κυριακός (kuriakos)
kuriakos
the Lord’s
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective kuriakos means "belonging to" or "pertaining to" the Lord. It functions as a possessive descriptor, marking something as the specific property or domain of its master. In the New Testament, this term appears only twice, yet each instance anchors a distinct aspect of early Christian identity and worship.
In first Corinthians 11:20, Paul uses it to describe the "Lord's supper," distinguishing the communal meal from ordinary gatherings. Here, the word emphasizes that the feast is not merely social but belongs exclusively to Christ. Similarly, Revelation 1:10 refers to the "Lord's day," setting apart a specific time for worship and remembrance as belonging to Him.
While the word itself does not appear in the Old Testament Greek translations, its usage in these two verses highlights how early believers identified their central practices with Jesus' authority. Translators typically render it simply as "the Lord's," preserving the direct ownership implied by the original Greek without adding theological commentary.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word kuriakos simply means belonging to the Lord. It marks something as His specific property. In the New Testament, this adjective appears only twice. Each instance anchors a distinct aspect of early Christian identity and worship.
Paul uses it in first Corinthians 11:20 to describe the Lord’s supper. This distinguishes the communal meal from ordinary gatherings. It emphasizes that the feast belongs exclusively to Christ. Similarly, Revelation 1:10 refers to the Lord’s day. This sets apart a specific time for worship and remembrance as belonging to Him.
These two verses highlight how early believers identified their central practices with Jesus' authority. Translators typically render it simply as the Lord’s. This preserves the direct ownership implied by the original Greek without adding theological commentary. It reminds us that our gatherings and our time are held in His hands.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] Lord’s1×
- Lord’s1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- κυριακῇ1×
- κυριακὸν1×
Key Verses
-
I Corinthians 11:20
When therefore you assemble yourselves together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
Paul uses this term to distinguish the communal meal from ordinary social gatherings, emphasizing that it belongs exclusively to Christ.
-
Revelation of John 1:10
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet
John refers to a specific time for worship and remembrance as belonging to Him, setting apart the Lord's day from the rest of the week.