Lord

Lord - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

There are various Hebrew and Greek words so rendered.

(1.) Heb. Jehovah, has been rendered in the English Bible LORD, printed in small capitals. This is the proper name of the God of the Hebrews. The form "Jehovah" is retained only in Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4, both in the Authorized and the Revised Version.

(2.) Heb. adon, means one possessed of absolute control. It denotes a master, as of slaves (Gen. 24:14, 27), or a ruler of his subjects (45:8), or a husband, as lord of his wife (18:12).

The old plural form of this Hebrew word is 'adonai. From a superstitious reverence for the name "Jehovah," the Jews, in reading their Scriptures, whenever that name occurred, always pronounced it 'Adonai.

(3.) Greek kurios, a supreme master, etc. In the LXX. this is invariably used for "Jehovah" and "Adonai."

(4.) Heb. ba'al, a master, as having domination. This word is applied to human relations, as that of husband, to persons skilled in some art or profession, and to heathen deities. "The men of Shechem," literally "the baals of Shechem" (Judg. 9:2, 3). These were the Israelite inhabitants who had reduced the Canaanites to a condition of vassalage (Josh. 16:10; 17:13).

(5.) Heb. seren, applied exclusively to the "lords of the Philistines" (Judg. 3:3). The LXX. render it by satrapies. At this period the Philistines were not, as at a later period (1 Sam. 21:10), under a kingly government. (See Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 6:18.) There were five such lordships, viz., Gath, Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron.

Lord - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

LORD, n.

1. A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor.

Man over man he made not lord.

But now I was the lord of this fair mansion.

2. A tyrant; an oppressive ruler.

3. A husband.

I oft in bitterness of soul deplores my absent daughter, and my dearer lord.

My lord also being old. Gen 18.

4. A baron; the proprietor of a manor; as the lord of the manor.

5. A nobleman; a title of honor in Great Britain given to those who are noble by birth or creation; a peer of the realm, including dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts and barons. Archbishops and bishops also, as members of the house of lords, are lords of parliament. Thus we say, lords temporal and spiritual. By courtesy also the title is given to the sons of dukes and marquises, and to the eldest sons of earls.

6. An honorary title bestowed on certain official characters; as lord advocate, lord chamberlain, lord chancellor, lord chief justice, _c.

7. In scripture, the Supreme Being; Jehovah. When Lord, in the Old Testament, is prints in capitals, it is the translation of JEHOVAH, and so might, with more propriety, be rendered. The word is applied to Christ, Psa 110. Col 3. and to the Holy Spirit, 2 Th 3. As a title of respect, it is applied to kings, Gen 40. 2 Sam 19. to princes and nobles, Gen 42. Dan 4. to a husband, Gen 18. to a prophet, 1 Ki 18. 2 Ki 2. and to a respectable person, Gen 24. Christ is called the Lord of glory, 1 Cor 2. and Lord of lords, Rev 19.

LORD, v.t. To invest with the dignity and privileges of a lord.

LORD, v.i. To domineer; to rule with arbitrary or despotic sway; sometimes followed by over, and sometimes by it, in the manner of a transitive verb.

The whiles she lordeth in licentious bliss.

I see them lording it in London streets.

They lorded over them whom now they serve.

Master - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

M`ASTER, n. [L. magister, compounded of the root of magis, major, greater.]

1. A man who rules, governs or directs either men or business. A man who owns slaves is their master; he who has servants is their master; he who has apprentices is their master; he who has apprentices is their master, as he has the government and direction of them. The man who superintends and directs any business, is master, or master workman.

O thou my friend, my genius, come along,

Thou master of the poet and the song.

Nations that want protectors, will have masters.

2. A director, head, or chief manager; as the master of a feast.

3. The owner; proprietor; with the idea of governing. The master of a house may be the owner, or the occupant, who has a temporary right of governing it.

It would be believed that he rather took the horse for his subject, than his master.

4. A lord; a ruler; one who has supreme dominion.

Caesar, the world's great master and his own.

5. A chief; a principal; as the master root of a plant.

One master passion swallows up the rest.

6. One who has possession, and the power of controlling or using at pleasure.

When I have made myself master of a hundred thousand drachmas--

7. The commander of a merchant ship.

8. In ships of war, an officer who takes rank immediately after the lieutenants,and navigates the ship under the direction of the captain.

9. The director of a school; a teacher; an instructor.

In this sense the word is giving place to the more appropriate words teacher, instructor and preceptor; at least it is so in the United States.

10. One uncontrolled.

Let every man be master of his time.

11. An appellation of respect.

Master doctor, you have brought those drugs.

12. An appellation given to young men.

Where there are little masters and misses in a house--

13. A man eminently or perfectly skilled in any occupation, art or science. We say, a man is master of his business; a great master of music, of the flute or violin; a master of his subject, _c.

14. A title of dignity in colleges and universities; as Master of Arts.

15. The chief of a society; as the Grand Master of Malta, of free-masons, _c.

16. The director of ceremonies at public places, or on public occasions.

17. The president of a college.

Master in chancery, an assistant of the lord chancellor, chosen from among the barristers to sit in chancery, or at the rolls.

To be master of one's self, to have the command or control of one's own passions.

The word master has numerous applications, in all of which it has the sense of director, chief or superintendent.

As a title of respect given to adult persons, it is pronounced mister; a pronunciation which seems to have been derived from some of the northern dialects. [supra.]

M`ASTER, v.i. To conquer; to overpower; to subdue; to bring under control.

Obstinacy and willful neglect must be mastered, even though it costs blows.

Evil customs must be mastered by degrees.

1. To execute with skill.

I will not offer that which I cannot master.

2. To rule; to govern.

--And rather father thee than master thee. [Not used.]

M`ASTER, v.i. To be skillful; to excel.

Sir - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

SIR, n. sur.

1. A word or respect used in addresses to men, as madam is in addresses to women. It signifies properly lord, corresponding to dominus in Latin, in Spanish, and herr in German. It is used in the singular or plural. Speak on, sir. But sirs, be sudden in the execution.

2. The title of a knight or baronet; as Sir Horace Vere.

3. It is used by Shakespeare for man. In the election of a sir so rare. [Not in use.]

4. In American colleges, the title of a master of arts.

5. It is prefixed to loin, in sirloin; as a sirloin of beef. This practice is said to have originated in the knighting of a loin of beef by one of the English kings in a fit of good humor.

6. Formerly the title or a priest.

The Aramaic designation, Mare', occurs only in Da (e.g. 2:47; 5:23), and the same word refers to a man (4:24).

Of the Greek words, Kurios is freely used of both the Deity and men. Despotes, of men in classic usage, occurs only of God, including the ascended Jesus, and is employed only 5 times. Megistanes (plural) is found once, of men (Mr 6:21). Rabboni (Hebrew in Greek letters) is applied only to the Christ, and is simply transliterated in the Revised Version (British and American), but rendered "Lord" in the King James Version (compare Mr 10:51).

Our English versions distinguish the 3 main uses of the term thus:

(1) "LORD" represents the Hebrew Yahweh, Septuagint Kurios, except where 'Adhonay or 'Adhon is combined with Yahweh (= "Lord God"); the American Standard Revised Version has in these examples employed the name as it is found in the Hebrew, simply transliterated.

(2) "Lord" corresponds to 'Adhonay, 'Adhon, Mare', also Greek Kurios (see (1)), and Despotes, for which the American Standard Revised Version has always "Master" in either the text or the margin.

(3) "Lord" ("lord") translates all the remaining 8 Hebrew words and the Greek words except Despotes. It is thus seen that Kurios corresponds to all three forms of writing the English term.

See JEHOVAH.

William Owen Carver

mas'-ter ('adhon, ba`al, rabbi; despotes, didaskalos, kurios, rhabbi): "Master," when the translation of 'adhon, "ruler," "lord" (Sir), often translated "lord," denotes generally the owner or master of a servant or slave (Ge 24:9, etc.; 39:2, etc.; Ex 21:4, etc.; De 23:15 bis; 2Sa 9:9,10 twice; Pr 30:10); elsewhere it is rather "lord" or "ruler" (often king, e.g. 1Sa 24:6,8; 26:16); in the plural 'adhonim, it is, as the rule, used only of God (but see Ge 19:2,18; De 10:17; Ps 136:3, "Lord of lords"; Isa 26:13, "other lords"; 19:4 (Hebrew "lords"); 24:2). Ba`al, "lord," "owner," is translated "master": "the master of the house" (Ex 22:8; Jud 19:22,23); "the ass his master's crib" (Isa 1:3). We have it also translated "masters of assemblies" (Ec 12:11). See ASSEMBLIES, MASTERS OF. Compare Ecclesiasticus 32:1, "master (of a feast)," the Revised Version (British and American) "ruler"; Joh 2:9, "ruler of the feast"; [rabh] (Da 1:3; Jon 1:6, "shipmaster"); rabh, Aramaic, "great," "mighty," "elder" (Da 4:9; 5:11," master of the magicians"); also [sar], "head" or "chief" (Ex 1:11, "taskmasters"; 1Ch 15:27, "master of the song," the Revised Version margin "the carrying of the ark, Hebrew the lifting up"); `ur, "to call," "to awake," is also rendered "master" in the King James Version, "The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar," margin "him that waketh and him that answereth," the Revised Version (British and American) as the King James Version margin (Mal 2:12).

The verb "to master" does not occur in the Old Testament, but we have in Apocrypha (The Wisdom of Solomon 12:18) "mastering thy power" (despozon ischuos), the Revised Version (British and American) "being sovereign over (thy) strengh."

In the New Testament despotes answers to 'adhon as "master" (1Ti 6:1,2; 2Ti 2:21), rendered also "Lord" (Lu 2:29,etc.); kurios, is "Master," "Lord," "Sir," used very frequently of God or of Christ (Mt 1:20,22,24), translated "Master" (Mt 6:24; 15:27; the King James Version Mr 13:35; Ro 14:4, etc.); kathegetes, a "leader," is translated "Master" (Mt 23:8 (the King James Version),10); didaskalos, a title very often applied to our Lord in the Gospels, is "Teacher," translated "Master" in the King James Version Mt 8:19; 9:11; Mr 4:38; Lu 3:12, etc.; the Revised Version (British and American) "Teacher"; also Joh 3:2,10; Jas 3:1, "be not many masters," the Revised Version (British and American) "teachers"; rhabbi, rhabbei ("Rabbi") (a transliterated Hebrew term signifying "my Teacher") is also in several instances applied to Jesus, the King James Version "Master" (Mt 26:25,49; Mr 9:5; 11:21; Joh 9:2 (the Revised Version (British and American) leaves untranslated) Mr 10:51, "Rabboni," the King James Version "Lord"; Joh 20:16 ("Rabbouni"), the Revised Version (British and American) "Rabboni," which see).

For "master" the Revised Version (British and American) has "lord" (1Sa 26:16; 29:4,10; Am 4:1; Mr 13:35; Ro 14:4); "master" for "lord" (Ge 39:16; 2Pe 2:1; Re 6:10); for "good man of the house" (Mt 24:43; Lu 12:39), "master of the house"; in Eph 6:5, the Revised Version margin gives "Gr lords" (in 6:9, "their Master and yours" is also Greek kurios); instead of "the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:4), the Revised Version (British and American) reads "our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ," margin "the only Master, and our Lord Jesus Christ"; for "overcame them" (Ac 19:16), "mastered both of them."

W. L. Walker

sur: In the Old Testament this word in Ge 43:20 the King James Version ('adhon) is changed in the Revised Version (British and American) into "my lord." In the New Testament the word sometimes represents aner, as in Ac 7:26; 14:15; 19:25, etc.; more frequently kurios, "lord," as in Mt 13:27; 21:30; 27:36; Joh 4:11,15,19,49 (the Revised Version margin "lord"); Joh 20:15. In Re 7:14, the Revised Version (British and American) renders "my lord."

Definition

In the Bible, the term “lord” generally refers to someone who has ownership or authority over other people. In the Bible, however, the term is used to address many different kinds of people, including God.

• This word is sometimes translated as “master” when addressing Jesus or when referring to someone who owns slaves.
• Some English versions translate this as “sir” in contexts where someone is politely addressing someone of higher status.

When “Lord” is capitalized, it is a title that refers to God. (Note, however, that when it is used as a form of addressing someone or it occurs at the beginning of a sentence it may be capitalized and have the meaning of “sir” or “master.”)

• In the Old Testament, this term is also used in expressions such as “Lord God Almighty” or “Lord Yahweh” or “Yahweh our Lord.”
• In the New Testament, the apostles used this term in expressions such as “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ,” which communicate that Jesus is God.
• The term “Lord” in the New Testament is also used alone as a direct reference to God, especially in quotations from the Old Testament. For example, the Old Testament text has “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh” and the New Testament text has “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
• In the ULT and UST, the title “Lord” is only used to translate the actual Hebrew and Greek words that mean “Lord.” It is never used as a translation of God’s name (Yahweh), as is done in many translations.

• Some languages translate “Lord” as “Master” or “Ruler” or some other term that communicates ownership or supreme rule.
• In the appropriate contexts, many translations capitalize the first letter of this term to make it clear to the reader that this is a title referring to God.
• For places in the New Testament where there is a quote from the Old Testament, the term “Lord God” could be used to make it clear that this is a reference to God.

Translation Suggestions

• This term can be translated with the equivalent of “master” when it refers to a person who owns slaves. It can also be used by a servant to address the person he works for.
• When it refers to Jesus, if the context shows that the speaker sees him as a religious teacher, it can be translated with a respectful address for a religious teacher, such as “master.”
• If the person addressing Jesus does not know him, “lord” could be translated with a respectful form of address such as “sir.” This translation would also be used for other contexts in which a polite form of address to a man is called for.
• When referring to God the Father or to Jesus, this term is considered a title, written as “Lord” (capitalized) in English.

(See also: God, Jesus, ruler, Yahweh)

Bible References

• Genesis 39:2
• Joshua 3:9-11
• Psalms 86:15-17
• Jeremiah 27:4
• Lamentations 2:2
• Ezekiel 18:29
• Daniel 9:9
• Daniel 9:17-19
• Malachi 3:1
• Matthew 7:21-23
• Luke 1:30-33
• Luke 16:13
• Romans 6:23
• Ephesians 6:9
• Philippians 2:9-11
• Colossians 3:23
• Hebrews 12:14
• James 2:1
• 1 Peter 1:3
• Jude 1:5
• Revelation 15:4

Examples from the Bible stories

• __25:5 But Jesus replied to Satan by quoting from the Scriptures. He said, “In God’s word, he commands his people, ‘Do not test the Lord__ your God.’”
• __25:7 Jesus replied, “Get away from me, Satan! In God’s word he commands his people, ‘Worship only the Lord__ your God and only serve him.’”
• __26:3 This is the year of the Lord’s__ favor.
• __27:2 The law expert replied that God’s law says, “Love the Lord__ your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.”
• __31:5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Master__, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water”
• __43:9 “But know for certain that God has caused Jesus to become both Lord__ and Messiah!”
• __47:3 By means of this demon she predicted the future for people, she made a lot of money for her masters__ as a fortuneteller.
• __47:11 Paul answered, “Believe in Jesus, the Master__, and you and your family will be saved.”

Word Data

• Strong’s: H0113, H0136, H1167, H1376, H4756, H7980, H8323, G02030, G06340, G09620, G12030, G29620