"a citizen, Lk. 15:15; 19:14; Acts 21:39; Heb. 8:11*"
Definition and meaning
a citizen, Lk. 15:15; 19:14; Acts 21:39; Heb. 8:11*
In the original Greek the word is written: πολίτης
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of polites (G4177) across the King James Bible.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
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Common questions
Strong's G4177 (polites) is a Greek word that means: a citizen, Lk. 15:15; 19:14; Acts 21:39; Heb. 8:11* It appears 3 times in the King James Bible.
The word polites (G4177) appears 3 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4177 is polites, a Greek word defined as: a citizen, Lk. 15:15; 19:14; Acts 21:39; Heb. 8:11*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
polites is a Greek word found in the New Testament.