Patriarch (πατριάρχης, from πατριά, ‘clan,’ and ἀ ρχή, ‘rule’)
A patriarch is the father or head of a πατριά or clan. As applied to Bible characters, the term usually denotes either the forefathers of the human ra ce or the progenitors of Israel-Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons. In the LXX_ of 1Ch_24:31; 1Ch_27:22, 2 Chronicles 19:8 πατριάρχαι renders various Hebrew terms, which appear in our EV_ as ‘principal fathers,’ ‘heads of fathers’ houses,’ and ‘captains.’ In 4Ma 7:19 reference is made to ‘our patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’ (cf. 4 Mac 16:25). In the NT the term is applied to Abraham (Hebrews 7:4), to the sons of Jacob (Acts 7:8 f.), and also to David, in a text (2:29) where it has greater dignity than the ordinary ‘king’ would have had. It was of David that St. Peter, speaking μετ ὰ πα ῤῥ ησίας, ‘had to say something not altogether favourable, in order that thereby the glory of Christ might be the more enhan ce d. There is therefore in this passage a προθεραπεία, or previous mitigation of what he is about to say’ (Bengel, in loco).
James Strahan.