καθέδρ-α G2515
seat, chair; teacher's chair; seating position representing authority
This noun denotes a seat or chair, with specific reference to positions of authority or teaching. Matthew 21:12 and Mark 11:15 describe Jesus overturning 'the seats of those who sold doves' in the temple cleansing. Matthew 23:2 uses it metaphorically: 'The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses' seat'—occupying the teaching authority position. Classical usage includes various seating (from a hare's form to rowers' benches), sitting posture, session, and specifically the teacher's or professor's chair. The New Testament uses span literal furniture (merchants' stools in the temple) and metaphorical position (the authoritative teaching chair representing legitimate but imperfectly exercised authority).
Senses
1. sense 1 — The sense encompasses physical seats and symbolic positions. The temple merchants' seats were literal furniture, part of the commercial apparatus Jesus disrupted to restore the house of prayer. Moses' seat (Matthew 23:2) is likely both literal—an actual seat in synagogues from which Torah was read and taught—and metaphorical—the position of authoritative teaching held by scribes and Pharisees. Jesus affirms their positional authority ('practice what they teach') while condemning their hypocrisy ('don't do what they do'). The Spanish glosses range from 'sillas' (chairs) to 'cátedra' (teaching chair/cathedra), while German has 'Sitz' (seat). The word thus marks both physical furniture and the authority position it represents. 3×
AR["كَراسِيَ", "كَرَاسِيَ", "موسى"]·ben["আসন", "আসনগুলো", "আসনে"]·DE["Sitz", "καθέδρας"]·EN["seat", "seats"]·FR["siège"]·heb["כִּסְאוֹת", "כִּסֵּא"]·HI["कुर्सियां", "गद्दी", "बैठकों"]·ID["kursi", "kursi-kursi", "tempat-duduk"]·IT["kathedras"]·jav["kursi", "kursi-kursi", "palenggahan"]·KO["의자들-을", "의자들을", "자리"]·PT["cadeiras"]·RU["седалище", "сиденья"]·ES["asientos", "cátedra", "sillas"]·SW["viti", "vya-", "wameketi"]·TR["koltukları", "kürsüsünde", "sandalyelerini"]·urd["کرسی", "کرسیاں"]
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
καθέδρ-α, ἡ, seat, κ. τοῦ λαγῶ a hare's seat or form, Refs 5th c.BC+; chair, Refs 1st c.AD+; opposed to κλίνη, Refs 1st c.AD+; of rowers' seats, Refs 2nd c.BC+; κ. λοιμῶν, πρεσβυτέρων, LXX __2 sitting part, posteriors, Refs 5th c.BC+ __3 base of a column, Refs 1st c.BC+ __II sitting posture, Refs 4th c.BC+ __II.2 sitting idle, inaction, ἐν τῇ καθέδρᾳ Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.3 session, Refs 2nd c.AD+…