652. apostolos
Lexicon
apostolos: Apostle

Original Word: ἀπόστολος
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: apostolos
Pronunciation: ah-POS-toh-los
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-os'-tol-os)
Definition: Apostle
Meaning: a messenger, envoy, delegate, one commissioned by another to represent him in some way, especially a man sent out by Jesus Christ Himself to preach the Gospel; an apostle.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
apostle, messenger, he that is sent.

From apostello; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ ("apostle") (with miraculous powers) -- apostle, messenger, he that is sent.

see GREEK apostello

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 652 apóstolos (from 649 /apostéllō, "to commission, send forth") – properly, someone sent (commissioned), focusing back on the authority (commissioning) of the sender (note the prefix, apo); apostle.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from apostelló
Definition
a messenger, one sent on a mission, an apostle
NASB Translation
apostle (19), apostles (52), apostles' (5), messenger (1), messengers (1), is sent (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 652: ἀπόστολος

ἀπόστολος, ἀποστόλου, ;

1. a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders (Herodotus 1, 21; 5, 38; for שָׁלוּחַ in 1 Kings 14:6 (Alex.); rabbinical שְׁלִיחַ): John 13:16 (where ἀπόστολος and πέμψας αὐτόν are contrasted); followed by a genitive, as τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, 2 Corinthians 8:23; Philippians 2:25; ἀπόστολον ... τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν the apostle whom we confess, of Christ, God's chief messenger, who has brought the κλῆσις ἀπουρανιος, as compared with Moses, whom the Jews confess, Hebrews 3:1.

2. Specially applied to the twelve disciples whom Christ selected, out of the multitude of his adherents, to be his constant companions and the heralds to proclaim to men the kingdom of God: Matthew 10:1-4; Luke 6:13; Acts 1:26; Revelation 21:14, and often, but nowhere in the Gospel and Epistles of John; ("the word ἀπόστολος occurs 79 times in the N. T., and of these 68 instances are in St. Luke and St. Paul." Lightfoot). With these apostles Paul claimed equality, because through a heavenly intervention he had been appointed by the ascended Christ himself to preach the gospel among the Gentiles, and owed his knowledge of the way of salvation not to man's instruction but to direct revelation from Christ himself, and moreover had evinced his apostolic qualifications by many signal proofs: Galatians 1:1, 11; Galatians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 1 Corinthians 15:8-10; 2 Corinthians 3:2ff; 12:12; 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11, cf. Acts 26:12-20. According to Paul, apostles surpassed as well the various other orders of Christian teachers (cf. διδάσκαλος, εὐαγγελιστής, προφήτης), as also the rest of those on whom the special gifts (cf. χάρισμα) of the Holy Spirit had been bestowed, by receiving a richer and more copious conferment of the Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11. Certain false teachers are rated sharply for arrogating to themselves the name and authority of apostles of Christ: 2 Corinthians 11:5, 13; Revelation 2:2.

3. In a broader sense the name is transferred to other eminent Christian teachers; as Barnabas, Acts 14:14, and perhaps also Timothy and Silvanus, 1 Thessalonians 2:7 (6), cf. too Romans 16:7 (?). But in Luke 11:49; Ephesians 3:5; Revelation 18:20, 'apostles' is to be taken in the narrower sense. (On the application of the term see especially Lightfoot on Galatians, pp. 92-101; Harnack, on 'Teaching etc. 11, 3 [ET]; cf. BB. DD. under the word)

Topical Lexicon
Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb ἀποστέλλω (apostellō), meaning "to send away" or "to send forth."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The concept of being sent with a mission is also present in the Hebrew Scriptures, though there is no direct equivalent to ἀπόστολος. However, the Hebrew verb שָׁלַח (shalach, Strong's Hebrew 7971), meaning "to send," shares a similar idea of being sent with a purpose or mission.

Usage: The term ἀπόστολος is used in the New Testament to describe the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus, as well as Paul, who was later called to be an apostle. It is also used more broadly to refer to other individuals who were sent out to spread the Christian message.

Context: The term ἀπόστολος is a significant title in the New Testament, denoting a person who is sent with a specific mission or commission. The role of an apostle is foundational in the establishment and spread of the early Christian Church. The original twelve apostles were personally selected by Jesus Christ and were given authority to teach, perform miracles, and lead the early Christian community.

In the New Testament, the apostles are often seen as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, tasked with bearing witness to these events and spreading His teachings. For example, in Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His apostles, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Paul, although not one of the original twelve, is also recognized as an apostle due to his encounter with the risen Christ and his significant role in the spread of Christianity among the Gentiles. In Galatians 1:1, Paul asserts his apostleship, stating, "Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead."

The concept of apostleship extends beyond the original twelve and Paul, as seen in passages like Romans 16:7, where Andronicus and Junia are noted as being "outstanding among the apostles." This indicates that the early Church recognized others who were sent with the authority to preach and teach.

The role of an apostle is characterized by a divine calling, a commission to preach the gospel, and the authority to establish and guide churches. The apostles laid the foundation for the Church, as described in Ephesians 2:20, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone."

Forms and Transliterations
αποστολοι αποστολοί αποστόλοι απόστολοι ἀπόστολοι αποστολοις αποστόλοις ἀποστόλοις αποστολον απόστολον ἀπόστολον αποστολος αποστόλος απόστολος ἀπόστολος αποστολου αποστόλου ἀποστόλου αποστολους αποστόλους ἀποστόλους αποστολων αποστόλων ἀποστόλων apostoloi apóstoloi apostolois apostólois apostolon apostolōn apostólon apostólōn apóstolon apostolos apóstolos apostolou apostólou apostolous apostólous
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 10:2 N-GMP
GRK: δὲ δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τὰ ὀνόματά
NAS: of the twelve apostles are these:
KJV: of the twelve apostles are
INT: and [the] twelve apostles the names

Mark 3:14 N-AMP
GRK: οὓς καὶ ἀποστόλους ὠνόμασεν ἵνα
INT: ones and apostles he calls that

Mark 6:30 N-NMP
GRK: συνάγονται οἱ ἀπόστολοι πρὸς τὸν
NAS: The apostles gathered together
KJV: And the apostles gathered themselves together
INT: are gathered together the apostles to

Luke 6:13 N-AMP
GRK: οὓς καὶ ἀποστόλους ὠνόμασεν
NAS: He also named as apostles:
KJV: also he named apostles;
INT: whom also apostles he named

Luke 9:10 N-NMP
GRK: ὑποστρέψαντες οἱ ἀπόστολοι διηγήσαντο αὐτῷ
NAS: When the apostles returned,
KJV: And the apostles, when they were returned,
INT: having returned the apostles related to him

Luke 11:49 N-AMP
GRK: προφήτας καὶ ἀποστόλους καὶ ἐξ
NAS: to them prophets and apostles, and [some] of them they will kill
KJV: prophets and apostles, and [some] of
INT: prophets and apostles and [some] of

Luke 17:5 N-NMP
GRK: εἶπαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τῷ κυρίῳ
NAS: The apostles said to the Lord,
KJV: And the apostles said unto the Lord,
INT: said the apostles to the Lord

Luke 22:14 N-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι σὺν αὐτῷ
NAS: He reclined [at the table], and the apostles with Him.
KJV: and the twelve apostles with him.
INT: and the apostles with him

Luke 24:10 N-AMP
GRK: πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ταῦτα
NAS: these things to the apostles.
KJV: these things unto the apostles.
INT: to the apostles these things

John 13:16 N-NMS
GRK: αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ ἀπόστολος μείζων τοῦ
NAS: nor [is] one who is sent greater
KJV: neither he that is sent greater than
INT: of him nor a messenger greater than the [one]

Acts 1:2 N-DMP
GRK: ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις διὰ πνεύματος
NAS: given orders to the apostles whom
KJV: had given commandments unto the apostles whom
INT: having given command to the apostles by [the] Spirit

Acts 1:26 N-GMP
GRK: τῶν ἕνδεκα ἀποστόλων
NAS: to the eleven apostles.
KJV: with the eleven apostles.
INT: the eleven apostles

Acts 2:37 N-AMP
GRK: τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀποστόλους Τί ποιήσωμεν
NAS: and the rest of the apostles, Brethren,
KJV: to the rest of the apostles, Men
INT: the other apostles What shall we do

Acts 2:42 N-GMP
GRK: διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῇ
NAS: They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching
KJV: stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine
INT: teaching of the apostles and

Acts 2:43 N-GMP
GRK: διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγίνετο
NAS: through the apostles.
KJV: were done by the apostles.
INT: through the apostles took place

Acts 4:33 N-NMP
GRK: μαρτύριον οἱ ἀπόστολοι τοῦ κυρίου
NAS: power the apostles were giving
KJV: gave the apostles witness
INT: testimony the apostles of the Lord

Acts 4:35 N-GMP
GRK: πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων διεδίδετο δὲ
NAS: and lay them at the apostles' feet,
KJV: at the apostles' feet:
INT: feet of the apostles distribution was made moreover

Acts 4:36 N-GMP
GRK: ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὅ ἐστιν
NAS: Barnabas by the apostles (which
KJV: by the apostles was surnamed
INT: by the apostles which is

Acts 4:37 N-GMP
GRK: πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων
NAS: and laid it at the apostles' feet.
KJV: laid [it] at the apostles' feet.
INT: feet of the apostles

Acts 5:2 N-GMP
GRK: πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔθηκεν
NAS: of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.
KJV: and laid [it] at the apostles' feet.
INT: feet of the apostles laid [it]

Acts 5:12 N-GMP
GRK: χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγίνετο σημεῖα
NAS: At the hands of the apostles many
KJV: by the hands of the apostles were many
INT: hands of the apostles came to pass signs

Acts 5:18 N-AMP
GRK: ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ ἔθεντο
NAS: hands on the apostles and put
KJV: hands on the apostles, and put
INT: on the apostles and put

Acts 5:29 N-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι εἶπαν Πειθαρχεῖν
NAS: But Peter and the apostles answered,
KJV: and the [other] apostles answered
INT: and the apostles said To obey

Acts 5:40 N-AMP
GRK: προσκαλεσάμενοι τοὺς ἀποστόλους δείραντες παρήγγειλαν
NAS: and after calling the apostles in, they flogged
KJV: when they had called the apostles, and beaten
INT: having called to [them] the apostles having beaten they commanded [them]

Acts 6:6 N-GMP
GRK: ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προσευξάμενοι
NAS: before the apostles; and after praying,
KJV: before the apostles: and
INT: before the apostles and having prayed

Strong's Greek 652
80 Occurrences


ἀποστόλων — 22 Occ.
ἀπόστολοι — 16 Occ.
ἀποστόλοις — 6 Occ.
ἀπόστολον — 2 Occ.
ἀπόστολος — 18 Occ.
ἀποστόλου — 1 Occ.
ἀποστόλους — 15 Occ.















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