G2776 — κεφαλή (kephalē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2776
Original: κεφαλή
Transliteration: kephalē
Pronunciation: kef-al-ay'
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From the primary κάπτω (kaptō) — "to seize, take hold of"
Occurrences: 76 tokens in 68 unique verses across 11 NT books
First Occurrence: Matt 5:36 — "Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From the primary κάπτω (kaptō, "to seize"); the head (as the part most readily taken hold of). Used literally of the physical body part (human or animal/beast) and figuratively of that which is chief, foremost, preeminent, or supreme — whether a stone ("head of the corner"), a person in authority over another (husband, Christ), or topographical summits (the "seven heads are seven mountains"). In apocalyptic literature, heads on symbolic beasts function as carriers of crowns and as enumerated features of the creature.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 008002 — Parts of the Body
Secondary Domain: 087003 — High Status or Rank [including persons of high status]
Also appears in: 007003 (Parts and Areas of Buildings — for "head of the corner")
Other words in 008002 (Parts of the Body): ἀγκάλη (G0043), αἷμα (G0129), ἀριστερός (G0710), ἁρμός (G0719), βάσις (G0939), γαστήρ (G1064), γλῶσσα (G1100), γόνυ (G1119)
Other words in 087003 (High Status): ἀνάστασις (G0386), ἀνώτερος (G0511), δόξα (G1391), δοξάζω (G1392), δυνατός (G1415), ἐξοχή (G1851), ἐπάνω (G1883)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[008] Body, Body Parts, and Body Products — the literal anatomical sense of "head."
[087] Status — figurative uses where κεφαλή denotes the chief, ruler, or one in highest rank.
[007] Constructions — the "head of the corner" building-stone idiom.
[023] Physiological Processes and States — bodily-state contexts involving head and hair.
[049] Activities Involving Clothing and Adorning — coverings, crowns, and adornments placed on the head.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
head	42	61.8%
heads	15	22.1%
the head	8	11.8%
his head	2	2.9%
Head	1	1.5%
is the head	1	1.5%
own heads	1	1.5%
the heads	1	1.5%

KJV renders κεφαλή almost exclusively as "head(s)" — no metaphorical paraphrase.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	16	4.0
Colossians	3	3.2
Ephesians	3	1.9
1 Corinthians	6	1.4
Mark	8	1.2
Matthew	12	1.1
1 Peter	1	1.0
Luke	8	0.7
John	5	0.6
Acts	5	0.5
Romans	1	0.2

Concentration pattern: Revelation has by far the highest density (4.0 per 100 verses), driven by symbolic heads on beasts and on enthroned figures. Pauline letters (Col, Eph, 1 Cor) show the second-highest densities, carrying the figurative "head of the body / head of the wife / head of every man" usage. The Gospels and Acts contribute mostly literal body-part references (anointings, crucifixion mockery, John the Baptist's head, hairs of the head). Absent from Hebrews, the Pastoral Epistles, James, 2 Peter, and the Johannine Epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Literal Head (the Body Part — Human)¶

Matt 5:36 — "Neither shalt thou swear by thy head"
Matt 10:30 — "the very hairs of your head are all numbered"
Matt 14:8, 14:11 — "John Baptist's head in a charger"
John 19:30 — "he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost"
Acts 18:18; 21:24 — shaving the head (Nazirite-style vow)

2. Head as the Object Anointed, Covered, or Adorned¶

Matt 6:17 — "when thou fastest, anoint thine head"
Matt 26:7 / Mark 14:3 — woman pours ointment on his head
Luke 7:46 — "My head with oil thou didst not anoint"
1 Cor 11:4–10 — head covering/uncovering in prayer and prophecy
Rev 14:14 — "upon his head a golden crown"
Rev 19:12 — "on his head were many crowns"

3. Head in Violence, Mockery, Mourning¶

Matt 27:29–30 / Mark 15:19 / John 19:2 — crown of thorns placed on his head; smitten on the head with a reed
Matt 27:39 / Mark 15:29 — passers-by "wagging their heads"
Acts 18:6 — "Your blood be upon your own heads"
Rom 12:20 — "heap coals of fire on his head"
Rev 18:19 — "they cast dust on their heads"

4. Head as Chief / Preeminent Stone ("Head of the Corner")¶

Matt 21:42 / Mark 12:10 / Luke 20:17 — "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner" (Ps 118:22)
Acts 4:11 — "which is become the head of the corner"
1 Pet 2:7 — "the stone... is made the head of the corner"

5. Head as Figurative Authority / Source (Christ, Husband, Christ-over-cosmos)¶

1 Cor 11:3 — "the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God"
Eph 1:22 — "gave him to be the head over all things to the church"
Eph 4:15 — "which is the head, even Christ"
Eph 5:23 — "the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church"
Col 1:18 — "he is the head of the body, the church"
Col 2:10 — "the head of all principality and power"
Col 2:19 — "not holding the Head"

6. Heads on Symbolic Beings in Apocalyptic Vision¶

Rev 1:14 — "His head and his hairs were white like wool" (exalted Christ)
Rev 4:4 — four and twenty elders with crowns on their heads
Rev 9:7 — locusts with "crowns like gold" on their heads
Rev 9:17, 9:19 — horses' heads like lions; tails with heads
Rev 10:1 — mighty angel, "a rainbow was upon his head"
Rev 12:1 — woman with "a crown of twelve stars" on her head

7. Multiple Heads on Composite Beasts (Seven-Head Complex)¶

Rev 12:3 — great red dragon "having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads"
Rev 13:1 — sea beast "having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy"
Rev 13:3 — "I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed"
Rev 17:3 — scarlet beast with "seven heads and ten horns"
Rev 17:7 — "the mystery of... the beast... which hath the seven heads and ten horns"
Rev 17:9 — "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth"

This category is the single largest concentration of κεφαλή in any NT book. The seven-head motif is distributed across three distinct beasts (dragon, sea beast, scarlet beast) and is explicitly glossed within the text itself at Rev 17:9 as "seven mountains" — the only self-interpreting use of κεφαλή in the NT.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἔχω (echō)	G2192	19x (28%)	"having [a] head / heads" — especially beasts "having seven heads"
γυνή (gynē)	G1135	12x (18%)	woman-and-head (head coverings; woman on scarlet beast)
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	12x (18%)	"every head / head of every man / head over all things"
πούς (pous)	G4228	9x (13%)	head/feet pairing (body language, Luke 7:38–46; Rev 12:1; 1 Cor 12:21)
θρίξ (thrix)	G2359	8x (12%)	"hair(s) of [the] head"
στέφανος (stephanos)	G4735	6x (9%)	crown on the head (Rev 4:4; 9:7; 12:1; 14:14; 19:12)
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)	G2424	6x (9%)	Jesus' head (anointed, crowned, bowed)
οἰκοδομέω (oikodomeō)	G3618	6x (9%)	builder + head-of-the-corner stone
λίθος (lithos)	G3037	5x (7%)	stone + head-of-the-corner
γωνία (gōnia)	G1137	5x (7%)	"head of the corner" (kephalē gōnias)
ἑπτά (hepta)	G2033	5x (7%)	"seven heads" — dragon, sea beast, scarlet beast
κάθημαι (kathēmai)	G2521	5x (7%)	one seated + head (elders, Christ-like figure, woman on heads)
λευκός (leukos)	G3022	5x (7%)	"white" head/hair (Rev 1:14)

Word Family / Cognates¶

κάπτω (kaptō) — the primary verb "to seize" behind κεφαλή (per Strong's etymology)
κεφάλαιον (G2774) — sum, main point, chief matter (Heb 8:1; Acts 22:28)
κεφαλαιόω (G2775) — to wound in the head (Mark 12:4)
κεφαλίς (G2777) — scroll/roll (lit. "little head"; Heb 10:7)
ἀνακεφαλαιόομαι (G0346) — to sum up, bring to a head (Eph 1:10; Rom 13:9)
ἀκρογωνιαῖος (G0204) — chief corner-stone, paired with κεφαλὴ γωνίας

Synonyms¶

No clear lexical synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py beyond cognate forms already listed above.

Antonyms¶

πούς (G4228) — foot; the natural body-part opposite to the head.

Easily Confused Words (KJV English overlap)¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ῥόπαλον / "head" contexts	—	"head" as top of a staff or weapon	κεφαλή is always "head" of a living body or figurative chief; other Greek words handle "top" or "point"
ἀκρογωνιαῖος	G0204	"chief corner"	ἀκρογωνιαῖος = the corner-stone itself (adjective); κεφαλὴ γωνίας = "head of the corner" (noun phrase)

Within Greek, the KJV "head" is essentially always G2776; confusion arises mainly through the underlying Hebrew when reading in translation (see below).

Easily Confused Words (via Hebrew Source / LXX overlap)¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
רֹאשׁ (rōʼsh)	H7218	"head"	Dominant Hebrew source — body part, chief, summit, beginning, company of men
רֵאשׁ (rēʼsh)	H7217	"head" (Aramaic)	Aramaic equivalent of H7218; used in Daniel
גֻּלְגֹּלֶת (gulgōleth)	H1538	"head" (skull)	Specifically the skull/cranium (Golgotha)
מְרַאֲשָׁה (mʼraʼăshāh)	H4763	"headpiece, place at the head"	The place where the head lies (e.g., at the head of a bed)
עֲטָרָה (ăṭārāh)	H5850	"crown"	What is placed on the head, not the head itself
נֶזֶר (nēzer)	H5145	"crown, consecration"	The diadem/separation marker on the head

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
רֹאשׁ (rōʼsh)	H7218	256	5.14	Primary Hebrew equivalent — the standard OT word for "head" in all its senses (body, chief, summit, beginning)
גֻּלְגֹּלֶת (gulgōleth)	H1538	11	6.08	Skull, head-count
סָמַךְ (sāmak)	H5564	18	4.85	"Lay [hands] on the head" contexts
רֵאשׁ (rēʼsh)	H7217	10	5.82	Aramaic "head" (Daniel)
גָּלַח (gālach)	H1548	11	5.49	Shave (the head)
זָקָן (zāqān)	H2206	11	5.49	Beard — paired with head in shaving contexts
מְרַאֲשָׁה (mʼraʼăshāh)	H4763	8	6.20	Place at the head
עֲטָרָה (ăṭārāh)	H5850	10	5.06	Crown
תּוֹלְדָה (tôlʼdāh)	H8435	12	4.50	Generations/beginnings (rōʼsh cognate semantic field)
נֶזֶר (nēzer)	H5145	9	4.91	Crown/consecration

The LXX overwhelmingly uses κεφαλή to translate רֹאשׁ (H7218) — including its figurative senses of "chief," "beginning," and "summit/mountain-top." This is relevant to Rev 17:9, where the angel's explanation that "the seven heads are seven mountains" maps directly onto a Hebrew background in which rōʼsh frequently denotes a mountain-top (e.g., Gen 8:5; Exod 17:9; 19:20; 24:17; Ps 72:16; Isa 2:2).