βασιλεία
basileía
G932 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Dominion or sovereignty exercised by a ruler (typically a king); also, the realm or sphere over which such authority is exercised. In different contexts, can refer to (1) the supreme authority or royal power (kingship), (2) the geographical territory or political entity ruled by a king (kingdom, realm), or (3) a domain, order, or realm of influence, whether earthly or transcendent. In religious contexts, often used to designate the domain or dynamic reign of God, but context determines whether the emphasis is on the authority, the process of ruling, or the spatial/political entity.
Semantic Range
kingship (sovereignty, royal authority), act of ruling or reigning, reign (period of a king's rule), kingdom (realm, the territory subject to a king), domain or sphere of influence, order or condition marked by the rule of a king, domain of God's authority or activity (especially in religious or eschatological contexts)
Root / Etymology
From βασιλεύς (king) + abstract noun ending -ία, indicating state or condition; βασιλεία thus originally denoted the condition or office of being king, then extended to mean the territory or realm of a king. Cognate with related terms in other Indo-European languages for kingship (cf. Mycenaean Greek wa-na-ka for βασιλεύς).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, βασιλεία primarily referred to (a) kingship as an institution or sovereignty (Herodotus, Plato), and (b) the royal domain or kingdom as a geopolitical entity. In Hellenistic and Septuagint Greek, it is frequently used to translate Hebrew מַלְכוּת (malkut, reign, royal authority, kingdom), often referring both to God's sovereignty and to earthly kingdoms. In the New Testament, the phrase ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (the kingdom of God) or τῶν οὐρανῶν (of the heavens) carries a range of connotations: it can mean God's sovereign activity, the sphere of God's rule, or the expected eschatological order. English translations commonly render βασιλεία as 'kingdom,' but this can obscure nuance: in some passages the focus is on active rulership or the exercise of royal authority, not on a specific territory. The term thus encompasses both (1) reign/sovereignty and (2) realm/domain, depending on context.
Translation Consistency
"Kingdom" is the most natural and frequent English rendering (85 of 162 P2 occurrences) and covers the typical senses of basileía — the realm, domain, or rule of a king and the religious sense (e.g. "kingdom of God"). While contexts sometimes emphasize authority or the act of ruling (where "kingship" or "reign" might fit), "kingdom" best balances natural English and consistency across the full semantic range.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from βασιλεύς; properly, royalty, i.e. (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively):--kingdom, + reign.
Root Family
βασιλεία (basileia) — to reign, to rule, kingship, kingdom
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G932-01 |
Βασιλεία | basileia | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom | 77 |
G932-02 |
Βασιλείαν | basileian | N ACC F SG |
kingdom | royal dominion | kingdom | 60 |
G932-03 |
βασιλείας | basileias | N ACC F PL |
kingdom | kingdoms | kingdom | 25 |
Occurrences in Scripture
162 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G932-01 |
Matthew 3:2 | Βασιλεία | basileia | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom |
G932-03 |
Matthew 4:8 | βασιλείας | basileias | N ACC F PL |
kingdoms | kingdoms | kingdoms |
G932-01 |
Matthew 4:17 | Βασιλεία | basileia | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom |
G932-03 |
Matthew 4:23 | βασιλείας | basileias | N GEN F SG |
the kingdom | kingdoms | kingdom |
G932-01 |
Matthew 5:3 | Βασιλεία | basileia | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom |
G932-01 |
Matthew 5:10 | Βασιλεία | basileia | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom |
G932-01 |
Matthew 5:19 | Βασιλεία | basileia | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom |
G932-01 |
Matthew 5:19 | Βασιλεία | basileia-2 | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom |
G932-02 |
Matthew 5:20 | Βασιλείαν | basileian | N ACC F SG |
kingdom | royal dominion | kingdom |
G932-01 |
Matthew 6:10 | βασιλεία | basileia | N NOM F SG |
kingdom | kingship | kingdom |