μεσίτης

μεσίτης — mesítēs

μεσίτης, μεσίτου, ὁ (μέσος), one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or to form g compact, or for ratifying a covenant: a medium of communication, arbitrator (Vulg. (and A. V.) mediator): ὁ μεσίτης (generic article cf. Winer's Grammar, § 18, 1 under the end), i. e. every mediator, whoever acts as mediator, ἑνός οὐκ ἐστι, does not belong to one party but to two or more, Gal 3:20. Used of Moses, as one who brought the commands of God to the people of Israel and acted as mediator with God on behalf of the people, Gal 3:19 (cf. Deu 5:5; hence, he is called μεσίτης καί διαλλακτής by Philo also, vit. Moys. iii. § 19). Christ is called the μεσίτης Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων, since he interposed by his death and restored the harmony between God and man which human sin had broken, 1Ti 2:5; also μεσίτης διαθήκης, Heb 8:6; Heb 9:15; Heb 12:24. (Polybius 28, 15, 8; Diodorus 4, 54; Philo de somn. i. § 22; Josephus, Antiquities 16, 2, 2; Plutarch, de Isa. et Os. 46; once in the Sept., Job 9:33.) Cf. Fischer, De vitiis lexamples N. T., p. 351ff