ἀδελφός G0080
Brother; fellow believer; kinsman — the primary NT term for sibling or spiritual family member
From the Greek adelphos, literally 'of the same womb,' this word carries a dual register in the New Testament. In a handful of passages it denotes a literal blood brother — James and John, or Jesus' own siblings. But in the vast majority of its 343 occurrences it addresses fellow believers as family, making the early church's self-understanding vividly relational. Spanish 'hermanos,' French 'frère,' and German 'Bruder' all preserve this same breadth, while the consistent plural across languages highlights how the communal sense dominated apostolic usage.
Senses
1. [split] brother, fellow believer — A male sibling or, far more often in the NT, a fellow member of the believing community addressed with familial warmth. The word's etymological root (a- copulative + delphys, 'womb') underscores shared origin — whether biological or spiritual. Paul's letters alone account for scores of occurrences in the communal sense (e.g., Rom 1:13; 1 Cor 1:10), while the literal kinship sense appears in contexts like Matt 4:18 (Peter and Andrew). 1×
AR["-", "إِخوَةٌ", "إِخوَةٍ", "إِخوَتي", "إِخوَتُكَ", "إِخوَتُهُ", "إِخوَتِي", "إِخْوَةً", "إِخْوَتي", "إِخْوَتَهُ", "إِخْوَتُكَ", "إِخْوَتُهُ", "إِخْوَتِكُمْ", "إِخْوَتِي"]·ben["ভাই", "ভাইকে,", "ভাইদের", "ভাইয়েরা"]·DE["Bruder", "Brueder"]·EN["brothers"]·FR["frère"]·heb["אֶחָיו", "אַחִים", "אַחֵיכֶם", "אַחֶיךָ", "אַחַי", "וְ-"]·HI["और", "बाहर", "भएए", "भाइयों", "भाइयों-को", "भाई", "भैयोन", "भैयोन-को"]·ID["saudara", "saudara,", "saudara-saudara", "saudara-saudaranya"]·IT["fratello"]·jav["sadherek", "sadhèrèk", "sadhèrèk,", "sadhèrèk-jaler", "sadhèrèk-lanang", "sadhèrèk-sadhèrèk", "sadhèrèkipun"]·KO["형제", "형제-를", "형제들", "형제들-에게", "형제들-을", "형제들-의", "형제들은", "형제들이", "형제들이다", "형제들이치"]·PT["irmãos", "irmãos,", "irmãos.", "irmãos;"]·RU["братьев", "братьев,", "братьев;", "братья", "братьям", "братьях."]·ES["hermanos"]·SW["-", "au", "na", "ndugu"]·TR["erkek-kardeşler", "erkek-kardeşleri", "kardeş", "kardeşin", "kardeşler", "kardeşleri", "kardeşlerim", "kardeşlerime", "kardeşlerimin", "kardeşlerin", "kardeşlerinin", "kardeşlerinizi"]·urd["بھائی", "بھائیوں", "بھائیوں-کو"]
Matt 1:2, Matt 1:11, Matt 4:18, Matt 4:21, Matt 5:47, Matt 12:46, Matt 12:47, Matt 12:48, Matt 12:49, Matt 13:55, Matt 19:29, Matt 20:24 (+38 more)
1. brother (fellow believer) — Split from sense 61289. Criteria: Spiritual brotherhood in the Christian community, Paul's habitual address 'adelphoi' (Rom 1:13, 1 Cor 1:10). Ecclesiological sense. 266×
AR["إِخوَةٌ", "إِخوَتي", "إِخوَتِي", "إِخْوَةُ", "إِخْوَةِ", "إِخْوَتي", "إِخْوَتَ", "إِخْوَتِكُمْ", "إِخْوَتِي", "الإِخْوَةِ"]·ben["কিন্তু", "ভাই", "ভাইদের", "ভাইদের,", "ভাইয়েরা", "ভ্রাতৃগণ"]·DE["Bruder", "Brueder"]·EN["brothers"]·FR["frère"]·heb["אַחִים", "אַחֵיכֶם", "אַחֶיךָ", "אַחַי"]·HI["उसकी-सुनोगे", "भएए", "भाइयो", "भाइयों", "भाइयों-को", "भाई", "भीड़", "मैं-जानता-हूँ"]·ID["saudara", "saudara,", "saudara-saudara", "saudara-saudara,", "saudara-saudara?", "saudara-saudaramu"]·IT["fratello"]·jav["para-sadhèrèk,", "para-sadhèrèk?", "sadherek", "sadhèrèk", "sadhèrèk,", "sadhèrèk-lanang", "sadhèrèk-sadhèrèk"]·KO["그-를", "나-에게", "형제들", "형제들-로부터", "형제들-아", "형제들-에게", "형제들-의", "형제들-이여", "형제들을", "형제들이", "형제들이다", "형제들이치"]·PT["irmãos"]·RU["братьев", "братьев,", "братья", "братья,", "братья?", "братьям"]·ES["hermanos"]·SW["na", "ndugu"]·TR["adamlar", "kardeşler", "kardeşlere", "kardeşlerim", "kardeşlerime", "kardeşlerimin", "kardeşlerin", "kardeşlerini", "kardeşlerinizden", "kardeşlerinizi"]·urd["بھائی", "بھائیو", "بھائیوں", "بھائیوں-کو", "بھائیوں-کے"]
Matt 5:47, Matt 12:48, Matt 12:49, Matt 23:8, Matt 25:40, Matt 28:10, Mark 3:33, Mark 3:34, Luke 8:21, Luke 22:32, John 20:17, John 21:23 (+38 more)
2. brother (biological sibling) — Split from sense 61289. Criteria: Literal male sibling by blood: Andrew and Peter (Matt 4:18), James and John, Joseph's brothers. Kinship relationship. 76×
AR["-", "إِخوَةً", "إِخوَةٌ", "إِخوَةٍ", "إِخوَةُ", "إِخوَتُكَ", "إِخوَتُهُ", "إِخْوَةً", "إِخْوَةٍ", "إِخْوَتَكَ", "إِخْوَتَهُ", "إِخْوَتُكَ", "إِخْوَتُهُ"]·ben["ভাই", "ভাইকে,", "ভাইদের", "ভাইয়েরা"]·DE["Bruder", "Brueder"]·EN["brothers"]·FR["frère"]·heb["אֶחָיו", "אַחִים", "אַחֶיךָ", "וְ-"]·HI["और", "बाहर", "भएए", "भाइयों", "भाइयों-को", "भाई", "भैयोन", "भैयोन-को"]·ID["bersaudara", "itu", "saudara", "saudara,", "saudara-saudara", "saudara-saudaranya"]·IT["fratello"]·jav["sadherek-jaler", "sadhèrèk", "sadhèrèk,", "sadhèrèk-jaler", "sadhèrèk-lanang", "sadhèrèk-sadhèrèk", "sadhèrèkipun"]·KO["형제", "형제-를", "형제가", "형제들", "형제들-을", "형제들은", "형제들을", "형제들이"]·PT["irmãos", "irmãos,", "irmãos.", "irmãos;"]·RU["братьев", "братьев,", "братьев;", "братья", "братьях."]·ES["hermanos"]·SW["-", "au", "ndugu"]·TR["erkek-kardeşler", "erkek-kardeşleri", "kardeş", "kardeşin", "kardeşler", "kardeşleri", "kardeşlerin", "kardeşlerinden", "kardeşlerini", "kardeşlerinin"]·urd["بھائی", "بھائیوں"]
Matt 1:2, Matt 1:11, Matt 4:18, Matt 4:18, Matt 4:21, Matt 4:21, Matt 10:2, Matt 10:2, Matt 10:21, Matt 10:21, Matt 12:46, Matt 12:47 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)G1135 1. woman, adult female (190×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)H2145 1. male (human being) (79×)G3384 1. mother (77×)H6485a 1. Qal passive participle: numbered ones, enrollment (76×)H1397 1. man (strong/mighty) (65×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀδελφός [ᾰ], (ἀ- copulative, δελφύς, Refs 4th c.BC+; compare ἀγάστωρ) properly, son of the same mother: __I as substantive, ἀδελφός, ὁ, vocative ἄδελφ; Epic dialect, Ionic dialect, and Lyric poetry ἀδελφεός (genitive -ειοῦ in Refs 8th c.BC+:—brother, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἀδελφοί brother and sister, Refs 5th c.BC+; so of the Ptolemies, θεοὶ ἀδελφοίRefs 3rd c.BC+; ἀπ᾽ ἀμφοτέρων ἀδελφεόςLXX+5th c.BC+…