G3316 — μεσίτης (mesítēs)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3316
Original: μεσίτης
Transliteration: mesítēs
Pronunciation: mes-ee'-tace
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: μέσος (G3319) — middle, midst
Occurrences: 6 (unique verses; all NT)
First Occurrence: Gal 3:19 — "ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Thayer: μεσίτης, μεσίτου, ὁ (μέσος) — one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or to form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant: a medium of communication, arbitrator (Vulg. and KJV: mediator). Used of Moses, as one who brought the commands of God to the people and acted as mediator on their behalf (Gal 3:19; cf. Deut 5:5); called μεσίτης καί διαλλακτής by Philo. Christ is called the μεσίτης Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων, since he interposed by his death and restored the harmony between God and man which human sin had broken (1 Tim 2:5); also μεσίτης διαθήκης (Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). Also in Polybius, Diodorus, Philo, Josephus, Plutarch; once in LXX at Job 9:33.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida:

Domain 031003 — Agree, Consent (classified as go-between facilitating agreement)
Domain 040 / 040001 — Reconciliation, Forgiveness / Reconciliation (classified as restorer of broken relationship)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [031] Hold a View, Believe, Trust - [040] Reconciliation, Forgiveness

Neighbor (031003)	Strong's	Total vv	Primary KJV Translation
μεσιτεύω	G3315	1	confirmed
συγκατάθεσις	G4783	1	agreement
σύμφημι	G4852	1	I consent
συμφωνέω	G4856	3	agree, agreeth
ὁμοθυμαδόν	G3661	12	with one accord

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
the mediator	3	50%
a mediator	1	17%
mediator	1	17%
of a mediator	1	17%

100% rendered "mediator" — no translation variation.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Galatians	2	1.3
Hebrews	3	1.0
1 Timothy	1	0.9

Concentrated in Pauline epistles and Hebrews — books most focused on the relationship between the old covenant and the new. Absent from Gospels, Acts, General Epistles, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Moses as Mediator of the Law (Sinai Covenant)¶

Moses stood between God and Israel to receive and transmit the law.

Gal 3:19 — "It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator."
Gal 3:20 — "Now a mediator is not [a mediator] of one, but God is one." (Logical argument: a mediator requires two parties; since God is one, the promise given directly to Abraham needed no mediator.)

2. Christ as Mediator Between God and Humanity¶

Christ as the single intercessor bridging the broken relationship caused by sin.

1 Tim 2:5 — "For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

3. Christ as Mediator of the New (Better) Covenant¶

The word binds directly to διαθήκη (covenant) in all three Hebrews occurrences.

Heb 8:6 — "He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises."
Heb 9:15 — "He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
Heb 12:24 — "To Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than [that of] Abel."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-vv	Typical Pattern
διαθήκη (diatheke)	G1242	3x (50%)	"mediator of a/the [better/new] covenant"
εἷς (heis)	G1520	2x (33%)	"one mediator" (1 Tim 2:5); "not of one" (Gal 3:20)
ἐπαγγελία (epangelia)	G1860	2x (33%)	covenant resting on "better promises"
θεός (theos)	G2316	2x (33%)	mediator between God and men
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous)	G2424	2x (33%)	Jesus as named mediator
κρείττων (kreitton)	G2909	2x (33%)	"better covenant / better things"
παράβασις (parabasis)	G3847	2x (33%)	transgressions requiring mediation

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3315 μεσιτεύω (mesiteuo) — to mediate, to interpose, to act as surety; verb (1 occ., Heb 6:17: God "confirmed it by an oath")
G3319 μέσος (mesos) — middle, midst; root adjective (61 occ., e.g. "in the midst of")

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G3316.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G3316.

Easily Confused Words¶

μεσίτης is consistently and exclusively translated "mediator" in the KJV with no overlap with other Strong's numbers. Conceptually related but distinct:

Word	Strong's	Key Difference
παράκλητος (parakletos)	G3875	Advocate/Comforter — legal defender standing alongside the accused; μεσίτης stands between two parties
ἱερεύς (hiereus)	G2409	Priest — functions as intercessor within a cultic system; μεσίτης specifically ratifies/negotiates a covenant
ἐντυγχάνω (entugchano)	G1793	To intercede/make petition — the action of appealing on behalf of another; μεσίτης is the person who stands between

Hebrew Source¶

No LXX alignment found (μεσίτης appears only once in the LXX at Job 9:33, not as a systematic translation of any Hebrew term). The concept of Moses as covenant mediator draws on the narrative of Deut 5:5 ("I stood between the LORD and you"), where the LXX uses a different construction.

The theological role maps conceptually to: - H3722 כָּפַר (kaphar) — to make atonement, to cover; the priestly mediation that reconciles - H1285 בְּרִית (beriyth) — covenant; the instrument of which Christ is the μεσίτης in Hebrews