Difference between revisions of "Chief"

<p> [[Chief]] a. </p> 1. [[Highest]] in office or rank principal as a chief priest the chief butler. &nbsp;Genesis 40:9 . <p> Among the chief rulers, many believed on him. &nbsp;John 12 . </p> 2. [[Principal]] or most eminent, in any quality or action most distinguished having most influence commanding most respect taking the lead most valuable most important a word of extensive use as a country chief in arms. <p> The hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. &nbsp;Ezra 9 . </p> <p> [[Agriculture]] is the chief employment of men. </p> 3. First in affection most dear and familiar. <p> A whisperer separateth chief friends. &nbsp;Proverbs 16 . </p> <p> CHIEF, n. </p> 1. A commander particularly a military commander the person who heads an army equivalent to the modern terms, commander or general in chief, captain general, or generalissimo. &nbsp;1 Chronicles 11 . 2. The principal person of a tribe, family, or congregation, &c. <p> &nbsp;Numbers 3 . &nbsp;Job 29 . Math. 20. </p> 3. In chief, in English law, in capite. To hold land in chief is to hold it directly from the king by honorable personal services. 4. In heraldry, chief signifies the head or upper part of the escutcheon, from side to side, representing a mans head. In chief, imports something borne in this part. 5. In Spenser, it seems to signify something like achievement, a mark of distinction as, chaplets wrought with a chief. 6. This word is often used, in the singular number, to express a plurality. <p> I took the chief of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them heads over you. &nbsp;Deuteronomy 1:15 . </p> <p> These were the chief of the officers, that were over Solomons work. &nbsp;1 Kings 9 . </p> <p> In these phrases, chief may have been primarily an adjective, that is, chief men, chief persons. </p> 7. The principal part the most or largest part, of one thing or of many. <p> The people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed. &nbsp;1 Samuel 15 . </p> <p> He smote the chief of their strength. &nbsp;Psalms 68 . </p> <p> The chief of the debt remains unpaid. </p> <p> CHIEF, adv. Chiefly. </p>

<p> ''''' chēf ''''' : The English word is in the King James Version of Old Testament the translation of some 17 different [[Hebrew]] words, most frequently of <i> ''''' rō'sh ''''' </i> , "head," <i> ''''' sar ''''' </i> , "prince," and <i> ''''' rē'shı̄th ''''' </i> , "beginning." The principal changes made by the Revised Version (British and American) are: (1) Hebrew <i> ''''' bēth'ābh ''''' </i> , "house of a father," being recognized as a technical term denoting a subdivision of a tribe, <i> ''''' rō'sh ''''' </i> is rendered literally "head," when it occurs in connection with this phrase, so that "chief fathers" (&nbsp;Numbers 31:26 ) and "chief of the fathers" (&nbsp;Ezra 1:5 ) become "heads of fathers' houses"; (2) Hebrew <i> ''''' nāghı̄dh ''''' </i> and <i> ''''' nāsı̄' ''''' </i> are more accurately translated "prince" in such passages as &nbsp;1 Chronicles 5:2; &nbsp;Numbers 3:32; (3) The misinterpretations which brought about the translation "chief" for <i> ''''' 'acı̄lı̄m ''''' </i> , "corners," &nbsp;Isaiah 41:9 , and for <i> ''''' ma‛ăleh ''''' </i> , "ascent," in &nbsp;2 Chronicles 32:33 , are corrected. </p> <p> In the New Testament "chief" is in most of its appearances the translation of Greek <i> ''''' prō̇tos ''''' </i> , "first"; the Revised Version (British and American) reads "first" for the King James Version "chief," "chiefest," in &nbsp;Matthew 20:27; &nbsp;Mark 10:44; &nbsp;Acts 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 <i> ''''' árchōn ''''' </i> , "prince," "ruler," is rendered by the King James Version "chief," by the Revised Version (British and American) "prince," in &nbsp;Luke 11:15; the King James Version "chief Pharisees," the Revised Version (British and American) "rulers of the Pharisees," in &nbsp;Luke 14:1 . </p> <p> 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: &nbsp;1 Samuel 2:29; &nbsp;Song of [[Solomon]] 5:10; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:5 , etc. On "chief of Asia" (&nbsp;Acts 19:31 the King James Version) see [[Asiarch]] . </p>