δῠνάστ-ης G1413
ruler, sovereign, powerful one; a person of great authority or might, from local officials to divine majesty
The noun δυνάστης (from δύναμαι, 'to be able') denotes someone who exercises power or rule, ranging from court officials to cosmic rulers. In biblical usage it spans from a specific Ethiopian court official to God's absolute sovereignty. The term emphasizes actual power rather than merely formal position—these are people who can make things happen, whether through political authority, military might, or divine omnipotence.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The three NT occurrences cover the spectrum of power. In Luke 1:52 Mary's Magnificat proclaims that God 'has brought down the powerful from their thrones'—earthly dynasts displaced by divine reversal. Acts 8:27 uses it for the Ethiopian eunuch, 'a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure'—a high-ranking governmental minister. First Timothy 6:15 applies it to God himself as 'the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.' The Spanish (Soberano, oficial, poderosos) and French (puissant) reflect varying contexts. The semantic core remains consistent: effective, exercised authority rather than titular rank. 3×
AR["القَديرُ", "الْأَقْوِيَاءَ", "وَزِيرٌ"]·ben["কর্মকর্তা", "শাসকদের", "সার্বভৌম,"]·DE["Machthaber", "δυνάστας", "δυνάστης"]·EN["Sovereign", "court-official", "rulers"]·FR["puissant"]·heb["שַׁלִּיט", "שַׁלִּיטִים", "שַׂר"]·HI["अधिकारियों-को", "शअसक", "शक्तिशाली"]·ID["Penguasa", "pembesar", "penguasa-penguasa"]·IT["dunastas", "dunastēs", "potente"]·jav["Panguwasa,", "pejabat", "tiyang-kwaos"]·KO["관원-이", "권세-있는-자들-을", "주권자,"]·PT["Soberano", "oficial", "poderosos"]·RU["Властитель", "вельможа", "властителей"]·ES["Soberano", "oficial", "poderosos"]·SW["Mtawala", "mkuu", "watawala"]·TR["Hükümdar", "hükümdarları", "yetkili"]·urd["اہلکار", "حاکم", "حاکموں-کو"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
δῠνάστ-ης, ου, ὁ, lord, master, ruler, of Zeus, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἄνδρες δ. the chief men in a state, Refs 5th c.BC+; petty chief, princelet, Refs 5th c.BC+; λαμπροὶ δυνάσται, of the stars, Refs 4th c.BC+