A brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like )
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ἀδελφός means brother and can refer to a biological sibling, a fellow Israelite, a fellow human in some settings, or a fellow believer. Plural ἀδελφοί often addresses a whole congregation and may include both men and women when the audience is mixed.
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Full entry for ἀδελφός (G80) · Open the biblical lexicon
ἀδελφός means brother and can refer to a biological sibling, a fellow Israelite, a fellow human in some settings, or a fellow believer. Plural ἀδελφοί often addresses a whole congregation and may include both men and women when the audience is mixed.
The BSB source-word alignment has 343 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include brothers (219), brother (93), brother’s (6), [him] (4), a brother (4).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (57), 1 Corinthians (39), Matthew (39), Luke (24).
This entry includes 5 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
ἀδελφός means brother and can refer to a biological sibling, a fellow Israelite, a fellow human in some settings, or a fellow believer. Plural ἀδελφοί often addresses a whole congregation and may include both men and women when the audience is mixed. The local Greek index records about 342 uses, but frequency does not make every occurrence ecclesial or metaphorical.
Romans 8:29 says that God's purpose is to conform His people to the image of His Son so that the Son will be firstborn among many brothers. Hebrews 2:10-12 says the sanctifying Son is not ashamed to call those He sanctifies brothers. These passages give Christian family language a Christ-centered depth, but they preserve Christ's unique sonship and do not make believers His equals.
Matthew 12:46-50 identifies those who do the Father's will as Jesus' brother, sister, and mother. The passage expands family belonging around allegiance to Jesus without commanding contempt for biological relatives. In the letters, sibling address carries practical obligations of love, provision, correction, patience, and reconciliation. It must never be used to conceal abuse, prevent lawful protection, or demand unsafe access in the name of family unity.
The local index records about 342 uses of ἀδελφός. The word can name biological brothers and wider kinship, address fellow Israelites or hearers, and identify fellow believers. Its church use supports real family obligations, but each occurrence must be classified from its speaker, audience, and context.
For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
God purposes to conform His people to the image of His Son, who is firstborn among many brothers. The verse supports genuine family solidarity under Christ while preserving His firstborn priority and unique place.
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus identifies those who do His Father's will as His brother, sister, and mother. The saying creates real belonging around discipleship without erasing His other teachings about honoring and caring for family.
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
John refuses to separate a claim to love the unseen God from love for the visible brother. The letter makes concrete love within the believing community a serious test of truthful confession.
Instead, one brother goes to law against another, and this in front of unbelievers!
Paul rebukes Corinthian believers for taking ordinary disputes against one another before unbelieving judges when the church should possess wisdom to adjudicate them. The passage does not authorize churches to hide crimes, obstruct civil authorities, or pressure victims away from lawful protection.
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
James uses a brother or sister lacking clothing and daily food to expose speech without practical mercy. Sibling language makes the needy person concrete and near; genuine faith responds with embodied care.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. Brother encompasses literal kinship, fellow-nationals, neighbors, and crucially, fellow-Christians in Christian community.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 346 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a brother
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 10 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 342 lexical occurrence verses.
ἀδελφός is built from this root:
Defines spiritual kinship in the kingdom.Acts 28:11-16
Highlights the presence of established Christian community.Luke 8:19–21
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
ἀδελφός gives Christian community the language of real kinship while remaining a context-sensitive word. It can name a biological brother, a fellow Israelite, or a fellow believer, and plural address can include an entire mixed congregation. Romans 8 and Hebrews 2 place believing siblings under the unique firstborn and sanctifying Son. Matthew 12 presents obedience to the Father as the mark of belonging around Jesus.
First John makes love for the visible brother inseparable from a truthful claim to love God, while James makes material need an occasion for practical care. This family language strengthens commitment, forgiveness, correction, provision, and patient presence. It does not grant leaders parental control over adults, erase biological responsibilities, deny different gifts and offices, or require victims to keep crimes and abuse inside the church.
The family of God should be a place of truthful holiness and protection because it belongs to Christ.
Rom.8.29
ἀδελφός is a masculine noun meaning brother, with ἀδελφή as the corresponding word for sister. The plural ἀδελφοί can address men or, in a mixed communal context, a group that includes women. Translation as brothers and sisters is therefore a contextual judgment, not a change to the lexical gender of the noun. Etymology may explain the historical form, but actual New Testament usage, not a same-womb word picture, determines whether an occurrence is biological, ethnic, rhetorical, or ecclesial.
The Hebrew Scriptures use brother language for biological kin and for fellow Israelites, and they attach economic, judicial, and protective duties to covenant neighbors. Deuteronomy 15 warns against hardening the heart toward a needy brother, while Psalm 133 celebrates brothers dwelling in unity. New Testament congregations inherit the seriousness of sibling care as Jews and Gentiles are gathered in Christ.
The church's family identity serves holiness, mercy, and witness; it does not erase Israel, ordinary families, civil responsibility, or the distinction between Christ and His people.