κεφαλή

κεφαλή — kephalḗ

κεφαλή, κεφαλῆς, ἡ, the Sept. for רֹאשׁ; the head, both of men: Mat 5:36; Mar 6:24; Luk 7:38; Luk 7:44 (Rec.),46; Joh 13:9; Act 18:18; 1Co 11:4; Rev 1:14; Rev 4:4, and often; and of animals: Rev 9:7; Rev 9:17; Rev 9:19, etc.; on the phrases κλίνειν τήν κεφαλήν, ἐπαίρειν τήν κεφαλήν, see κλίνω, 1 and ἐπαίρω; on the saying in Rom 12:20, see under ἄνθραξ. Since the loss of the head destroys the life, κεφαλή is used in phrases relating to capital and extreme punishments: so in τό αἷμα ὑμῶν ἐπί τήν κεφαλήν ὑμῶν (see αἷμα, 2 a., p. 15{b}), Act 18:6, and similar phrases in classical Greek; see Passow, under the word, p. 1717{a}; Pape under the word, 3; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, I. 3 and 4). Metaphorically, anything supreme, chief, prominent; of persons, master, lord: τίνος, of a husband in relation to his wife, 1Co 11:3; Eph 5:23; of Christ, the lord of the husband, 1Co 11:3 (cf. Buttmann, 124f (109)); of the church, Eph 4:15; Eph 5:23; Col 2:19 (cf. Buttmann, § 143, 4 c.); τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, Col 1:18; πάσης ἀρχῆς καί ἐξουσίας, Col 2:10; so Jdg 11:11; 2Sa 22:44, and in Byzantine writings of things: κεφαλῆς γωνίας, the corner-stone, see γωνία, a. ((From Homer down.))