Against the authorities, against the COSMIC POWERS of this darkness

12 because to us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

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2888 kosmokrátōr (from 2889 /kósmos, "world" and 2902 /kratéō, "to rule") – properly, world-ruler, referring to Satan (demons) influencing the lives of worldly people (used only in Eph 6:12).

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world-ruler (used of world-ruling gods [Orphica: Hymns 8, 11 Helios; 11, 11 Pan; Vett. Val. 170, 36 κ. Ζεύς; 171, 6; 314, 16 κ. Ἥλιος; PGM 4, 1599; 2198; 5, 400 and 17b, 1 Ἑρμῆς; 13, 619 Σάραπις] and of the emperor Caracalla [Egypt. ins APF 2, 1903, 449 no. 83]. Then gener. of spirit beings, who have parts of the cosmos under their control: Vett. Val. 278, 2; 360, 7; Iambl., Myst. 2, 9; 3, 10; TestSol; Iren. 1, 5, 4 [Harv. I 48, 2]; τὸν διάβολον …, ὃν καὶ κοσμοκράτωρα καλοῦσι 1, 5, 4 [Harv. I 47, 4].—FCumont, Compt. rend. Acad. des ins 1919, 313f; EPeterson, Εἷς θεός 1926, 238, 3. Also loanw. in rabb., e.g. of the angel of death) of evil spirits (w. ἀρχαί and ἐξουσίαι) οἱ κ. τοῦ σκότους τούτου the world-rulers of this darkness i.e. the rulers of this sinful world Eph 6:12 (s. TestSol [18, 2] in Dibelius, Geisterwelt 230: spirits come to Sol. and call themselves οἱ κοσμοκράτορες τ. σκότους τούτου. On the subject s. Hdb. on J 12:31 and FDölger, D. Sonne d. Gerechtigkeit 1918, 49ff; GMacgregor, Principalities and Powers: ACPurdy Festschr. ’60, 88–104).—DELG s.v. κόσμος. M-M. TW.

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