Quick Definition
ἐπίσκοπος, ου, ὁ n.m. overseer, supervisor, ruler
Strong's Definition
from 1909 and 4649 (in the sense of 1983); a superintendent, i.e. Christian officer in genitive case charge of a (or the) church (literally or figuratively)
KJV Usage: bishop, overseer
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m. | -ου | σκοπέω
35.43 · Help, Care For · Care For, Take Care Of
one responsible for, one who cares for, guardian, keeper one who has the responsibility of caring for spiritual concerns In 1PE 2:25 ἐπίσκοπος is applied to Christ, and it no doubt shares certain of the meanings associated with ἐπίσκοπος[b] in 53.71, but the focus in 1PE 2:25 is not upon leadership but upon the role of caring for the believers.
53.71 · Religious Activities · Roles and Functions
church leader one who serves as a leader in a church For ἐπίσκοπος in 1PE 2:25, see 35.43.
In translating ἐπισκοπή[b] (53.69), ἐπισκοπέω[c] (53.70), or ἐπίσκοπος[b], it is important to try to combine the concepts of both service and leadership, in other words, the responsibility of caring for the needs of a congregation as well as directing the activities of the membership. In some translations an equivalent may be ‘helper’ and ‘leader.’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἐπίσκοπος, -ov, ὁ, (ἐπισκέπτομαι), an overseer, A Man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, any curator, guardian, or superintendent; Sept. for Vp5, Judg. ix. 28; Neh. xi. 9,14, 22; 2 K. xi. 15, ete.; 1 Macc. i.51. The word has the same comprehensive sense in Grk. writ. fr. Homer Odys. 8, 163; Il. 22, 255 down; hence in the N. ‘T. ἐπίσκ. τῶν ψυχών guardian of souls, one who watches over their welfare: 1 Pet. ii. 25 ([τὸν παντὸς πνεύματος κτίστην κ. ἐπίσκοπον, Clem. Rom. 1 Cor. 59, 3]; ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ προστάτης τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦς Xp. ibid. 61, 3; [ef. Sir. i. 67), ef. Heb. xiii. 17. spec. the super‘ intendent, head or overseer of any Christian church; Vulg. episcopus: Acts xx. 28; Phil. i. 1; 1 Tim. iii. 2; Tit. i. 7; see πρεσβύτερος, 2 b.; [and for the later use of the word, see Dict. of Chris. Antiq. 5. v. Bishop].
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἐπίσκοπος episkopos 5x
pr. an inspector, overseer; a watcher, guardian, 1 Pet. 2:25; in NT an ecclesiastical overseer, Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:7*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἐπί-σκοπος, -ου, ὁ
(< σκοπός, a watcher), [in LXX for פָּקַד, its parts and derivatives, Nu 4:16 31:14, Jg 9:28, IV Ki 11:15, 18, II Ch 34:12, 17, Ne 11:9, 14, 22; אֵל, Jb 20:29; נוֹגַשׂ:, Is 60:17; Wi 1:6, I Mac 1:51 * ;]
a superintendent, guardian, overseer (cl.; for exx. v. LS, s.v.): Ac 20:28, I Pe 2:25 (ICC, in l.); as technical term for a religious office (Deiss., BS, 230 f.), in later Paul. epp. of the head of a church (Vg. episcopus), a bishop: Phl 1:1, I Ti 3:2, Tit 1:7 (v. reff. s.v. ἐπισκοπή).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἐπίσκοπος. The use of this word as an official title in pre-Christian times has been fully illustrated by Deissmann (8S, p. 230f.) from the inscrr. From his exx. it is enough to recall the application of the word to communal officials in Rhodes, as TMAe 494 (ii/iB.c.) where we hear of a council of five ἐπίσκοποι, and, more significant still in view of its later usage, the mention of an ἐπίσκοπος amongst the officials of the temple of Apollo at Rhodes in 24. 731%. To these instances we may add P Petr III. 36(a@) verso? where in a petition to the epimeletes the words occur—én[l] τῶν ἀποδεδειγμένων ἐπισκόπων, ‘in the presence of the appointed supervisors ” (Edd.), and the curious religious letter, P Par 6315. 41. (B.C. 165) ἀπόκειται yap παρὰ θ[εοῦ] μῆνις τοῖς μὴ κατὰ τὸ βέλτιστον [προαι]ρουμένοις ζῆν, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρόπων . ++ ἐπίσκοπόν ἐστιν τὸ δαιμ[όν]ιον καὶ νέμεσις] ἀπὸ Δι[ὸς] τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις (cf. Jas 45, 1 Pet 5° from Proy 355). With this last may be compared the curse against any one who injures a sepulchral monument, Sy// 891 (ii/A.D.), which concludes with the words ἐπισκόπους δὲ ἔχοι ’Hpetvias, ‘let him have the Erinyes as his guardians,” while the prayer for the man who respects it 15---ἐπισκοποίη δὲ Χάρις kal “Yyela, “‘may Grace and Health attend him.” See also Boll Offenbarung, p. 143 where, with reference to the ‘‘eyes” of the four living creatures, the description of heaven with its thousands of star-eyes as ἐπίσκοπος is cited from Sextus Emp. ix. 54. In P Oxy VI. 903} (iv/A.D.), an accusation > , ETLOTTADWD against a husband, the accused is said to have made a certain statement on oath ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ τῶν ἐπισκόπων καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ““ἴπ the presence of the bishops and of his own brothers,” with which the editors compare P Lips I. 43 (iv/a.D.) where a bishop acts as judge. See also P Lond 9817 (iv/a.D.) (= III. p. 242), as restored by Wilcken Chrest. I. p. 757, where a deacon writes ‘‘to his beloved and most reverend father””—Ka@ds γέγραπται ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ὅτι Μακάριοί εἰσιν οἱ ἔχοντες σπέρμα ἐν Σιών, τὰ νῦν ἡμεῖς ἔσμεν, ὅτι ἔχομέν σε --ἐπί-- σκοπον καὶ ἀγαθότατον πατέρ «α--. For the distinctive NT use of ἐπίσκοπος it must be sufficient to refer to Hort’s Christian Ecclesia, where it is shown that the word is descriptive of function, not of office, thus Phil 12 σὺν ἐπισκόποις καὶ διακόνοις, ‘‘ with them that have oversight, and them that do service [minister] ” (p. 212).
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) — overseer. ἐπίσκοπ-ος, ὁ,
__A (σκοπός 1) one who watches over, overseer, guardian, ἦ γὰρ ὄλωλας ἐπίσκοπος, ὅς τέ μιν αὐτὴν ῥύσκευ (i.e. τὴν πόλιν), of Hector, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπίσκοποι ἁρμονιάων watchers over compacts, of the gods, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐ. ὀϊστῶν, of an archer, variant in [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; in education, tutor, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially of tutelary gods (compare ἐπισκοπέὠ, Παλλὰς ἐ. [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Χάριτες Μινυᾶν ἐ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πατρῴων δωμάτων ἐ. [Refs]; τὸ δεινὸν.. φρενῶν ἐπίσκοπον guardian of the mind, [Refs]; νυχίων φθεγμάτων ἐ., of Bacchus, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; [Χριστὸς] ἐ. τῶν ψυχῶν [NT+5th c.BC+] __A.2. scout, watch, c.dative, ἐ. Τρώεσσι, νήεσσιν ἡμετέρῃσιν, one set to watch them, [Refs 8th c.BC+] __A.3. supervisor, inspector, sent by Athens to subject states, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of municipal officials at Rhodes, [Refs 3rd c.BC+] __A.4. ecclesiastical superintendent, ἐπίσκοποι καὶ διάκονοι [NT]