1. head (literal and figurative) — The head, encompassing both the literal anatomical body part and the metaphorical/figurative sense of authority, preeminence, or source. Greek κεφαλή is used for the physical head of a person or creature (Matt 5:36, 8:20, 14:8, 27:29-30; John 13:9, 19:2, 20:7, 20:12; Rev 1:14, 4:4, 9:7, 12:1, 13:1) as well as metaphorically for Christ as 'head' of the church (Eph 1:22, 4:15, 5:23; Col 1:18, 2:10, 2:19), the husband as 'head' of the wife (1 Cor 11:3; Eph 5:23), and the rejected cornerstone becoming the 'head' of the corner (Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:7). Spanish 'cabeza(s)' (head/heads); Hindi सिर / सिरों (head/heads oblique); Arabic رَأسُ / رؤوسٌ (head/heads); Korean 머리 / 머리들 (head/heads); Swahili kichwa / vichwa (head/heads, Bantu noun class singular/plural). The two clusters S70663 (singular case forms) and S70664 (plural case forms) are number inflections, not semantic distinctions, so they merge into a single polysemous sense covering both literal and figurative uses. 75×
AR["رَأسَ","رَأسَكَ","رَأسَهُ","رَأسِ","رَأسِكُم","رَأْسَ","رَأْسَهُ","رَأْسُهُ","رَأْسِكَ","رَأْسِهِ"]·ben["মাথা","মাথায়","মাথায়,","মাথার","শিরস","শীর্ষ"]·DE["Haupt"]·EN["head","the-head"]·FR["tête"]·heb["רֹאשׁ","רֹאשׁ-ו","רֹאשׁוֹ"]·HI["काटा","बपतिस्मा-देने-वाले","सिर","सिर-की","सिर-के","सिर-पर","सिरा","सिरे-का"]·ID["itu","kepala"]·IT["capo"]·jav["mustaka","sirah","sirahipun"]·KO["머리","머리-를","머리-의","머리가","머리를","머리에","머리의","머릿"]·PT["cabeça"]·RU["главу","голова","голове","головой","голову","головы"]·ES["cabeza"]·SW["Kichwa","jiwe-kuu","kichwa","kutoka-kwa"]·TR["baş","başı","başımı","başın","başına","başını","başının","başınızın"]·urd["سر","سر-پر","میرے","چومتی-تھی"]
Matt 5:36, Matt 6:17, Matt 8:20, Matt 10:30, Matt 14:8, Matt 14:11, Matt 21:42, Matt 26:7, Matt 27:29, Matt 27:30, Matt 27:37, Mark 6:24 (+38 more)
Senses
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κεφᾰλή, ἡ, head of man or beast, Refs 8th c.BC+; κεφαλῇ.. μείζονες taller in stature, Refs 8th c.BC+; so μείων.. κεφαλήνRefs 3rd c.BC+ __a κατὰ κεφαλῆς, Epic dialect κὰκ κεφαλῆς, down over the head, κόνιν.. χεύατο κὰκ κεφαλῆς Refs 8th c.BC+ __b κατὰ κεφαλήν, Epic dialect κὰκ κεφαλήν on the head, Ἐρύλαον.. βάλε πέτρῳ μέσσην κὰκ κεφαλήν Refs 8th c.BC+: in Prose, from above, Refs 5th c.BC+:…