Greek word · G2961

κυριεύω

kyrieuō

to lord over

To be lord or master over, to rule, to have control of. It is built on kyrios: master, owner (of slaves or property), lord, and in Jewish Greek the stand-in for God's name. It takes the genitive of the one ruled.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κυριεύω

(κύριος), [in LXX chiefly for מָשַׁל ;]

to be lord or master of, to rule (over): C. genitive obj., Luke 22:25, Romans 14:9, 2 Corinthians 1:24; absol., 1 Timothy 6:15; metaphorically, ὁ θάνατος, Romans 6:9; ἡ ἁμαρτία, Romans 6:14; ὁ νόμος, Romans 7:1 (cf. κατα-κυριεύω).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Romans 6:14

Range of meaning

To be lord or master over, to rule, to have control of. It is built on kyrios: master, owner (of slaves or property), lord, and in Jewish Greek the stand-in for God's name. It takes the genitive of the one ruled. In the New Testament it is used of rulers "lording it over" subjects (Luke 22:25), of death over the risen Christ (Rom 6:9), of the law over a living person (Rom 7:1), and of Christ as Lord of dead and living (Rom 14:9).

Against the English

KJV/WEB "have dominion" and BSB/NASB "be master" are accurate. YLT's "have lordship" best keeps the link to kyrios, and so to the contest between two lords: Sin and the Lord Jesus Christ (6:23 ends "in Christ Jesus our Lord"). Translations that use present tense ("is no longer your master") lose the future form.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint: Genesis 3:16 ("he shall rule over you"), Genesis 37:8 (Joseph's brothers: "will you indeed rule over us?"), and often of kings and conquerors. In papyri and inscriptions it is used of owning property and exercising legal control. Within Romans the verb links a chain: death no longer lords over Christ (6:9), sin will not lord over you (6:14), the law lords over a person only while they live (7:1).

From the study of Romans 6:9

Range of meaning

To be lord or master over someone, to rule, to have control of. It takes the genitive (the 'of' form) for the one ruled. Used of kings, owners, and powers that dominate people.

Against the English

KJV/WEB/BSB/ESV: "dominion". NIV: "mastery". NASB: "master". NLT: "power". YLT: "lordship". "Lordship" and "master" keep the link to kyrios (lord/owner) and to the slave imagery of Romans 6:16–22. "Dominion" sounds abstract or territorial, and "power" is the weakest.

How it drifted

"Dominion" was a lively word for a lord's personal rule in 1611. Today it sounds archaic or suggests a territory (a 'dominion' like Canada). The personal master-and-subject relationship fades.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint it is used for rulers and conquerors (e.g. Gen 3:16; Judg 9:2; Ps 110[109]:2 'rule in the midst of your enemies'). In the New Testament: Luke 22:25 (kings of the nations 'lord it over' them); Rom 6:14 (sin); Rom 7:1 (the law 'lords it over' a person as long as he lives); Rom 14:9 (Christ died and lived again 'so that he might be Lord, kyrieusē, of both the dead and the living'); 2 Cor 1:24.

From the study of Romans 14:9

Range of meaning

To be κύριος (lord, master, owner) over someone or something. It means to rule, have mastery over, have legal control over, or dominate. It is used of kings over subjects, masters over slaves, and husbands over wives in the ancient household sense. In a bad sense it means to lord it over others. It describes an actual relationship of authority and belonging, not only an honorary title.

Against the English

English versions usually turn the verb into a noun phrase: "that he might be Lord of". That is fair, but in modern English "Lord" often sounds like a religious title or a word of personal devotion. The Greek verb is about someone who actually rules and owns, the way a householder owned the servants Paul mentions in v. 4.

How it drifted

In church language "Lord" has become mainly a title of worship. Its everyday Greek sense of master and owner (the κύριος of a household or estate) has faded for English readers.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) it is used in Genesis 3:16 ("he shall rule over you"), Genesis 37:8 (Joseph's brothers: "shall you indeed rule over us?") and Psalm 110:2 (LXX 109:2, κατακυρίευε, "rule in the midst of your enemies"), a psalm the early church applied to Jesus. Elsewhere in Romans Paul uses it in 6:9 ("death no longer has lordship over him"), 6:14 ("sin shall not be lord over you") and 7:1 (the law "lords it over" a person as long as he lives). Luke 22:25 uses it of Gentile kings who "lord it over" their subjects.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 22:25 κυριεύουσιν rule over

    So Jesus declared, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors.

Romans · 4

  1. Romans 6:9 κυριεύει. rules.

    For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.

    Here: Built on kyrios, "lord, master, owner". The verb means acting as master over someone the way an owner rules a slave or a king rules subjects. Death no longer owns him. This sets up 6:14, where the same verb is used of sin: "sin will not lord it over you".

  2. Romans 6:14 κυριεύσει· will rule over;

    For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

    Here: Future tense: "will act as lord (kyrios) over." It comes from the same root as kyrios, the word for a slave-owner and for the Lord. Paul has just said that death "no longer lords it over" the risen Christ (6:9, same verb). Those joined to him share that release.

  3. Romans 7:1 κυριεύει rules

    Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

    Here: 'Lords it over, has mastery over.' The same verb Paul just used for death ('death no longer lords it over him', 6:9) and sin ('sin will not lord it over you', 6:14). So the law is lined up with the other masters whose hold ends at death. The present tense states a general, timeless rule.

  4. Romans 14:9 κυριεύσῃ. He may rule.

    For this reason Christ died and returned to life, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

    Here: The verb form of κύριος ("Lord, master"). It means to hold real rule and ownership over someone. The tense can carry the sense "become Lord" or "exercise lordship". It is the climax of the word "Lord" that Paul repeats through vv. 4–8.

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 1:24 κυριεύομεν we lord it over

    Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm.

    Here: "We are lords over": acting as a master (kyrios) who owns and commands. The present tense describes a standing relationship of mastery. Paul denies that this is the relationship.

1 Timothy · 1

  1. 1 Timothy 6:15 κυριευόντων, being lords,

    which the blessed and only Sovereign One—the King of kings and Lord of lords—will bring about in His own time.

    Here: 'Of those who are exercising lordship'. It is the verb Jesus used of Gentile kings who 'lord it over' their subjects (Luke 22:25). Everyone who wields mastery stands under this one Lord.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.