Chief
Chief
chef: The English word is in the King James Version of Old Testament the translation of some 17 different Hebrew words, most frequently of ro’sh, head, sar, prince, and re’shth, beginning. The principal changes made by the Revised Version (British and American) are: (1) Hebrew beth’abh, house of a father, being recognized as a technical term denoting a subdivision of a tribe, ro’sh is rendered literally head, when it occurs in connection with this phrase, so that chief fathers (Num 31:26) and chief of the fathers (Ezr 1:5) become heads of fathers’ houses; (2) Hebrew naghdh and nas’ are more accurately translated prince in such passages as 1Ch 5:2; Num 3:32; (3) The misinterpretations which brought about the translation chief for ‘aclm, corners, Isa 41:9, and for maaleh, ascent, in 2Ch 32:33, are corrected.
In the New Testament chief is in most of its appearances the translation of Greek protos, first; the Revised Version (British and American) reads first for the King James Version chief, chiefest, in Mat 20:27; Mar 10:44; Act 16:12. The reading in the latter passage is a difficult one, but the King James Version Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, seems to imply a political authority which Philippi did not possess; the Revised Version (British and American) a city of Macedonia, the first of the district. Greek archon, prince, ruler, is rendered by the King James Version chief, by the Revised Version (British and American) prince, in Luk 11:15; the King James Version chief Pharisees, the Revised Version (British and American) rulers of the Pharisees, in Luk 14:1.
The original meaning of chief having been weakened, the comparative and superlative were admitted into English, the latter only appearing in the King James Version or the Revised Version: 1Sa 2:29; Son 5:10; 2Co 11:5, etc. On chief of Asia (Act 19:31 the King James Version) see ASIARCH.