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•FATHER a name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deuteronomy 1:11; 1 Kings 15:11; Matthew 3:9; 23:30, etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc. (Judges 17:10; 18:19; 1 Samuel 10:12; 2 Kings 2:12; Matthew 23:9, etc.). (3) The author or beginner of anything is also so called; e.g., Jabal and Jubal (Genesis 4:20, 21; comp. Job 38:28).
Applied to God (Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 32:6; 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 89:27, 28, etc.). (1.) As denoting his covenant relation to the Jews (Jeremiah 31:9; Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; John 8:41, etc.).