Question: I think "pater" is a greek word that could not be translated as "parents", because pater mean father and in plural mean "fathers" always. And I saw many translators who accept the wrong translation, but why? Is there any good reson to choose this translation? I want to proof me that. I guess the word goneus can be used for parents but not pater. And the apostle don't use this word.
Thanx.

Answer: 
In his commenatry on Hebrews 11:23, Franz Delitzsch wrote,1

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> Nor could the writer of our epistle, though following the ἰδόντες of the LXX., have meant to exclude Jochebed, nor indeed does he do so: **πατέρες elsewhere is not unfrequently equivalent to the more usual οἱ γονεῖς = parents, male and female.** Comp. not only [Bleek’s citation](https://books.google.com/books?id=8lUsAAAAYAAJ&pg=PG796#v=onepage&q&f=true) from Parthenius, Erot. 10; but also [Plato, Legg. p. 772 B](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0165:book=6:section=772e&highlight=pate%2Frwn) [sic], ἀγαθῶν πατέρων φύντι; [Dion. Hal. Ant. ii. 26](https://archive.org/details/romanantiquities01dionuoft/page/386), ἵνα σέβωσι (οἱ παῖδες) τοὺς πατέρας and Rhet. iii. 3, ποίων τινῶν προγόνων καὶ πατέρων. The πατέρες here, then, are Amram and Jochebed. These hid Moses three months...
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### Footnotes

1 Delitsch, p. [259](https://books.google.com/books?id=4XAuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PG259#v=onepage&q&f=true). Also, cf. Stephanus, p. [603](https://books.google.com/books?id=8w8rKLzd77gC&pg=PG603#v=onepage&q&f=true).

### References

Delitzsch, Franz. [*Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews.*](https://books.google.com/books?id=4XAuAAAAYAAJ) Trans. Kingsbury, Thomas L. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: Clark, 1872.

Stephanus, Henricus (a.k.a. Estienne, Henri). [*ΘΗΣΑΥΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΓΛΩΣΣΗΣ. THESAURUS GRAECAE LINGUAE.*](https://books.google.com/books?id=8w8rKLzd77gC) Vol. 6. Paris: Ambrosius Firmin, 1842.
Well, "πατήρ" is a greek word that in the plural, πατέρων, CAN be translated as "parents", i.e. father+mother.Let's have a look in 2-3 lexicons.

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> **Gingrich's Greek Lexicon** and **Thayer's Greek Lexicon**: πατέρων: plural
>  parents — b. forefather, ancestor, progenitor Mt 3:9; 23:30, 32; Mk
>  11:10; Lk 1:73; 16:24; J 4:20; 8:39, 53, 56; Ac 3:13, 25; Ro 9:10; Hb
>  1:1.—
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> **Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon:** πατήρ in pl.:
>  ***1. forefathers***, Il.6.209, etc. ; ἐξέτι πατρῶν from our fathers' time, Od.8.245; ἐκ πατέρων Pi.P.8.45.
>  ***2. parents***, D.S.21.17, Alciphr.3.40, Epigr.Gr.227 (Teos).
>  ***3. parent-nation***, opp. colonists, Hdt.7.51, 8.22, Plu.Them.9. (Cf. Skt.pitár-, Lat. pater, etc.)
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Please search [here](http://logeion.uchicago.edu/%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AE%CF%81), this way it will be much easier for you to find out the meanings of the word and to understand why the translation is fine.