1087. gerousia
Lexical Summary
gerousia: Council of Elders, Senate

Original Word: γερουσία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: gerousia
Pronunciation: ghe-roo-SEE-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (gher-oo-see'-ah)
KJV: senate
NASB: Senate
Word Origin: [from G1088 (γέρων - old)]

1. the eldership
2. (collectively) the Jewish Sanhedrin

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
council of elders, Sanhedrin

From geron; the eldership, i.e. (collectively) the Jewish Sanhedrin -- senate.

see GREEK geron

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from gerón
Definition
a council of elders
NASB Translation
Senate (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1087: γερουσία

γερουσία, γερουσίας, (adjective γερούσιος, belonging to old men, γέρων), a senate, council of elders; used in secular authors of the chief council of nations and cities (ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι αἱ γερουσιαι, Xenophon, mem. 4, 4, 16; in the O. T. of the chief council not only of the whole people of Israel, Exodus 3:16, etc.; 1 Macc. 12:6, etc.; but also of cities, Deuteronomy 19:12, etc.); of the Great Council, the Sanhedrin of the Jews: Acts 5:21, where to τό συνέδριον is added καί πᾶσαν τήν γερουσίαν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ and indeed (καί explicative) all the senate, to signify the full Sanhedrin. Cf. Schürer, Die Gemeindeverfassung d. Juden in Rom in d. Kaiserzeit nach d. Inschriften dargestellt. Leips. 1879, p. 18f; Hatch, Bamp. Lects. for 1880, p. 64f.)

Topical Lexicon
Word and Concept

Strong’s Greek 1087 designates the formal council of elders, a body that functioned as a deliberative and judicial assembly within Jewish society. While the noun is distinct from the more common New Testament term for “elders” (presbyteroi), it shares with that word the idea of maturity, authority, and communal oversight.

Historical Background

1. Patriarchal Roots – Genesis 50:7 and Exodus 3:16 attest to Israelite “elders” who represented the tribes in matters of covenant and governance.
2. Mosaic Seventy – Numbers 11:16-17 records the appointment of seventy elders to aid Moses, foreshadowing later structures of collective rule.
3. Second-Temple Development – By the inter-Testamental period “elders” had coalesced into an identifiable senate (gerousia), referenced in Hellenistic Jewish literature (for example, 2 Maccabees 1:10).
4. Relationship to the Sanhedrin – The term Sanhedrin (synedrion) denoted the supreme court seated in Jerusalem. Gerousia often overlapped this body, functioning as its broader constituency of senior priests, scribes, and prominent lay leaders.

Usage in the Septuagint

The Septuagint frequently employs the word group around gerōn (“elder”) to translate Hebrew zāqēn. On several occasions the translators render collective leadership with γερουσία, reinforcing the notion of a standing council (for example, Exodus 17:5; Deuteronomy 27:1 LXX). This precedent explains its ready adoption in the Greek of Acts.

New Testament Occurrence

Acts 5:21 contains the only New Testament use:

“When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.” (Berean Standard Bible)

Luke’s double reference (“Sanhedrin” and “full assembly of the elders”) intensifies the scene: the apostles’ preaching so unsettled Jerusalem’s leaders that every level of authority was summoned.

Significance for Jewish Governance

• Composition – Senior priests, influential scribes, and heads of leading families.
• Authority – Spiritual (interpretation of Law), civil (administration), and judicial (capital cases, though subject to Roman oversight).
• Symbolism – Embodied continuity with ancestral leadership, projecting legitimacy in the eyes of the populace.

Implications for Early Church Ministry

1. Opposition Heightened – The gathering of the complete gerousia shows the full institutional weight marshalled against the gospel, underscoring the courage granted to the apostles by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31).
2. Prophetic Fulfilment – Psalm 2:2 predicted rulers assembling “against the LORD and against His Anointed.” Acts 4:25-27 sees that prophecy fulfilled; the gerousia’s convening in 5:21 is a further outworking of that theme.
3. Contrast with Christian Eldership – Whereas the Jewish gerousia resisted the apostolic message, Christian elders (Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:1-4) would shepherd the flock. The same cultural respect for age and wisdom is retained, but authority is now exercised under Christ’s lordship and in service rather than control.

Doctrinal and Practical Reflections

• Human Councils versus Divine Commission – The gerousia wielded historical prestige, yet could not restrain the advance of the gospel. Authority is valid only when it aligns with God’s revealed will (Acts 5:29).
• The Need for Godly Elders – The existence of an ungodly senate highlights the church’s responsibility to appoint leaders marked by humility and fidelity to Scripture (Titus 1:5-9).
• Providential Irony – While the senate of Israel planned to judge the apostles, it was ultimately confronted with the empty prison and the unstoppable word of life (Acts 5:23-25), demonstrating that “there is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30).

Summary

Strong’s Greek 1087 captures the notion of Israel’s historic senate, a venerable institution that, in Acts 5:21, opposes the gospel but inadvertently magnifies the risen Christ. Its lone appearance in the New Testament accentuates the dramatic clash between entrenched tradition and the fresh authority of the Spirit-empowered church.

Forms and Transliterations
γερουσία γερουσιαν γερουσίαν γερουσίας gerousian gerousían
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Englishman's Concordance
Acts 5:21 N-AFS
GRK: πᾶσαν τὴν γερουσίαν τῶν υἱῶν
NAS: all the Senate of the sons
KJV: all the senate of the children
INT: all the senate of the sons

Strong's Greek 1087
1 Occurrence


γερουσίαν — 1 Occ.

1086
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