5001. tagma
Lexical Summary
tagma: Order, rank, division

Original Word: τάγμα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: tagma
Pronunciation: TAG-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (tag'-mah)
KJV: order
NASB: order
Word Origin: [from G5021 (τάσσω - appointed)]

1. something orderly in arrangement (a troop)
2. (figuratively) a series or succession

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
division, class, group

From tasso; something orderly in arrangement (a troop), i.e. (figuratively) a series or succession -- order.

see GREEK tasso

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 5001 tágma (a neuter noun) – an ordered arrangement, reflecting God's perfect wisdom in ordering all of creation (it only occurs in 1 Cor 15:23). See 5021 (tassō).

5001 /tágma ("order") extends to the principle of God's ordering to its natural results.

[Compare Ps 139:16 with Eph 1:11; cf. Ps 119:89-91 with Ac 4:28, 17:26-31.]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from tassó
Definition
that which has been arranged in order, spec. a division, rank
NASB Translation
order (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5001: τάγμα

τάγμα, ταγματος, τό (τάσσω);

a. properly, that which has been arranged, thing placed in order.

b. specifically, a body of soldiers, a corps: 2 Samuel 23:13; Xenophon, mem. 3, 1, 11; often in Polybius; Diodorus 17, 80; Josephus, b. j. 1, 9, 1; 3, 4, 2; (especially for the Roman 'legio' (examples in Sophocles Lexicon, under the word, 3)); hence, universally, a band, troop, class: ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι (the same words occur in Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 37, 3 [ET] and 41, 1 [ET]), 1 Corinthians 15:23, where Paul specifies several distinct bands or classes of those raised from the dead (A. V. order. Of the 'order' of the Essenes in Josephus, b. j. 2, 8, 3. 8).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 5001 (τάγμα) occurs once in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 15:23, and conveys the idea of a divinely appointed “division” or “order.” Though rare in Scripture, the term sheds light on God’s orderly arrangement of redemptive events, particularly the resurrection.

Usage in Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:23: “But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.”

Here Paul unfolds the resurrection sequence:
• Christ as “firstfruits” (Leviticus 23:10-11 fulfilled).
• Believers rising in their appointed τάγμα at Christ’s parousia.

The single appearance is strategic, anchoring the chapter’s entire eschatological logic. Paul’s choice of a military-administrative word underscores that the resurrection is not random but proceeds according to a heavenly parade ground.

Old Testament Background of Ordered Ranks

• Priestly divisions were arranged in twenty-four “orders” under David (1 Chronicles 24:1-19).
• The camp of Israel marched “company by company” (Numbers 10:14-28).
• Angelic hosts are described as organized armies (Joshua 5:14; Psalm 103:20-21).

These patterns prefigure the New Testament insistence that God’s salvific acts unfold in designated stages.

Theological Significance

1. Certainty of Bodily Resurrection

The orderly progression from Christ to His people guarantees that what happened to the Head will happen to the Body (Romans 8:11).
2. Christ’s Preeminence

“Firstfruits” secures His supremacy; every other τάγμα follows His lead (Colossians 1:18).
3. Eschatological Hope

The term implies no believer will be overlooked; each will rise in the precise slot God has fixed (John 6:39-40).
4. Ecclesial Order

The Church is called to mirror divine order in worship and governance (1 Corinthians 14:40; Titus 1:5), anticipating the ultimate τάγμα of resurrection.

Historical and Patristic Insight

Early fathers used 1 Corinthians 15 to refute Gnostic denial of bodily resurrection:
• Irenaeus linked τάγμα to Christ’s headship and the final harvest in Against Heresies 5.
• Tertullian viewed the ordered resurrection as proof that flesh, not merely spirit, is redeemed.

Later creeds (e.g., Nicene-Constantinopolitan) echo this ordered expectation: “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come.”

Ministry Applications

• Funeral Ministry: The language of τάγμα comforts mourners with the assurance that departed saints await their appointed turn.
• Discipleship: Encourages believers to live in readiness, knowing their future is scheduled by God (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
• Leadership Training: Models that congregational structures should reflect God’s pattern of purposeful order rather than chaos.

Related Biblical Concepts

Order (Greek taxis) – Luke 1:8; Hebrews 7:11.

Appointed Times (Greek kairos) – Acts 17:26.

Firstfruits – Romans 8:23; James 1:18.

Parousia – 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.

Summary

Strong’s 5001, though appearing only once, encapsulates the Scriptural witness that God advances salvation history in precise ranks. Christ’s resurrection inaugurates a procession that will culminate in the resurrection of all who belong to Him, reinforcing the believer’s confidence in both the sovereignty and the fidelity of God.

Forms and Transliterations
τάγμα τάγματα ταγματι τάγματι ταγμάτων ταινίαι τακτικοί τακτικούς tagmati tágmati
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Corinthians 15:23 N-DNS
GRK: τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι ἀπαρχὴ Χριστός
NAS: in his own order: Christ
KJV: his own order: Christ
INT: the own order [the] first-fruit Christ

Strong's Greek 5001
1 Occurrence


τάγματι — 1 Occ.

5000
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