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Greek

Father

πατήρStrong’s G3962

patēr

Appears in 371 verses of the New Testament

In short

Patēr is the Greek word usually translated “father”, “fathers” and “patriarchs”. It appears in 371 verses of the New Testament.

“Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:”
2 Thessalonians 1:1 KJV
Meaning

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

How it's translated
  • father 351
  • fathers 48
  • a father 7
  • the father 3
  • patriarchs 2
  • to father 1
  • of fathers 1
  • the fathers 1

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

Where it's used most
  • John 116
  • Matthew 56
  • Luke 48
  • Acts 33
  • Mark 18
  • Romans 13

26 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 371 verses, by book
1 Corinthians 6
1:34:155:18:610:115:24
2 Corinthians 4
1:21:36:1811:31
Galatians 5
1:11:31:44:24:6
Philippians 4
1:22:112:224:20
1 Thessalonians 5
1:11:32:113:113:13
2 Thessalonians 3
1:11:22:16
1 Timothy 2
1:25:1
2 Timothy 1
1:2
Titus 1
1:4
Philemon 1
1:3
1 Peter 3
1:21:31:17
2 Peter 2
1:173:4
2 John 3
1:31:41:9
Jude 1
1:1
Revelation 4
1:63:53:2114:1
Greek dictionary

πατήρ patēr · father

πατήρ, πατρός, -τρί, τέρα, [in LXX chiefly and very frequently for אָב ;] a father; 1. prop., (a) of the male parent: Mat.2:22, Luk.1:17, Jhn.4:53; anarth., Heb.12:7 (M, Pr., 82 f.); pl., of both parents (cl.), Heb.11:23; οἱ π. τ. σαρκός, Heb.12:9; (b) of a forefather or ancestor (in cl. usually in pl.; Hom., al.): Mat.3:9, Luk.1:73, Jhn.8:39, al.; pl., Mat.23:30, 32 Luk.6:23, 26 Jhn.4:20, 1Co.10:1, al. 2. Metaphorical, (a) of an author, originator, or archetype (= αἴτιος, ἀρχηγός, etc.; Pind., Plat., al.): Jhn.8:41-44, Rom.4:11, 12 16. …

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

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

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

F'ATHER, noun

[Latin pater. The primary sense is obvious.]

  1. He who begets a child; in Latin genitor or generator.“The father of a fool hath no joy” Proverbs 17:21
  2. The first ancestor; the progenitor of a race or family.
  3. The appellation of an old man, and a term of respect.“The king of Israel said to Elisha, my father shall I smite them?” 2 Kings 6:21
  4. The grandfather or more remote ancestor. Daniel 5:2
All definitions
  1. One who feeds and supports or exercises paternal care over another.
  2. He who creates, invents, makes or composes any thing; the author, former or contriver; a founder, director or instructor. John 8:16Genesis 4:201 Chronicles 2:511 Chronicles 4:14John 8:16Romans 4:1
  3. Fathers, in the plural, ancestors.“David slept with his fathers” 1 Kings 2:10
  4. A father in law. Luke 3:8
  5. The appellation of the first person in the adorable Trinity.“Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19
  6. The title given to dignitaries of the church, superiors of convents, and to popish confessors.
  7. The appellation of the ecclesiastical writers of the first centuries, as Polycarp, Jerome, etc.
  8. The title of a senator in ancient Rome; as conscript fathers.

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.