Greek word · G6074
προπάτωρ
propatōr
ancestor
Founding ancestor or forefather of a family, clan or nation. Stronger and more formal than πατήρ (father), which can mean a literal father, an ancestor, or a founder or teacher.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
the first founder of a family, forefather , (Herdotus Historicus):—;in plural ancestors, forefathers , (Herdotus Historicus), etc.; ὦ Ζεῦ, προγόνων προπάτωρ (Sophocles Tragicus) (ML)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Founding ancestor or forefather of a family, clan or nation. Stronger and more formal than πατήρ (father), which can mean a literal father, an ancestor, or a founder or teacher.
- Against the English
BSB, NASB, NIV and ESV say 'forefather'. KJV and YLT say 'father' because they follow the later manuscripts that read πατέρα. 'Father' blurs the point slightly, since Paul is talking about the head of a people's family tree, not a parent.
- How it drifted
Not drift so much as a textual difference: scribes probably swapped the rare προπάτωρ for the familiar πατήρ, which Paul himself uses for Abraham in 4:11–18.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Used in Greek writers for founding ancestors of peoples and of noble houses. Josephus uses it of the patriarchs (e.g. calling Abraham the forefather of the Jews). In Jewish speech Abraham is 'our father Abraham' (Mishnah, Avot 5; compare Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8, John 8:39, 53).
Where it appears
Romans · 1
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Romans 4:1 προπάτορα ancestor
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has discovered?
Here: Not just 'father' but the founding ancestor of a people line. This is the only place it appears in the New Testament. It frames Abraham as the head of a family tree, which is exactly what Paul goes on to redefine (4:11–12, 16–18).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.