despotes denotes an authority figure addressed as master, whether over servants or in direct address to God.

The term most often identifies masters to whom servants or slaves are subject, honor, serve, or be useful; it also occurs as a singular form of direct address and in statements about denying or awaiting judgment from the one called master.

1. Master over servants or slaves · dominant

   Plural forms occur in instructions concerning servants and slaves: in 1 Peter 2:18 the APB renders submission to masters, including good, gentle, and crooked ones; in 1 Timothy 6:1 and 1 Timothy 6:2 it concerns bondservants' regard and service toward their own masters. In Titus 2:9 slaves are subject to their own masters, while 2 Timothy 2:21 describes a cleansed vessel as useful to the master.

   1 Peter 2:181 Timothy 6:11 Timothy 6:22 Timothy 2:21Titus 2:9
2. Singular master in direct address or claim · common

   The singular vocative is used in direct address: in Luke 2:29 the APB renders a servant speaking to “Master,” and in Acts 4:24 it renders a united address to God as “Master,” followed by the statement that he made heaven, earth, sea, and all in them. Singular accusative and nominative forms occur where false teachers deny the Master in 2 Peter 2:1 and Jude 1:4, and where a cry asks when the holy and true master will judge and avenge in Revelation 6:10.

   Luke 2:29Acts 4:242 Peter 2:1Jude 1:4Revelation 6:10

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term as “master” or “masters,” including servant-and-master instructions and direct addresses. Because the APB is a whole-verse translation, its English wording does not by itself establish each occurrence's precise contribution.