κυβερνήτης (kubernētēs)
kubernētēs
captain
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun kubernētēs refers to a steersman or helmsman, the person who guides a ship through the water. In the New Testament, it appears in only two verses: Acts 27:11 and Revelation 18:17. In Acts, the word describes the actual pilot of a vessel caught in a storm, highlighting the human effort to control fate against nature. In Revelation, it serves as a metaphor for those who manage the commercial traffic of Babylon, whose sudden loss signals the city’s collapse.
Its root relates to steering or guiding, and ancient sources note its use for both literal ship pilots and metaphorical governors. The term emphasizes direction and control rather than ownership. Translators typically render it as "captain" or "steersman," depending on whether the context is a physical voyage or a symbolic judgment.
This word captures the tension between human skill and divine sovereignty. While the steersman holds the tiller, the ultimate course of history remains under God’s authority. The brief usage in Scripture reminds readers that all leadership, whether maritime or political, is temporary and subject to higher purposes.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word kubernētēs describes the steersman who guides a ship through rough waters. In Acts 27:11, this figure represents human effort to maintain control during a storm. The centurion trusts the professional skill of the captain over Paul’s warning, showing how we often rely on visible expertise when circumstances feel unstable.
Revelation 18:17 uses the same term metaphorically for those who manage global trade. Their sudden disappearance marks the collapse of a system built on wealth rather than justice. This contrast reminds us that while human leaders may steer the course, ultimate authority belongs to God alone.
Your faith does not require you to control every outcome. When life feels like a storm, trust that the One who holds history’s tiller is greater than any captain or system you encounter.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- shipmaster1×
- pilot1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- κυβερνήτῃ1×
- κυβερνήτης1×
Key Verses
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Acts 27:11
But the centurion gave more heed to the master and to the owner of the ship than to those things which were spoken by Paul.
This verse highlights the tension between trusting human expertise and divine warning during a crisis.
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Revelation of John 18:17
For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.’ Every ship master, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away,
The term here symbolizes the fragility of economic power when judged by God.