Lord

Greek word - (kurios G2962)

Quiz - Choose the answer that is closest to what you think LORD is.
A - God
B - a master of slaves
C - a ruler
D - a teacher

Problem - Misleading, Outdated, Misused

KJV Example - "angel of the Lord" (Matthew 1:20), "the lord of that servant" (Matthew 18:27).

Explanation

We know that God the Father is called Lord and Jesus is called Lord. But what does that mean?

The best way to find out what lord means is to look at the places in the New Testament where it is used. First, take out the ones that refer to the Father and Jesus. Now look at the remaining verses, and an interesting pattern emerges: the word, servant, is also there. The King James Version translates several Greek words as servant, but only one of them is with lord. It is always doulos. Doulos means slave. Lord and slave. Today we do not say that a slave has a lord over him. What do we say? We say master, a slave has a master over him. A lord is a master of slaves.

Some may disagree with this, but most Bible versions, including the King James Version, do not (even though they hide it from their readers).

Remember those verses in Ephesians and Colossians about how a master and a servant should act? The Greek word for master in those verses is kurios (the Greek word for lord). In Greek, lord is the same as master. It is the same Greek word.

The King James Version translates kurios as lord 734 times, as master thirteen times, and as owner once (Luke 19:33). It is inconsistent to translate kurios as lord sometimes, and as master or owner at other times. It hides the fact that lord in the Bible is a master of slaves.

A person who calls God, Lord, should know what he is saying. He is not saying that God is a ruler over him, that He is number one in his life.

He also is not saying that God is his boss as if he is God's employee.

A person who calls God, Lord, is saying that he has sold his soul to God and allowed himself to be God's property, His slave, 100 percent of the time, 24/7, to do whatever He wants. He is naming God as his Master.

In the Bible, lord is a master of slaves.

Modern Synonym - master

Bible Version Tally (how other versions translate this word) - Matthew 1:20 - Lord (48 of 50); Matthew 18:27 - lord (19 of 50), master (24 of 50), king (6 of 50)

Breakthrough Version - "angel of the Master" (Matthew 1:20), "the master of that slave" (Matthew 18:27).