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mas´ter (×רון, 'aÌ„dhoÌ„n, בּעל, ba‛al, רבּי, rabbı̄; δεσποÌτης, despoÌteÌ„s, διδαÌσκαλος, didaÌskalos, κυÌÏιος, kuÌrios, Ï̔αββιÌ, rhabbıÌ): “Master,†when the translation of 'aÌ„dhoÌ„n, “ruler,†“lord†(Sir), often translated “lord,†denotes generally the owner or master of a servant or slave (, etc.; , etc.; , etc.; bis; , twice; ); elsewhere it is rather “lord†or “ruler†(often king, e.g. , ; ); in the plural 'ădhonı̄m, it is, as the rule, used only of God (but see , ; ; , “Lord of lordsâ€; , “other lordsâ€; (Hebrew “lordsâ€); ). Ba‛al, “lord,†“owner,†is translated “masterâ€: “the master of the house†(; , ); “the ass his master's crib†(). We have it also translated “masters of assemblies†(). See ASSEMBLIES, MASTERS OF. Compare Ecclesiasticus 32:1, “master (of a feast),†the Revised Version (British and American) “rulerâ€; , “ruler of the feastâ€; rabh (; , “shipmasterâ€); rabh, Aramaic, “great,†“mighty,†“elder†(; ,†master of the magiciansâ€); also sar, “head†or “chief†(, “taskmastersâ€; , “master of the song,†the Revised Version margin “the carrying of the ark, Hebrew the lifting upâ€); ‛uÌ„r, “to call,†“to awake,†is also rendered “master†in the King James Version, “The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar,†margin “him that waketh and him that answereth,†the Revised Version (British and American) as the King James Version margin ().
The verb “to master†does not occur in the Old Testament, but we have in Apocrypha (The Wisdom of Solomon 12:18) “mastering thy power†(despoÌzoÌ„n ischuÌos), the Revised Version (British and American) “being sovereign over (thy) strengh.â€
In the New Testament despoteÌ„s answers to 'aÌ„dhoÌ„n as “master†(, ; ), rendered also “Lord†(,etc.); kurios, is “Master,†“Lord,†“Sir,†used very frequently of God or of Christ (, , ), translated “Master†(; ; the King James Version ; , etc.); katheÌ„geÌ„teÌ„Ìs, a “leader,†is translated “Master†( (the King James Version), 10); didaskalos, a title very often applied to our Lord in the Gospels, is “Teacher,†translated “Master†in the King James Version ; ; ; , etc.; the Revised Version (British and American) “Teacherâ€; also , ; , “be not many masters,†the Revised Version (British and American) “teachersâ€; rhabbi, rhabbei (“Rabbiâ€) (a transliterated Hebrew term signifying “my Teacherâ€) is also in several instances applied to Jesus, the King James Version “Master†(, ; ; ; (the Revised Version (British and American) leaves untranslated) , “Rabboni,†the King James Version “Lordâ€; (“Rabbouniâ€), the Revised Version (British and American) “Rabboni,†which see).
For “master†the Revised Version (British and American) has “lord†(; , ; ; ; ); “master†for “lord†(; ; ); for “good man of the house†(; ), “master of the houseâ€; in , the Revised Version margin gives “Gr lords†(in , “their Master and yours†is also Greek kurios); instead of “the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ†(), the Revised Version (British and American) reads “our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ,†margin “the only Master, and our Lord Jesus Christâ€; for “overcame them†(), “mastered both of them.â€