Lexical Summary alpha: alpha Original Word: ἄλφαTransliteration: alpha Phonetic Spelling: (al'-fah) Part of Speech: Indeclinable Letter (Noun) Short Definition: alpha Meaning: alpha Strong's Concordance Alpha.Of Hebrew origin; the first letter of the alphabet; figuratively, only (from its use as a numeral) the first: --Alpha. Often used (usually an, before a vowel) also in composition (as a contraction from aneu) in the sense of privation; so, in many words, beginning with this letter; occasionally in the sense of union (as a contraction of hama). see GREEK aneu see GREEK hama Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1: Α, ἄλφαΑ, ἄλφα, τό, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, opening the series which the letter omega ω closes. Hence, the expression ἐγώ εἰμί τό Α (L T Tr WH ἄλφα) καί τό Ω (Ὦ L WH), Revelation 1:8, 11 Rec., which is explained by the appended words ἡ ἀρχή καί τό τέλος, Revelation 21:6, and by the further addition ὁ πρῶτος καί ὁ ἔσχατος, Revelation 22:13. On the meaning of the phrase cf. Revelation 11:17; Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 48:12; (especially B. D. American edition, p. 73). Α, when prefixed to words as an inseparable syllable, is: 1. privative (στερητικόν), like the Latinin-, the English un-, giving a negative sense to the word to which it is prefixed, as ἀβαρής; or signifying what is contrary to it, as ἄτιμος, ἀτιμόω; before vowels generally αν(, as in ἀναίτιος. 2. copulative (ἀθροιστικόν), akin to the particle ἅμα (cf. Curtius, § 598), indicating community and fellowship, as in ἀδελφός, ἀκόλουθος. Hence, it is: 3. intensive (ἐπιτατικόν), strengthening the force of terms, like the Latincon in composition; as ἀτενίζω from ἀτενής (yet cf. Winers Grammar, 100 (95)). This use, however, is doubted or denied now by many (e. g. Lob. Path. Element. i. 34f). Cf. Kühner, i. 741, § 339 Anm. 5; (Jelf, § 342 δ.); Alexander Buttmann (1873) Gram. § 120 Anm. 11; (Donaldson, Gram., p. 334; New Crat. §§ 185, 213; Liddell and Scott, under the word). |
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