τετραρχ-έω G5075
to be tetrarch, to rule as a tetrarch (governor of a fourth part of a region)
A tetrarch originally governed one-fourth of a territory, though by the New Testament period the title had become a general designation for a subordinate ruler under Roman authority. This was a step below a full king in the hierarchy of client rulers. The verb appears only in Luke 3:1, where it anchors Jesus' ministry in precise historical context by naming the political rulers of various regions—Herod, Philip, and Lysanias—each governing their respective territories as tetrarchs.
Senses
1. sense 1 — All three occurrences appear in the same verse (Luke 3:1), listing the tetrarchs ruling different regions when John the Baptist began his ministry: Herod tetrarch of Galilee, Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene. The triple use demonstrates Luke's careful historical documentation, situating sacred events within the framework of secular governance. The multilingual glosses preserve the technical administrative term: Spanish siendo-tetrarca, French être-tétrarque, reflecting the specific political office that defined regional power structures in Roman-controlled Palestine. 3×
AR["رَئِيسَ-رُبْعٍ"]·ben["চতুর্থাংশ-শাসক-থাকাকালে"]·DE["τετρααρχοῦντος"]·EN["being-tetrarch"]·FR["être-tétrarque"]·heb["הָיָה-טֶטְרַךְ"]·HI["चौथाई-होते-हुए"]·ID["menjadi-tetrarki"]·IT["tetraarchountos"]·jav["dados-wali-nagari,", "nalika-dados-wali-nagari"]·KO["분봉왕인"]·PT["sendo-tetrarca"]·RU["четвертовластничествовавшего"]·ES["siendo-tetrarca"]·SW["alipokuwa-tetrarchi"]·TR["bölge-yöneticisiyken"]·urd["چوتھائی-حاکم-ہوتے-ہوئے"]
Related Senses
G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)G1849 1. authority, power (91×)H6485a 2. Qal: punish, bring judgment (63×)H8198 1. maidservant, female slave (63×)G2962 2. master, lord (human authority) (61×)H0034 1. needy, poor, destitute (61×)H0519 1. female servant, maidservant (56×)H6041 1. poor, needy person (55×)H0113 2. master, owner of servants (49×)H4910 1. Qal: to have dominion, exercise power over (44×)H1800 1. poor, needy (socioeconomic) (38×)H3515 1. heavy, severe, grievous (36×)G4434 1. (34×)G5092 1. honor, esteem, respect (33×)H6485a 4. Qal: visit, attend to, care for (32×)H3513 1. honor / show respect (Piel) (30×)H4910 2. Qal: to rule, govern (administrative authority) (27×)H4513 1. withhold, restrain, hold back (25×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
τετραρχ-έω, to be tetrarch, τῆς Γαλιλαίας NT+1st c.AD+