lord

lord

A title of dignity and honor acknowledging the power and authority of the one so addressed. 1 When used to address an individual and not as a title for God or Christ, a term conveying esteem to a leader from his people (Num 32:25; Acts 25:26) or a master from a slave (Gen 44:6-17; Matt 18:23-35). It can refer to secular heads of tribes or nations (Judg 3:3; Judg 16:5; 1Sam 5:8; Isa 16:8) or even to an entire class of nobles (Dan 1:10). It is over human lords such as these that God is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1Tim 6:15; Rev 19:16). As a verb (“to lord over”) the term is used occasionally to describe high-handed behavior (Neh 5:15; Eccl 8:9), the very antithesis of the style Jesus commands of his disciples (Luke 22:24-27; 2Cor 1:24). 2 In the OT, “Lord,” a translation of various titles and names for God. Christians likewise applied the term to Jesus with an ambiguity that allowed him to be identified as a person deserving supreme respect, as the messianic king of Israel, or as one equivalent to God. Context determines which shade of meaning is intended (see, e.g., Acts 2:36). In any case, the term applied to Jesus an authority that, in the Roman world, was also claimed by Caesar (Luke 2:11; Acts 25:26).