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Greek

Judge

κριτήςStrong’s G2923

kritēs

Appears in 16 verses of the New Testament

In short

Kritēs is the Greek word usually translated “judge” and “judges”. It appears in 16 verses of the New Testament.

“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.”
Matthew 5:25 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “judge” and “judges”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • judge 9
  • judges 4
  • a judge 4
  • to judge 1

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Luke 5
  • Acts 4
  • James 3
  • Matthew 2
  • 2 Timothy 1
  • Hebrews 1

6 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 16 verses, by book
Matthew 2
5:2512:27
2 Timothy 1
4:8
Hebrews 1
12:23
James 3
2:44:115:9
Greek dictionary

κριτής kritēs · judge

κριτής, -οῦ, ὁ (κρίνω), [in LXX chiefly for שָׁפַט ;] a judge: Mat.5:25, Luk.12:14, 58 18:2; τ. ἀδικίας, Luk.18:6; with gem of thing(s) (obj.), Act.18:15, Jas.4:11; (qual.), διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν, Jas.2:4; of a Roman procurator, Act.24:10; of God, Heb.12:23, Jas.4:12; Christ, Act.10:42, 2Ti.4:8, Jas.5:9; of those whose conduct is made a standard for judging, Mat.12:27, Luk.11:19; in the OT sense (Jdg.2:16, Rut.1:1, al), of a ruler in Israel, Act.13:20.† SYN.: δικάστης, q.v (AS)

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “judge” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

JUDGE, noun

[Latin judex, supposed to be compounded of jus, law or right, and dico, to pronounce.]

  1. A civil officer who is invested with authority to hear and determine causes, civil or criminal, between parties, according to his commission; as the judges of the king's bench, or of the common pleas; judges of the supreme court, of district courts, or of a county court.
  2. The Supreme Being.“Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” Genesis 18:25
  3. One who presides in a court of judicature.
  4. One who has skill to decide on the merits of a question, or on the value of any thing; one who can discern truth and propriety.
All definitions and other forms of “judge”
  1. In the history of Israel, a chief magistrate, with civil and military powers.
  2. A juryman or juror.

JUDGE, verb intransitive

[Latin judico.]

  1. To compare facts or ideas, and perceive their agreement or disagreement, and thus to distinguish truth from falsehood.“JUDGE not according to the appearance” John 7:24
  2. To form an opinion; to bring to issue the reasoning or deliberations of the mind.
  3. To hear and determine, as in causes on trial; to pass sentence.“The Lord judge between thee and me” Genesis 16:5
  4. To discern; to distinguish; to consider accurately for the purpose of forming an opinion or conclusion.“JUDGE in yourselves; is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?” 1 Corinthians 11:13

JUDGE, verb transitive

To hear and determine a case; to examine and decide.

  1. To try; to examine and pass sentence on.“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked” Ecclesiastes 3:17
  2. Rightly to understand and discern.“He that is spiritual, judgeth all things” 1 Corinthians 2:15
  3. To censure rashly; to pass severe sentence.“JUDGE not, that ye be not judged” Matthew 7:1
  4. To esteem; to think; to reckon.“If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord--” Acts 16:15
  5. To rule or govern.“The Lord shall judge his people” Hebrews 10:30
  6. To doom to punishment; to punish.“I will judge thee according to thy ways” Ezekiel 7:8

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.