used for a flag or streamer, in a ship of war; and for an ensign or the bearer of a flag, as in Shakespeare.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.