Greek word · G755

ἀρχιτρίκλινος

architriklinos

head waiter

The word combines ἀρχι- ('chief') with τρίκλινον (Latin triclinium), the formal dining room with couches on three sides of the table. It means the person in charge of the dining room at a banquet.

Appears 3 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀρχι-τρίκλινος, -ου, ὁ

(τρί-κλινος or -ον, a room with three couches)

the superintendent of a banquet, whose duty it was to arrange the tables and food (DB, ii, 253): John 2:8-9.†

(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 John 2:8

Range of meaning

The word combines ἀρχι- ('chief') with τρίκλινον (Latin triclinium), the formal dining room with couches on three sides of the table. It means the person in charge of the dining room at a banquet. Depending on the household, this could be (1) a trusted servant or steward who managed the serving, the courses and the wine, or (2) a guest chosen to preside over the meal and the drinking, a 'master of ceremonies' or 'toastmaster'.

Against the English

The KJV's 'governor of the feast' and the WEB's 'ruler of the feast' sound to modern ears like an official or the host. The NASB's 'headwaiter' firmly chooses the servant sense. 'Master of the banquet' (BSB, NIV) and 'master of the feast' (ESV) keep the ambiguity. The NLT's 'master of ceremonies' leans toward the guest-presider sense. YLT's 'director of the apartment' is an over-literal rendering of the room word that misleads today.

How it drifted

In 1611 'governor' could mean anyone who directs or manages something, including a household steward. Today it means a political officeholder. The Latin loanword architriclinus, taken from the Vulgate, was later misunderstood in some medieval retellings as the personal name of the bridegroom.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek word is rare. Its appearance in John 2:8–9 is among the earliest uses we have, and it turns up in a few later Greek writers. Roman writers and inscriptions use the matching Latin term tricliniarcha for a slave in charge of the dining room. Sirach 32:1–2 (Greek Sirach 35:1–2 in some editions) shows the guest-presider custom in a Jewish setting: 'If they make you master of the feast (ἡγούμενον), do not exalt yourself; be among them as one of them; take care of them and then sit down.' (BDAG s.v.; LSJ s.v. τρίκλινος.)

Where it appears

John · 3

  1. John 2:8 ἀρχιτρικλίνῳ. master of the feast.

    “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,

    Here: Literally 'chief of the triclinium', the dining room with couches on three sides. He is the person in charge of serving the feast, and checking the wine was part of his job. He is not the host: the bridegroom is the host (v. 9).

  2. John 2:9 ἀρχιτρίκλινος ἀρχιτρίκλινος master of the feast

    and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside

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