prince

A person of high rank. The Hebrew terms for “prince” are multiple, but they invariably refer to a person of extraordinary power and authority. The word may emphasize an individual’s prowess in battle, or it may suggest an office one has attained, whether chief of a tribe, head of a family, satrap, or king. The heir to the throne is also called a prince, as are the chief rulers of a kingdom who answer only to the king (e.g., the seven princes of Persia and Media whose names are given in Esth 1:14). In messianic expectation there was room for a prince of peace (Isa 9:6).