Saturday, January 07, 2006
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords
Even those who don't read the Bible might be familiar with the phrase "King of kings, and Lord of lords" from the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel's Messiah. It occurs in the New Testament at 1 Timothy 6.15 and Revelation 19.16. Here are some similar examples of this locution:
Off the top of my head I can't think of any classical Greek examples, but Guillermo Galán Vioque, in his commentary on Martial 7.70.1 (tribadum tribas), gives the following Latin examples:
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- Deuteronomy 10.17: For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords.
- Psalms 136.2-3: O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- Ezekiel 26.7: Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
- 2 Maccabees 13.4: But the King of kings moved Antiochus' mind against this wicked wretch.
- Enoch 9.4-5: And they said to the Lord of the ages: "Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages!"
- Revelation 17.14: Lord of lords, and king of kings.
Off the top of my head I can't think of any classical Greek examples, but Guillermo Galán Vioque, in his commentary on Martial 7.70.1 (tribadum tribas), gives the following Latin examples:
- Plautus, Captives 825: regum rex
- Plautus, Trinummus 309: victor victorum
- Lucretius 3.816: summarum summa
- Ovid, Heroides 8.46: dux erat ille ducum
- Petronius 37.8: nummorum nummos
- Seneca, Agamemnon 39: rex ille regum, ductor Agamemnon ducum
- Martial 1.100.2: mammarum maxima mamma
- Martial 6.4.1: principumque princeps
- Apuleius, Metamorphoses 11.30: deus deum magnorum potior et potiorum summus et summorum maximus et maximorum regnator Osiris
