κύριος G2962
Lord, master, owner, sir: title of divine sovereignty, human authority, property ownership, or respectful address.
One of the New Testament's most theologically loaded words, κύριος spans the full spectrum of authority — from the God of Israel to a courteous 'sir' on the street. When the Septuagint translators chose κύριος to render the divine name YHWH, they set in motion a Christological revolution: every time the early church called Jesus κύριος, they were placing him in the seat of Israel's covenant God. Spanish 'Señor' and German 'Herr' both preserve this double register of divine and human lordship. At its most mundane, the word simply means 'owner' (Luke 19:33, the owners of the colt) or a polite 'Sirs' (Acts 16:30, the Philippian jailer's desperate plea).
3. owner, proprietor — Owner or proprietor of property, emphasizing legal possession rather than personal authority. In Luke 19:33, when the disciples untie the colt, 'its owners' (οἱ κύριοι αὐτοῦ) challenge them — the word here means simply the people who possess the animal. Spanish 'dueños' (owners) captures this property sense distinctly from the authority-laden 'señor.' 1×
AR["أَصحابُ"]·ben["মালিকেরা"]·DE["Herr"]·EN["owners"]·FR["Seigneur"]·heb["בְּעָלִים"]·HI["मालिकों-ने"]·ID["pemilik"]·IT["Signore"]·jav["-"]·KO["주인들이"]·PT["donos"]·RU["хозяева"]·ES["dueños"]·SW["wamiliki"]·TR["sahipleri"]·urd["مالکوں-نے"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. Lord (divine title) — The supreme divine title — God or Christ addressed as Lord, the sovereign ruler over all creation. This dominates New Testament usage (661 of 724 occurrences) and carries immense theological weight because the LXX used κύριος to translate YHWH. In Matthew 4:7 and 4:10, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy using κύριος for God; Paul's confession κύριος Ἰησοῦς (1 Cor 12:3) is the earliest Christian creed. Spanish 'Señor' and German 'Herr' both maintain the reverent capital-letter usage. 661×
AR["الرَّبَّ","الرَّبِّ","رَبٌّ","رَبِّ","لرَّبِّ","لِلرَّبِّ","يا-رَبَّ","يا-رَبُّ","يَا-رَبُّ","يَا-سَيِّدُ"]·ben["প্রভু","প্রভুকে","প্রভুর"]·DE["Herr"]·EN["Kyrios","Lord"]·FR["Seigneur"]·heb["אֲדֹנִי","אֲדוֹן","אָדוֹן"]·HI["प्रभु","प्रभु-की","प्रभु-के","प्रभु-को","प्रभु-से","हे-प्रभु"]·ID["Tuan","Tuhan"]·IT["Signore"]·jav["Gusti","Gusti,","Gusti-Allah","Gusti.","Gustinipun","gusti"]·KO["주","주-로부터","주여","주이니라","주인이여"]·PT["Ao-Senhor","Senhor","o-Senhor"]·RU["Господа","Господи","Господин","Господу"]·ES["A-Señor","Señor","a-Señor","señor"]·SW["Bwana","Bwana,","Bwana.","bwana"]·TR["Efendimiz","Rab","Rab'bine","Rabbe","Rabbi","Rabbim","efendisidir"]·urd["خداوند","خداوند-کو"]
2. master, lord (human authority) — A human lord, master, or authority figure exercising dominion over servants, slaves, or subordinates. Jesus uses this sense in parables — 'no one can serve two masters' (Matt 6:24), 'a disciple is not above his master' (Matt 10:24). The slave-master relationship is literal and concrete here. French 'Seigneur' and Spanish 'señor' (lowercase in some traditions) mark the distinction from divine usage, though the boundary is often theologically blurred. 61×
AR["السَّيِّدُ","رَبُّ","رَبُّهُ","رَبّي","سَيِّدَهُمْ","سَيِّدُ","سَيِّدُهُ","سَيِّدِكَ","سَيِّدِهِ","يَا-سَيِّدُ"]·ben["প্রভু","মনিব","মনিবের","মালিক","মালিককে"]·DE["Herr"]·EN["lord","master"]·FR["Seigneur"]·heb["אֲדוֹן","אֲדוֹנֶיךָ","אֲדוֹנָיו","אֲדוֹנוֹ","אָדוֹן"]·HI["प्रभु","मअलिक","मअलिक-को","मअलिक-ने","स्वामी","स्वामी-से"]·ID["tuan","tuhan"]·IT["Signore"]·jav["Bendara","Gusti","bendara","gusti"]·KO["주여","주인","주인-에게","주인-의","주인-이","주인이"]·PT["senhor"]·RU["господи","господин","господина","господину"]·ES["señor"]·SW["bwana","juu-ya","na","wa-","wake"]·TR["efendi","efendilerine","efendim","efendinin","efendisi","efendisinden","efendisinin","rab"]·urd["خداوند","مالک","مالک-نے","مالک-کو","مالک-کی"]
Matt 6:24, Matt 10:24, Matt 10:25, Matt 15:27, Matt 18:25, Matt 18:27, Matt 18:31, Matt 18:32, Matt 18:34, Matt 20:8, Matt 21:40, Matt 24:45 (+38 more)
4. sir (polite address) — A respectful or courteous form of address to a person of standing, without implying actual lordship or divine status — essentially 'sir.' In Acts 16:30, the terrified Philippian jailer falls before Paul and Silas asking κύριοι, τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν — 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' The plural 'Sirs/Señores' signals deference rather than theological confession, though Luke may intend irony given what follows. 1×
AR["يا-سادَةُ"]·ben["মহাশয়গণ"]·DE["Herr"]·EN["Sirs"]·FR["Seigneur"]·heb["אֲדוֹנַי"]·HI["हे-स्वामी"]·ID["Tuan-tuan"]·IT["Signore"]·jav["Tuwan-tuwan"]·KO["선생들이여"]·PT["Senhores,"]·RU["Господа"]·ES["Señores"]·SW["Mabwana"]·TR["Efendiler"]·urd["صاحبو"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κύριος [ῡ], α, ον, also ος, ον Refs 5th c.BC+:—Thess. κῦρρος Refs 8th c.BC+: __I of persons, having power or authority over, with genitive, Ζεὺς ὁ πάντων κ. Refs 5th c.BC+; πρὶν ἄν σε κ. στήσω τέκνων put thee in possession of.., Refs 5th c.BC+, of the god to whom a temple is dedicated, Refs 2nd c.BC+; τῶν αὑτοὺ κ. Refs 5th c.BC+; θανάτου κ. τινός with power of life and death over, Refs 5th c.BC+…