Master

mas'-ter ('adhon, ba`al, rabbi; despotes, didaskalos, kurios, rhabbi): "Master," when the translation of 'adhon, "ruler," "lord" (Sir), often translated "lord," denotes generally the owner or master of a servant or slave (Ge 24:9, etc.; 39:2, etc.; Ex 21:4, etc.; De 23:15 bis; 2Sa 9:9,10 twice; Pr 30:10); elsewhere it is rather "lord" or "ruler" (often king, e.g. 1Sa 24:6,8; 26:16); in the plural 'adhonim, it is, as the rule, used only of God (but see Ge 19:2,18; De 10:17; Ps 136:3, "Lord of lords"; Isa 26:13, "other lords"; 19:4 (Hebrew "lords"); 24:2). Ba`al, "lord," "owner," is translated "master": "the master of the house" (Ex 22:8; Jud 19:22,23); "the ass his master's crib" (Isa 1:3). We have it also translated "masters of assemblies" (Ec 12:11). See ASSEMBLIES, MASTERS OF. Compare Ecclesiasticus 32:1, "master (of a feast)," the Revised Version (British and American) "ruler"; Joh 2:9, "ruler of the feast"; [rabh] (Da 1:3; Jon 1:6, "shipmaster"); rabh, Aramaic, "great," "mighty," "elder" (Da 4:9; 5:11," master of the magicians"); also [sar], "head" or "chief" (Ex 1:11, "taskmasters"; 1Ch 15:27, "master of the song," the Revised Version margin "the carrying of the ark, Hebrew the lifting up"); `ur, "to call," "to awake," is also rendered "master" in the King James Version, "The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar," margin "him that waketh and him that answereth," the Revised Version (British and American) as the King James Version margin (Mal 2:12).

The verb "to master" does not occur in the Old Testament, but we have in Apocrypha (The Wisdom of Solomon 12:18) "mastering thy power" (despozon ischuos), the Revised Version (British and American) "being sovereign over (thy) strengh."

In the New Testament despotes answers to 'adhon as "master" (1Ti 6:1,2; 2Ti 2:21), rendered also "Lord" (Lu 2:29,etc.); kurios, is "Master," "Lord," "Sir," used very frequently of God or of Christ (Mt 1:20,22,24), translated "Master" (Mt 6:24; 15:27; the King James Version Mr 13:35; Ro 14:4, etc.); kathegetes, a "leader," is translated "Master" (Mt 23:8 (the King James Version),10); didaskalos, a title very often applied to our Lord in the Gospels, is "Teacher," translated "Master" in the King James Version Mt 8:19; 9:11; Mr 4:38; Lu 3:12, etc.; the Revised Version (British and American) "Teacher"; also Joh 3:2,10; Jas 3:1, "be not many masters," the Revised Version (British and American) "teachers"; rhabbi, rhabbei ("Rabbi") (a transliterated Hebrew term signifying "my Teacher") is also in several instances applied to Jesus, the King James Version "Master" (Mt 26:25,49; Mr 9:5; 11:21; Joh 9:2 (the Revised Version (British and American) leaves untranslated) Mr 10:51, "Rabboni," the King James Version "Lord"; Joh 20:16 ("Rabbouni"), the Revised Version (British and American) "Rabboni," which see).

For "master" the Revised Version (British and American) has "lord" (1Sa 26:16; 29:4,10; Am 4:1; Mr 13:35; Ro 14:4); "master" for "lord" (Ge 39:16; 2Pe 2:1; Re 6:10); for "good man of the house" (Mt 24:43; Lu 12:39), "master of the house"; in Eph 6:5, the Revised Version margin gives "Gr lords" (in 6:9, "their Master and yours" is also Greek kurios); instead of "the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:4), the Revised Version (British and American) reads "our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ," margin "the only Master, and our Lord Jesus Christ"; for "overcame them" (Ac 19:16), "mastered both of them."

W. L. Walker

• → Jesus called Mt 8:19; 10:25; 23:8; 26:18,25,49; Mr 14:45; Lu 8:24; Joh 13:13,14
• → Jesus prohibited the appellation Mt 23:8
• → SCRIPTURES RELATING TO MASTERS OF SERVANTS Ex 21:20,21,26,27; Le 19:13; 25:43; De 5:14; 24:14,15; Job 31:13-15; Pr 22:16; 29:12,21; Jer 22:13; Mal 3:5; Ro 4:4; Eph 6:9; Col 4:1; 1Ti 5:18; Phm 1:10-16; Jas 5:4
  • See SERVANT
• → GOOD MASTER, INSTANCES OF
  • Abraham Ge 18:19
  • Job Job 31:13-15
  • The centurion Lu 7:2
• → UNJUST MASTER, INSTANCES OF
  • Sarah to Hagar Ge 16:6
  • Laban to Jacob Ge 31:7
  • Potiphar's wife to Joseph Ge 39:7-20