στοιχεῖον, “rudiments, first steps.”
1. Applied to children at the “commencement” of their training; and to the law as the “early” way of God’s dealing with Israel; but now called “beggarly” because it has lost its glory through the failure of man, and the introduction of Christ Himself (Gal. 4:3,93Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: (Galatians 4:3)
9But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? (Galatians 4:9)). The word, with a similar meaning, is translated “rudiments” in Colossians 2:8,208Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
20Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Colossians 2:20), and “principles” in Hebrews 5:1212For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (Hebrews 5:12).