3011. leitourgos
Lexicon
leitourgos: Minister, Servant, Public Servant

Original Word: λειτουργός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: leitourgos
Pronunciation: lay-toorg-os'
Phonetic Spelling: (li-toorg-os')
Definition: Minister, Servant, Public Servant
Meaning: a minister, servant, of an official character; of priests and Levites.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
minister

From a derivative of laos and ergon; a public servant, i.e. A functionary in the Temple or Gospel, or (genitive case) a worshipper (of God) or benefactor (of man) -- minister(-ed).

see GREEK laos

see GREEK ergon

HELPS Word-studies

3011 leitourgós (a masculine noun derived from leitos, "belonging to the people" and 2041 /érgon, "work") – properly, an official servant (minister) who works for the good of the community. In the NT (and LXX), this root (leitourg-) is especially used for priestly-service given to God, impacting all who witness it.

[3011 (leitourgós) was originally a term for public service done by an official minister of the State. In classical Greek, it means "one who discharges a public office at his own expense, then, generally, a public servant, a minister, servant" (Abbott-Smith). That is, "a servant of the state, assuming public office to be administered at his own expense" (L & N, 1, 461, fn 5).]

Note: The leitourg- word-family consists of: 3008 (leitourgéō), 3009 (leitourgía), 3010 (leitourgikós), and 3011 (leitourgós). In the NT, it points to serving God in His sublime "otherness" and sharing this with others.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from laos and ergon
Definition
a public servant, a minister, a servant
NASB Translation
minister (3), ministers (1), servants (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3011: λειτουργός

λειτουργός, λειτουργου, (from ἘΡΓΩ i. e. ἐργάζομαι, and unused λεῖτοσ῟ equivalent to ληιτος equivalent to δημοσις public, belonging to the state (Hesychius), and this from λεώς Attic for λαός), the Sept. for מְשָׁרֵת (Piel participle of שָׁרַת);

1. a public minister; a servant of the state: τῆς πόλεως, Inscriptions; of the lictors, Plutarch, Rom. 26; (it has not yet been found in its primary and proper sense, of one who at Athens assumes a public office to be administered at his own expense (cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word I.); see λειτουργέω).

2. universally, a minister, servant: so of military laborers, often in Polybius; of the servants of a king, 1 Esdr. 10:5; Sir. 10:2; (of Joshua, Joshua 1:1 Alex.; universally, 2 Samuel 13:18 (cf. 2 Samuel 13:17)); of the servants of the priests, joined with ὑπηρέται, Dionysius Halicarnassus, Antiquities 2, 73; τῶν ἁγίων, of the temple, i. e. one busied with holy things, of a priest, Hebrews 8:2, cf. (Philo, alleg. leg. iii. § 46); Nehemiah 10:39; Sir. 7:30; τῶν θεῶν, of heathen priests, Dionysius Halicarnassus 2, 22 cf. 73; Plutarch, mor., p. 417 a.; Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, of Paul likening himself to a priest, Romans 15:16; plural τοῦ Θεοῦ, those by whom God administers his affairs and executes his decrees: so of magistrates, Romans 13:6; of angels, Hebrews 1:7 from Psalm 103:4 () (cf. Philo de caritat. § 3); τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ, those whose ministry the grace of God made use of for proclaiming to men the necessity of repentance, as Noah, Jonah: Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 8, 1 [ET] cf. c. 7 [ET]; τόν ἀπόστολον καί λειτουργόν ὑμῶν τῆς χρείας μου, by whom ye have sent to me those things which may minister to my needs, Philippians 2:25.

Topical Lexicon
Word Origin: Derived from a combination of two Greek words: "λαός" (laos), meaning "people," and "ἔργον" (ergon), meaning "work." Thus, λειτουργός originally referred to someone who performs a public duty or service.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • The Hebrew equivalent often associated with λειτουργός is מְשָׁרֵת (mesharet), Strong's Hebrew 8334, which means "minister" or "servant." This term is used in the Old Testament to describe those who serve in the temple or in the service of God, such as the Levites and priests.

Usage: The term λειτουργός is used in the New Testament to describe individuals who serve in various capacities, particularly in religious or spiritual roles. It is used to denote those who minister in the temple, serve in the church, or perform duties for the benefit of others.

Context: • The term λειτουργός appears in several New Testament passages, highlighting its significance in early Christian communities. It is used to describe both religious and secular service, emphasizing the role of individuals who dedicate themselves to the service of God and others.
• In Romans 13:6, λειτουργός is used to describe government authorities as "God's servants" who are tasked with maintaining order and justice: "This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work."
• In Romans 15:16, Paul refers to himself as a λειτουργός of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, indicating his role in spreading the Gospel: "to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
Hebrews 1:7 uses λειτουργός to describe angels as ministering spirits: "In speaking of the angels He says: 'He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.'"
• The term underscores the concept of service as a noble and divinely appointed task, whether in the context of religious worship, community service, or governance.

Forms and Transliterations
έλειξαν λείξουσι λείξουσιν λειτουργοι λειτουργοί λειτουργοὶ λειτουργοίς λειτουργον λειτουργόν λειτουργὸν λειτουργος λειτουργός λειτουργὸς λειτουργους λειτουργούς λειτουργοὺς λειτουργών λειχήν λειχήνας λεκάνη leitourgoi leitourgoì leitourgon leitourgòn leitourgos leitourgòs leitourgous leitourgoùs
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Romans 13:6 N-NMP
GRK: φόρους τελεῖτε λειτουργοὶ γὰρ θεοῦ
NAS: taxes, for [rulers] are servants of God,
KJV: God's ministers, attending continually
INT: taxes pay you servants indeed of God

Romans 15:16 N-AMS
GRK: εἶναί με λειτουργὸν Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
NAS: to be a minister of Christ Jesus
KJV: should be the minister of Jesus
INT: to be me a minister Christ of Jesus

Philippians 2:25 N-AMS
GRK: ἀπόστολον καὶ λειτουργὸν τῆς χρείας
NAS: your messenger and minister to my need;
KJV: and he that ministered to my
INT: messenger and minster of the need

Hebrews 1:7 N-AMP
GRK: καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς
NAS: WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME
KJV: and his ministers a flame of fire.
INT: and the ministers of him of fire

Hebrews 8:2 N-NMS
GRK: τῶν ἁγίων λειτουργὸς καὶ τῆς
NAS: a minister in the sanctuary
KJV: A minister of the sanctuary, and
INT: of the holy places minister and of the

Strong's Greek 3011
5 Occurrences


λειτουργοὶ — 1 Occ.
λειτουργὸν — 2 Occ.
λειτουργὸς — 1 Occ.
λειτουργοὺς — 1 Occ.















3010
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