ἀδελφός

ἀδελφός — adelphós

ἀδελφός, (οῦ, ὁ (from ἆ copulative and δελφύς, from the same womb; cf. ἀγάστωρ) (from Homer down);

1. a brother (whether born of the same two parents, or only of the same father or the same mother): Mat 1:2; Mat 4:18, and often. That 'the brethren of Jesus,' Mat 12:46-47 (but WH only in marginal reading); f; Mar 6:3 (in the last two passages also sisters); Luk 8:19; Joh 2:12; Joh 7:3; Act 1:14; Gal 1:19; 1Co 9:5, are neither sons of Joseph by a wife married before Mary (which is the account in the Apocryphal gospels (cf. Thilo, Cod. Apocr. N. T. i. 362f)), nor cousins, the children of Alphaeus or Cleophas (i. e. Clopas) and Mary a sister of the mother of Jesus (the current opinion among the doctors of the church since Jerome and Augustine (cf. Lightfoot's Commentary on galatians, diss. ii.)), according to that use of language by which ἀδελφός like the Hebrew אָח denotes any blood-relation or kinsman (Gen 14:16; 1Sa 20:29; 2Ki 10:13; 1Ch 23:2, etc.), but own brothers, born after Jesus, is clear principally from Mat 1:25 (only in R g); Luk 2:7 — where, had Mary borne no other children after Jesus, instead of υἱόν πρωτότοκον, the expression υἱόν μονογενῆ would have been used, as well as from Act 1:14, cf. Joh 7:5, where the Lord's brethren are distinguished from the apostles. See further on this point under Ἰάκωβος, 3. (Cf. B. D. under the word; Andrews, Life of our Lord, pp. 104-116; Bib. Sacr. for 1864, pp. 855-869; for 1869, pp. 745-758; Laurent, N. T. Studien, pp. 153-193; McClellan, note on Mat 13:55.)

2. according to a Hebrew use of אָח (Exo 2:11; Exo 4:18, etc.), hardly to be met with in secular authors, having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same people, countryman; so the Jews (as the σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ, υἱοί Ἰσραήλ, cf. Act 13:26; (in Deu 15:3 opposed to ὁ ἀλλότριος, cf. Act 17:15; Act 15:12; Philo de septen. § 9 at the beginning)) are called ἀδελφοί: Mat 5:47; Act 3:22 (Deu 18:15);; Rom 9:3; in address, Act 2:29; Act 3:17; Act 23:1; Heb 7:5.

3. just as in Lev 19:17 the word אָח is used interchangeably with רֵַעַ (but, as Lev 19:16; Lev 19:18 show, in speaking of Israelites), so in the sayings of Christ, Mat 5:22; Mat 5:24; Mat 7:3 ff, ἀδελφός is used for ὁ πλησίον to denote (as appears from Luk 10:29 ff) any fellow-man — as having one and the same father with others, viz. god (Heb 2:11), and as descended from the same first ancestor (Act 17:26); cf. Epictetus diss. 1, 13, 3.

4. a fellow-believer, united to another by the bond of affection; so most frequently of Christians, constituting as it were but a single family: Mat 23:8; Joh 21:23; Act 6:3 (Lachmann omits);; Gal 1:2; 1Co 5:11; Php 1:14, etc.; in courteous address, Rom 1:13; Rom 7:1; 1Co 1:10; 1Jn 2:7 Rec., and often elsewhere; yet in the phraseology of John it has reference to the new life unto which men are begotten again by the efficiency of a common father, even god: 1Jn 2:9 ff;; etc., cf. 1Jn 5:1.

5. an associate in employment or office: 1Co 1:1; 2Co 1:1; 2Co 2:13(12); Eph 6:21; Col 1:1.

6. brethren of Christ is used of,

a. his brothers by blood; see 1 above.

b. all men: Mat 25:40 (Lachmann brackets); Heb 2:11 f (others refer these examples to d.)

c. apostles: Mat 28:10; Joh 20:17.

d. Christians, as those who are destined to be exalted to the same heavenly δόξα (which see, III. 4 b.) which he enjoys: Rom 8:29.