ἐκλεκτός,
ἐκλεκτή,
ἐκλεκτόν (
ἐκλέγω),
picked out, chosen; rare in Greek writ:, as
Thucydides 6, 100;
Plato, legg. 11, p. 938 b.; 12, 948 a., etc.; the
Sept. for
בָּחוּר and
בָּחִיר; in the N. T.
1. chosen by God, and
a. to obtain salvation through Christ (see
ἐκλέγω); hence, Christians are called
οἱ ἐκλεκτοί τοῦ Θεοῦ,
the chosen or elect of God (cf.
Winer's Grammar, 35 (34); 234 (219)), (
יְהוָה בְּחִירֵי, said of pious Israelites
Isaiah 65:9,
15,
23; Psalm 104:43 (
Ps. 105:43), cf. Wis. 4:15):
Luke 18:7;
Romans 8:33;
Colossians 3:12;
Titus 1:1; without the genitive
Θεοῦ,
Matthew 24:22,
24;
Mark 13:20,
22;
1 Peter 1:1; with the addition of
τοῦ Χριστοῦ, as the genitive of possessor,
Matthew 24:31;
Mark 13:27 (
T Tr omit the genitive);
κλητοί καί ἐκλεκτοί καί πιστοί,
Revelation 17:14;
γένος ἐκλεκτόν,
1 Peter 2:9 (from
Isaiah 43:20, cf. Additions to Esther 8:40 [Esther 8:36
8:12t] (Esth. 6:17, p. 64, Fritzsche edition));
ἐκλεκτοί, those who have become true partakers of the Christian salvation are contrasted with
κλητοί, those who have been invited but who have not shown themselves fitted to obtain it (others regard the 'called' and the 'chosen' here as alike partakers of salvation, but the latter as the 'choice ones' (see 2 below), distinguished above the former; cf. James Morison or Meyer at the passage),
Matthew 20:16 (here
T WH omit;
Tr brackets the clause);
Matt 22:14; finally, those are called
ἐκλεκτοί who are destined for salvation but have not yet been brought to it,
2 Timothy 2:10 (but cf. Huther or Ellicott at the passage).
b. The Messiah is called preeminently
ὁ ἐκλεκτός τοῦ Θεοῦ, as appointed by God to the most exalted office conceivable:
Luke 23:35, cf.
Luke 9:35 L marginal reading
T Tr WH; cf. Dillmann, Das Buch Henoch (
übers. u. erkhärt;
allgem. Einl.), p. 23:
c. Angels are called
ἐκλεκτοί, as those whom God has chosen out from other created beings to be peculiarly associated with him, and his highest ministers in governing the universe:
1 Timothy 5:21; see
ἅγιος, 1 b.;
μαρτύρομαι δέ ἐγώ μέν ὑμῶν τά ἅγια καί τούς ἱερούς ἀγγέλους τοῦ Θεοῦ,
Josephus,
b. j. 2, 16, 4 under the end; (yet others explain by
2 Peter 2:4;
Jude 1:6; cf. Ellicott on 1 Timothy, the passage cited).
2. universally,
choice, select, i. e. the best of its kind or class,
excellent, preeminent: applied to certain individual Christians,
2 John 1:1,
13; with
ἐν κυρίῳ added, eminent as a Christian (see
ἐν, I. 6 b.),
Romans 16:13; of things:
λίθος,
1 Peter 2:4 (6) (
Isaiah 28:16;
2 Esdr. 5:8; Enoch, chapter 8 Greek text, Dillmann edition, p. 82f).
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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