Meaning
lit., "a learner" (from manthano, "to learn," from a root math--, indicating thought accompanied by endeavor), in contrast to didaskalos, "a teacher;" hence it denotes "one who follows one's teaching," as the "disciples" of John, Mat 9:14; of the Pharisees, Mat 22:16; of Moses, Joh 9:28; it is used of the "disciples" of Jesus (a) in a wide sense, of Jews who became His adherents, Joh 6:66, Luk 6:17, some being secretly so, Joh 19:38; (b) especially of the twelve Apostles, Mat 10:1, Luk 22:11, e.g.; (c) of all who manifest that they are His "disciples" by abiding in His Word, Joh 8:31; cp. Joh 13:35, Joh 15:8; (d) in the Acts, of those who believed upon Him and confessed Him, Joh 1:6-2, Joh 6:7, Joh 14:20, Joh 14:22, Joh 14:28, Joh 15:10, Joh 19:1, etc.
A "disciple" was not only a pupil, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher; cp. Joh 8:31, Joh 15:8.
"a female disciple," is said of Tabitha, Act 9:36.
means "a fellow disciple" (sun, with, and No. 1), Joh 11:16.
Note: In Act 1:15, the RV translates the mss. which have adelphon, "brethren;" in Act 20:7, RV, "we," for AV, "disciples."
is used in the Active Voice, intransitively, in some mss., in Mat 27:57, in the sense of being the "disciple" of a person; here, however, the best mss. have the Passive Voice, lit., "had been made a disciple," as in Mat 13:52, RV, "who hath been made a disciple." It is used in this transitive sense in the Active Voice in Mat 28:19, Act 14:21.
