Quick Definition
κεφαλή, ῆς, ἡ n.f. the head
Strong's Definition
from the primary kapto (in the sense of seizing); the head (as the part most readily taken hold of), literally or figuratively
KJV Usage: head
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ῆς | κεφαλιόω
8.10 · Body, Body Parts, and Body Products · Parts of the Body
head uppermost part of the human body, or the front or upper part of the body of an animal, typically separated from the rest of the body by a neck, and containing the brain, mouth, and sense organs; associated with the entire person, that person’s life and responsibilities In some languages it may be necessary to distinguish clearly between the head which is still a part of a body and a severed head. It is this latter meaning which is obviously involved in MRK 6:25.
In rendering 1CO 11:4, πᾶς ἀνὴρ προσευχόμενος ἢ προφητεύων κατὰ κεφαλῆς ἔχων ‘any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered,’ it may be important to indicate that the covering is not one which is designed to cover the entire head including the face, but only the top of the head. The same applies, of course, to 1CO 11:5 and 1CO 11:7.
MAT 5:36 · MAT 6:17 · MAT 10:30 · MAT 14:8 · MAT 14:11 · MAT 26:7 · MAT 27:29 · MAT 27:30 · MAT 27:37 · MAT 27:39 · MRK 6:24 · MRK 6:25 · MRK 6:27 · MRK 6:28 · MRK 14:3 · MRK 15:19 · MRK 15:29 · LUK 7:38 · LUK 7:46 · LUK 12:7 · LUK 21:18 · LUK 21:28 · JHN 13:9 · JHN 19:2 · JHN 19:30 · JHN 20:7 · JHN 20:12 · ACT 18:6 · ACT 18:18 · ACT 21:24 · ACT 27:34 · ROM 12:20 · 1CO 11:4 · 1CO 11:4 · 1CO 11:5 · 1CO 11:5 · 1CO 11:7 · 1CO 11:10 · 1CO 12:21 · REV 1:14 · REV 4:4 · REV 9:7 · REV 9:17 · REV 9:17 · REV 9:19 · REV 12:1 · REV 12:3 · REV 12:3 · REV 13:1 · REV 13:1 · REV 13:3 · REV 14:14 · REV 17:3 · REV 17:7 · REV 17:9 · REV 18:19 · REV 19:12
87.51 · Status · High Status or Rank [including persons of high status]
one who is the head of, one who is superior to, one who is supreme over (a figurative extension of meaning of κεφαλή[a] ‘head,’ 8.10) one who is of supreme or pre-eminent status, in view of authority to order or command
1CO 11:3 · 1CO 11:3 · 1CO 11:3 · EPH 1:22 · EPH 4:15 · EPH 5:23 · EPH 5:23 · COL 1:18 · COL 2:10 · COL 2:19
7.44 · Constructions · Parts and Areas of Buildings
Collocation: κεφαλὴ γωνίας
cornerstone, important stone (a set phrase, literally: head of the corner) the cornerstone or capstone of a building, essential to its construction (κεφαλὴ γωνίας occurs in the NT only figuratively in reference to Christ) Though some scholars have thought that κεφαλὴ γωνίας refers to a keystone of an arch or the lintel stone over a door, it is highly probable that κεφαλὴ γωνίας has essentially the same meaning as ἀκρογωνιαῖος.
23.83 · Physiological Processes and States · Tire, Rest
Collocation: τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνω
to lie down to rest, to lie down to sleep (an idiom, literally: to lay down the head) to experience the rest which comes from sleep ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνω ‘the Son of Man has no place to lie down to rest’ MAT 8:20, implies that Jesus possessed no permanent home. In JHN 19:30 this same expression must be understood not as an idiom but as a case of literally bowing the head (see 16.16).
49.16 · Activities Involving Clothing and Adorning
Collocation: κατὰ κεφαλῆς ἔχω
to have one’s head covered, to cover one’s head (an idiom, literally: to have down on the head) to wear a covering over one’s head
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
κεφαλή, -ῆς, ἡ, Sept. for wN 1; the head, both of men: Mt. v. 36; Mk. vi. 24; Lk. vii. 38, 44 [Rec.], 46; Jn. xiii. 9; Acts xviii. 18; 1 Co. xi. 4; Rev. i. 14; iv. 4, and often; and of animals: Rev. ix. 7, 17, 19, etc.; on the phrases κλίνειν THY κ-» ἐπαίρειν THY K., See κλίνω, 1 and ἐπαίρω; on the saying in Ro. xii. 20, see under ἄνθραξ. Since the loss of the head destroys the life, κεφαλή is used in phrases relating to capital and extreme punishments: 80 in τὸ αἷμα ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν k. ὑμῶν (see αἷμα, 2 a. p. 15°), Acts xviii. 6, and similar phrases in class. Grk.; see Passow 8. v. p. 1717*; Pape s. v.3; [L. and S.s. ν. 1. 3 and 4]. Metaph. anything supreme, chief, prominent; of persons, master, lord: τινός, of a husband in relation to his wife, 1 Co. xi. 3; Eph. v. 23; of Christ, the lord of the husband, 1 Co. xi. 3 [ef. B. 124. 54. (109)]; of the church, Eph. iv. 15; v. 23; Col. ii. 19 [ef. B. § 143, 4 c.]; τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλ. Col. i. 18; πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας, Col. ii. 10; so Judg. xi. 11; 2S. xxii. 44, and in Byzant. of things: κεφ. γωνίας, the corner-stone, see γωvia, a. [(From Hom. down.) ]
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
κεφαλή kephalē 75x
the head, Mt. 5:36; 6:17; the head, top; κεφαλὴ γωνίας, the head of the corner, the chief corner-stone, Mt. 21:42; Lk. 20:17; met. the head, superior, chief, principal, one to whom others are subordinate, 1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 1:22
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
κεφαλή, -ῆς, ἡ,
[in LXX nearly always for רֹאשׁ;]
the head: Mt 5:36, Mk 6:24, Re 1:14 9:7, al. mult.; fig., ἄνθρακες ἐπὶ τὴν κ., Ro 12:20(LXX); αἷμα, Ac 18:6; metaph., of a husband, c. gen., I Co 11:3, Eph 5:23; of Christ, I Co 11:3, Eph 4:15 5:23, Col 1:18 2:10, 19; of things, κ. γωνίας, Mt 21:42(LXX).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
κεφαλή. For the literal sense of κεφαλή it is sufficient to quote PSI V. 455" (A.D. 178) ἐφῖδον τοῦτον... ἔχοντα ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς τραύματα τρία, and P Lond 478 (ii/A.p.) (=I. p- 81) κεφαλὴν κομόωσαν ἐθείραις. Cf. also P Par 5741*28 (iii/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 113) λόγος λεγόμενος ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, ‘an invocation to be uttered over the head (of the possessed one),” and the Christian amulet BGU III. 954° (vi/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 133) κλίνω τὴν κεφαλήν [μο]υ κα «τ: ἐνώπιόν σου. With Ac 18° we may compare BGU IV. 1024'"-17 (end of iv/A.D.) ἐκδέξι το[ίνυν] τὴην (Δ. τὴν) ἕως κεφ[αλῆ]ς τ[ι]Ἱμωρίαν, and to McNeile’s rendering of Mt 214 κεφαλὴν γωνίας, ‘‘the furthest extremity (not ‘the top’) of the corner,” a certain support is given by P Flor I. 508% (A.D. 268) ἐπ᾽ ἀπηλιωτικῆ[ς Ke]padis πρώτης μερίδος, apparently = ‘‘at the eastern extremity of the first division.’” In P Oxy II. 273!8 (Α.Ὁ. 95) κεφαλή is used of the ‘whole amount” of land that was being ceded; in ALtchel 58818 (2nd half ii/B.c.) of ‘‘the total expenditure” ; and in Vett. Val. pp. 747, 292113, κεφαλὴ μεγάλη = πρόσωπον. The late P Lond το" (vii/A.D.) (ΞΞ ΠῚ. p. 82) gives us ἀνεγκέφαλος used figuratively like our ‘‘brainless,” and an imprecatory tablet from Palestine (Bliss and Macalister Axcavations in Palestine, 1902, p. 174, No. 34°) shows a man calling down punishment on another --διὰ τὸ κεφαιλαλγεῖν pe, ‘because I am suffering from headache.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
κεφαλή (kephalē) — head. κεφᾰλή, ἡ, head of man or beast, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κεφαλῇ.. μείζονες taller in stature, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; so μείων.. κεφαλήν[Refs 3rd c.BC+] __a κατὰ κεφαλῆς, Epic dialect κὰκ κεφαλῆς, down over the head, κόνιν.. χεύατο κὰκ κεφαλῆς [Refs 8th c.BC+] __b κατὰ κεφαλήν, Epic dialect κὰκ κεφαλήν on the head, Ἐρύλαον.. βάλε πέτρῳ μέσσην κὰκ κεφαλήν [Refs 8th c.BC+]: in Prose, from above, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: c.genitive, above, κ. κ. τινῶν γενέσθαι [Refs]; τὸ κ. κ. ὕδωρ, of rain water, [Refs 4th c.BC+] (-ῆς): in Architecture texts, upright, [Refs]; also, per head, each person (compare below 1.2), [LXX+4th c.BC+] __c ἐς πόδας ἐκ κεφαλῆς from head to foot, [Refs 8th c.BC+] __d ἐπὶ κεφαλήν head foremost, ἐπὶ κ. κατορύξαι to bury head downwards, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπὶ κ. ὠθέεσθαι to be thrust headlong, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὐ βουλόμενος πολίτας ἄνδρας ἐπὶ κ. εἰσπράττειν τὸν μισθόν recklessly, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἐπὶ ταῖς κεφαλαῖς περιφέρειν carry on high, in token of admiration, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. as the noblest part, periphrastic for the whole person, πολλὰς ἰφθίμους κ. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἶσον ἐμῇ κ. no less than myself, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: in bad sense, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί [Refs 5th c.BC+]: in bad sense, ἡ μιαρὰ καὶ ἀναιδὴς αὕτη κ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; μεγάλη κ. a great personage, Vett. Val.[Refs]
3. life, ἐμῇ κ. περιδείδια [Refs 8th c.BC+]; παρθέμενοι κεφαλάς staking their heads on the cast, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τὴν κ. ἀποβαλέεις [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. in imprecations, ἐς κεφαλὴν τράποιτ᾽ ἐμοί on my head be it! [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐς κ. σοί (i.e. τράποιτο) [NT+5th c.BC+]
II. of things, extremity,
II. a in Botany, κ. σκορόδου head (= inflorescence) of garlic, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ῥίζα κ. ἔχουσα πλείονας tubers, [Refs 1st c.AD+]
II. b in Anatomy, κεφαλαὶ τῆς κάτω γνάθου, probably the condyloid and coronoid processes, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ κ. τοῦ ὄρχεως, ={ἐπιδιδυμίς}, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; μηροῦ, κνήμης κ., [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; of the base of the heart, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; but, apex, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the sac in poulps, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of muscles, origin, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
II. c generally, top, brim of a vessel, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; coping of a wall, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; capital of a column, [LXX+2nd c.AD+]
II. d in plural, source of a river, [Refs 5th c.BC+] (butsg., mouth, οἶδα Γέλα ποταμοῦ κεφαλῇ ἐπικείμενον ἄστυ [Refs]: generally, source, origin, Ζεὺς κ. (variant{ἀρχή}), Ζεὺς μέσσα, Διὸς δ᾽ ἒκ πάντα τελεῖται τέτυκται codices) [Refs 5th c.AD+]; starting-point, κ. χρόνου [Refs 6th c.AD+]
II. e extremity of a plot of land, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
III. Ὁμηρείη κ. bust of Homer, [Refs]
IV. κ. περίθετος wig, head-dress, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
V. metaphorically, κ. δείπνου pièce de résistance, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
V.2. crown, completion, κεφαλὴν ἐπιθεῖναι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; consummation, σχεῖν κ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]
V.3. sum, total, πάσας ἐρρηγείας [Refs]; of money, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
V.4. band of men, [LXX]; right-hand half of a phalanx (opposed to οὐρά), [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
V.5. Astron., κ. τοῦ κόσμου, of Aries, [Refs 4th c.AD+]. (ghebh-, compare κεβλή and Engl. gable.)