Lexical Summary
alpha: Alpha
Original Word:ἄλφα
Part of Speech:Indeclinable Letter (Noun)
Transliteration:alpha
Pronunciation:AL-fah
Phonetic Spelling:(al'-fah)
KJV: Alpha
Word Origin:[of Hebrew origin]
1. the first letter of the alphabet
2. (figuratively) only
3. (numerically) the first
4. (prefix, commonly) not, without (a-, an-, i.e. amoral, anarchy)
5. (prefix, occasionally) in the sense of a union (i.e. akin, adelphos "brother")
{Often used as a prefix in composition in the sense of privation (as a contraction from G427); occasionally in the sense of union (as a contraction of G260)}
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Alpha.
Of Hebrew origin; the first letter of the alphabet; figuratively, only (from its use as a numeral) the first: --Alpha. Often used (usually an, before a vowel) also in composition (as a contraction fromaneu) in the sense of privation; so, in many words, beginning with this letter; occasionally in the sense of union (as a contraction ofhama).
see GREEKaneu
see GREEKhama
HELPS Word-studies
1A –alpha, the first letter of the Greekalphabet. 1/a (alpha) is used as aprefix (called its "privative use") andtypically means "no" or "not" (= "un-," "without").
[Greek words, whose first letter (of the root) isalpha, can not take an "alpha-privative" to negate them, so theonly way to express their "antithesis" is using anegative particle before them (e.g.mē,ou).]
Example: There is no single word for "unforgiveness" in the NT because the first letter is alreadyalpha ("a") – so a negative has to be used separately like, "not forgive" (ou/mē aphiēmi). "Righteousness/judge" (dikē) however does not begin in Greek with the letter "a" sounrighteousness is formed by using the prefixalpha (adikia).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfirst letter of the Greek alphabet
Definitionalpha, as num. 1 or 1000, as prefix (1) negative (2) copulative (3) intensive.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1: Α, ἄλφαΑ, ἄλφα,
τό, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, opening the series which the letter omega
ω closes. Hence, the expression
ἐγώεἰμίτόΑ (
LTTrWHἄλφα)
καίτόΩ (
ὮLWH),
Revelation 1:8, 11Rec., which is explained by the appended words
ἡἀρχήκαίτότέλος,
Revelation 21:6, and by the further addition
ὁπρῶτοςκαίὁἔσχατος,
Revelation 22:13. On the meaning of the phrase cf.
Revelation 11:17;
Isaiah 41:4;
Isaiah 44:6;
Isaiah 48:12; (especially
B. D. American edition, p. 73).
Α, when prefixed to words as an inseparable syllable, is:
1. privative (στερητικόν), like the Latinin-, the English un-, giving a negative sense to the word to which it is prefixed, asἀβαρής; or signifying what is contrary to it, asἄτιμος,ἀτιμόω; before vowels generallyαν(, as inἀναίτιος.
2. copulative (ἀθροιστικόν), akin to the particleἅμα (cf.Curtius, § 598), indicating community and fellowship, as inἀδελφός,ἀκόλουθος. Hence, it is:
3. intensive (ἐπιτατικόν), strengthening the force of terms, like the Latincon in composition; asἀτενίζω fromἀτενής (yet cf.Winers Grammar, 100 (95)). This use, however, is doubted or denied now by many (e. g. Lob. Path. Element. i. 34f). Cf. Kühner, i. 741, § 339 Anm. 5; (Jelf, § 342δ.); AlexanderButtmann (1873) Gram. § 120 Anm. 11; (Donaldson, Gram., p. 334; New Crat. §§ 185, 213; Liddell and Scott, under the word).
Topical Lexicon
Alphabetic symbolismAlpha stands at the head of the Greek alphabet and, when paired with Omega, frames the totality of written expression. Scripture appropriates this common linguistic marker to reveal God’s all-inclusive sovereignty: He encompasses every conceivable beginning and end, and everything between.
Alpha and divine self-disclosure
Revelation employs Alpha four times (Revelation 1:8; 1:11; 21:6; 22:13) in declarations where the risen Christ or the Lord God identifies Himself. The opening instance presents the divine voice: “I am the Alpha and the Omega…who is and was and is to come—the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). The title is not a mere flourish; it anchors every subsequent vision in the unchanging character of the Speaker. ByRevelation 21:6 and 22:13, Alpha reappears on Christ’s lips as the narrative closes, bookending the prophecy and assuring the reader that history’s originator will also consummate it.
Christological implications
The same epithet applied interchangeably to “the Lord God” (Revelation 1:8) and to Jesus Christ (Revelation 22:13) testifies to the full deity of the Son. Alpha affirms His pre-existence (“In the beginning was the Word,”John 1:1) and His lordship over the new creation. The claims leave no space for viewing Jesus as a mere creature; He is the One before whom all creation owes its existence and to whom it will ultimately return.
Old Testament echoes
The Alpha declaration resonates with Isaiah’s repeated assertion: “I am the first and I am the last” (Isaiah 44:6;Isaiah 48:12). Revelation’s Greek audience would have recognized the parallel and understood Alpha as the New-Covenant restatement of Yahweh’s eternal self-designation. The motif extends back toGenesis 1:1, where God already stands prior to the first word. Thus Alpha links the entire canon, showing the same Lord presiding over creation, redemption, and consummation.
Eschatological assurance
Because Christ is Alpha, the church’s destiny is secured. Revelation’s persecuted readers took courage that the One who authored their faith would also perfect it (Hebrews 12:2). His being “the beginning” ensures that tribulation is not ultimate; His being “the end” guarantees reward and renewal. Alpha therefore functions pastorally, calling believers to perseverance under Rome’s pressure and any later oppression.
Pastoral and liturgical use
Early Christian worship incorporated the acclamation “Glory to You, O Christ, Alpha and Omega,” a confession preserved in ancient hymns and in baptismal professions. In counseling, the truth that Christ is Alpha helps frame personal crises within the larger narrative God controls. Funeral liturgies often invoke the title to affirm that the Lord who gave life will also receive it.
Historical reception in the early church
Patristic writers like Ignatius of Antioch and Irenaeus seized upon Alpha to argue against Gnostic claims of emanations. By insisting that Christ is at both the alphabet’s head and tail, they taught that nothing exists outside His scope. Medieval manuscripts and iconography frequently depict the Greek letters Α and Ω beside Christ’s head, a visual shorthand for His eternal dominion.
Application for contemporary believers
1. Identity: Believers derive their worth from the One who precedes all beginnings.
2. Security: Life’s uncertainties rest within the brackets of Alpha and Omega.
3. Mission: Evangelism proclaims the Lord who authored creation and will judge it, urging repentance while time remains between the first letter and the last.
4. Hope: Suffering is temporary; the Alpha who began a good work will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
Thus the brief yet potent word Alpha gathers the entire arc of Scripture into a single stroke, inviting every reader to trust, worship, and obey the One who reigns from everlasting to everlasting.
Forms and Transliterations
Α Αλφα Ἄλφα A Alpha ÁlphaLinks
Interlinear Greek •Interlinear Hebrew •Strong's Numbers •Englishman's Greek Concordance •Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •Parallel Texts
