Quick Definition
a Hebrew
Strong's Definition
a Hebræan (i.e. Hebrew) or Jew
Derivation: from G1443 (Ἐβέρ);
KJV Usage: Hebrew
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Ἑβραῖος (WH Ἐβραῖος, see their Introductory § 408), ἑβραιου, ὁ, a Hebrew (ςΔαΐψΔι a name first given to Abraham, Gen_14:13, afterward transferred to his posterity descended from Isaac and Jacob; by it in the O. T. the Israelites are both distinguished from and designated by foreigners, as afterward by Pausanias, Plutarch, others. The name is now generally derived from ςΕαΖψ for δΗπΘΜδΘψ ςΕαΖψ, i. e. of the region beyond the Euphrates, whence ςΔαΐψΔι equivalent to one who comes from the region beyond the Euphrates; Gen_14:13 the Sept. ὁ περάτης. Cf. Gesenius, Gesch. d. hebr. Sprache u. Schrift, p. 11f; Thesaurus, ii., p. 987; Knobel, Volkertafel der Genesis, p. 176ff; Bleek, Einl. in d. A. T. edition 1, p. 73f. (English translation, i. 76f); (B. D. under the word . For Synonym: see Ἰουδαῖος.)).
1. In the N. T. anyone of the Jewish or Israelitish nation: 2Co_11:22; Php_3:5. (In this sense Euseb. h. e. 2, 4, 3 calls Philo the Alexandrian Jew, Ἑβραῖος, although his education was Greek, and he had little (if any) knowledge even of the Hebrew language; and in Praep. evang. 8, 8, 34 he applies the same word to Aristobulus, who was both an Alexandrian, and a Greek-speaking Jew.)
2. In a narrower sense those are called Ἑβραῖοί, who lived in Palestine and used the language of the country, i. e. Chaldee; from whom are distinguished οἱ ἑλληνισται, which see That name adhered to them even after they had gone over to Christianity: Act_6:1. (Philo in his de conf. lingg. § 26 makes a contrast between Ἑβραῖοί and ἡμεῖς; and in his de congr. erud. grat. § 8 he calls Greek ἡ ἡμετέρα διάλεκτος. Hence, in this sense he does not reckon himself as a Hebrew.)
3. All Jewish Christians, whether they spoke Aramaic or Greek, equivalent to πιστοί ἐξ Ἑβραίων; so in the heading of the Epistle to the Hebrews; called by Eusebius, h. e. 3, 4, 2 οἱ ἐξ Ἑβραίων ὄντες. (Cf. K. Wieseler, Unters. u. d. Hebraerbrief, 2te Halfte. Kiel, 1861, pp. 25-30.)
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
Ἑβραῖος Hebraios 4x
a Hebrew, one descended from Abraham the Hebrew, 2Co_11:22 ; Php_3:5 ;
in NT, a Jew of Palestine, one speaking Aramaic, opp. to Ἑλληνιστής , Act_6:1
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
† Ἑβραῖος
( WH , Ἑβ -), -α , -ον
(Aram. H5680 ), as subst ., ὁ Ἑ .,
[in LXX for H5676 , H5680 ;] a Hebrew.
1. In OT, of Israelites in contrast with those of another race ( Gen_14:13 , Exo_1:15 , Deu_15:12 , al. ).
2. In NT as the correlative of Ἑλληνιστής , a Jew who had adopted, in greater or less degree, Greek culture and Greek language. The distinction was not merely linguistic ( DB , ii, 325); as far as it was so, Συριστής would be a more correct Greek term for the Jew of Semitic speech (vs. Ἑβραΐς , and cf. Dalman, Words , 7): Act_6:1 , 2Co_11:22 , Php_3:5 .†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
Ἐβραῖος [page 178]
While ᾽Ε (on the breathing, see WH Intr. .2 § 408) came to be applied to a Greek-speaking Jew with little or no knowledge of Hebrew, such as Philo (Eus. HE ii. 4. 2) or Aristobulus ( Praep.Evang. xiii. 11. 2), the word strictly denotes a Hebrew- or Aramaic-speaking Jew, and is used by Paul in Php_3:5 Ἐ . ἐξ Ἐβραίων to emphasize the purity of his descent : see Kennedy EGT ad l. , and as further elucidating the full force of the ἐκ cf. OGIS 90 .10 (the Rosetta stone B.C. 196) where Ptolemy V. is described as ὑπάρχων θεὸς ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ θεᾶς . As illustrating Act_18:4 Deissmann ( LAE p.13 f.) refers to an interesting inscription found in Corinth συνα ]γωγὴ Ἐβρ [αίων , and compares a similar Roman inscr. συναγωγὴ Αἰβρέων (Schόrer Gesch. .3 iii. p. 46) : he does not, however, think that Ἐβραῖοι means Hebrew-speaking Jews. Wόnsch ( AF p. 6) cites an invocation against evil spirits from the great Paris magical papyrus which begins .3019 ὁρκίζω σε κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν Ἑβραίων Ἰησοῦ Ἰαβα Ιαη Αβραωθ , and ends .3083 ὁ γὰρ λόγος ἐστὶν ἑβραϊκὸς καὶ φυλασσόμενος παρὰ καθαροῖς ἀνδράσιν .
Liddell-Scott — Intermediate Greek Lexicon
Ἑβραῖος Ἑβραῖος, ὁ, "a Hebrew", NTest.
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
Ἑβραῖος (WH, Ἐβ-), -α, -ον (Aram, עִבְרַי), as subst., ὁ Ἑ.,
[in LXX for עֵבֶר, עִבְרִי ;]
a Hebrew.
__1. In OT, of Israelites in contrast with those of another race (Gen.14:13, Exo.1:15, Deu.15:12, al.).
__2. In NT as the correlative of Ἑλληνιστής, a Jew who had adopted, in greater or less degree, Greek culture and Greek language. The distinction was not merely linguistic (DB, ii, 325); as far as it was so, Συριστής would be a more correct Greek term for the Jew of Semitic speech (see: Ἑβραΐς, and cf. Dalman, Words, 7): Act.6:1, 2Co.11:22, Php.3:5.
† (AS)
