βασιλεία, -as, ἡ, (fr. βασιλεύω ; to be distinguished fr. βασίλεια a queen; cf. iepeia priesthood fr. iepedw, and ἱέρεια a priestess fr. ἱερεύς), [fr. Hdt.down]; 1. royal power, kingship, dominion, rule: Lk. i. 33; xix. 12, 15; xxii. 29; Jn. xviii. 36; Acts i. 6; Heb. i. 8; 1 Co. xv. 24; Rev. xvii. 12; of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah, in the phrase ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ Bac. αὐτοῦ, i. 6. to come in his kingship, clothed with this power: Mt. xvi. 28; Lk. xxiii. 42 [εἰς τὴν 8. L mrg. Tr mrg. WH txt.]; of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom: Rev. i. 6 (ace. to Tr txt. WH mre. ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν or L ἡμῶν [yet RG TWH txt. Tr mrg. ἡμᾶς] βασιλείαν [Rec. βασιλεῖς); τοῦ θεοῦ, the royal power and dignity belonging to God, Rev. xu. 10. 2. a kingdom i. 6. the territory subject to the rule of a king: Mt. xii. 25 sq.; xxiv. 7; Mk. iii. 24; vi. 23; xiii. 8; Lk. xi. 17; xxi. 10; plur.: Mt. iv. 8; Lk. iv. 5; Heb. xi. 33. 3. Frequent in the N. T. in reference to the Reign of the Messiah are the following phrases: ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (NTINI 899990, Targ. Is. xl. 9; Mic. iv. 7), prop. the kingdom over which God rules;

βασιλεία basileia 162x

a kingdom, realm, the region or country governed by a king; kingly power, authority, dominion, reign; royal dignity, the title and honor of king; ἡ βασιλεία, Mt. 9:35, ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ or τοῦ Χριστοῦ or τοῦ οὐρανοῦ or τῶν οὐρανῶν, the reign or kingdom of the Messiah, both in a false and true conception of it; used also with various limitation, of its administration and coming history, as in the parables; its distinctive nature, Rom. 14:17; its requirements, privileges, rewards, consummation

βασιλεία, -ας, ἡ

(< βασιλεύω), [in LXX chiefly for מַמְלָכָה מַלְכוּת;]

prop. abstract, sovereignty, royal power, dominion: Lk 1:33 22:29, Jo 18:36, Ac 1:6, He 1:8, I Co 15:24; λαβεῖν β., Lk 19:12, 15, Re 17:12; δοῦναι τὴν, Re 17:17; ἔχειν β., Re 17:18; ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τ. (εἰς τὴν) β., Mt 16:28, Lk 23:42; β. τ. θεοῦ, Re 12:10.

By meton., concrete (MM, Exp., x), a kingdom, the territory or people over whom the king rules (Es 5:3, al.): Mt 4:8 12:25, 26 24:7, Mk 3:24 6:23, Lk 4:5, He 11:33, al.;

the royal majesty (cf. our phrase His Majesty), the king himself (τ. σπέρμα τῆς β., IV Ki 11:1).

In LXX (Wi 6:5, To 13:1, al.), Targ. and NT, of the Messianic rule and kingdom, ἡ β. τ. θεοῦ, τ. οὐρανῶν (Heb. מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם, Aram. מַלְכוּתָא דִשׁמַיָּא; v. Dalman, Words, 91-147; Cremer, 132, 658), the kingdom of God (on the equivalence of the two phrases, v. Dalman, op. cit., 93, 218 f.); τ. θεοῦ, Mt 6:33 12:28, al.; τ. οὐρανῶν, Mt 3:2 4:17, al.; τ. Χριστοῦ (מַלִכוּת דִמְשִׁיחא, Targ. Jon. on Is 53:10), Eph 5:5; τ. κυρίου, II Pe 1:11, Re 11:15; τ. Δαυείδ, Mk 11:10; absol., ἡ β., Mt 4:23, Ja 2:5, al. The kingdom is regarded as present: Mt 11:12, Lk 17:21, Ro 14:17, al.; as that which is to be consummated in the future, Mt 6:10, Mk 9:1, Jo 3:5, II Pe 1:11, al. Noteworthy phrases are: ζητεῖν τὴν β., Mt 6:33; δέχεσθαι, Mk 10:15; κλρονομεῖν, Mt 25:34; διδόναι, Lk 12:32; παραλαμβάνειν, He 12:28; αὐτῶν (τοιούτων) ἐστὶν ἡ β., Mt 5:3, 10 19:14, Mk 10:14, Lk 18:16; διὰ τὴν β., Mt 19:12; ἕνεκεν τῆς β., Lk 18:29; εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, κηρύσσειν, διαγγέλλειν τὴν β., Lk 4:43 9:2, 60; ἤγγικεν ἡ β., Mt 3:2, Mk 1:15; κλεῖς τῆς β., Mt 16:19; κλείειν τὴν β., Mt 23:14; υἱοὶ τῆς β., Mt 8:12 13:38 (cf. Cremer, 132, 658).

βασιλεία. As kingship or sovranty in the abstract is necessarily the root meaning of this word, it is easy to see how the passage into the concrete could either be on the lines of our domznzon (cf. “four Sovereign and his dominions”), or follow the outward and visible szex of royalty. All these three meanings are fully illustrated from the inscriptions by Dittenberger in the Index to OG/S, e.g. (1) 331% (ii/B.c.) ty ἔτει τῆς ἐκείνου βασιλείας, (2) 248!° (ii/B.c.) μέχρι τῶν ὁρίων τῆς ἰδίας βασιλείας, and (3) go (Rosetta Stone, B.c. 196) τὰς τοῦ βασιλέως χρυσᾶς βασιλείας δέκα. It is possible that some passages in the NT might gain in force if this last meaning ‘‘a sign of royalty ” were substituted for ‘‘ royalty” in the abstract—one might compare the line taken by the Reyisers with ἐξουσία in 1 Cor 111%. But it may be doubted whether the change can be made very plausible in auy case. For B. in its original sense we may cite from the papyri P Par 618 (B.C. 156) πάντας τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν δικαιοδοτεῖσθαι, P Tor I. rit (Bc. 114) τῶν μεγίστων βασιλέων ἀπολελυκότων τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν πάντας αἰτιῶν πασῶν. For the sense ‘“‘reign” see P Oxy X. 12577 (iii/A.D.) ἐπὶ τοῦ (ἔτους) ἃ ἔτους τῆς εὐτυχαιστάτης ταύτης βασιλείας. Deissmann AS, p. 361f., compares with τὴν αἰώνιον βασιλείαν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Kal σωτῆρος (2 Pet 111) the phrase ἐπὶ] τῆς τῶν κυρίων Ῥωμαίων αἰωνίου ἀρχῆς in the decree of Stratonicea (C/G II. no. 27152, δ).

βασιλεία (basileia) — kingdom. βᾰσιλ-είᾱ, Ionic dialect βᾰσιλ-ηΐη, ἡ, kingdom, dominion, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; hereditary monarchy, opposed to τυραννίς, ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς γέρασι πατρικαὶ β. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ πρώτη πολιτεία μετὰ τὰς β. after the age of monarchies, [NT]

2. kingly office, β. καὶ στρατηγία [Refs 4th c.BC+]

3. at Athens, the office of the archon βασιλεύς, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

4. passive, being ruled by a king, τῆς ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνου βασιλείας [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. diadem, [Refs 1st c.BC+]

III. reign, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; so αἱ β. the reigns of the Kings, title of book of “VT”; accession to the throne, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

IV. concrete, His Majesty, [LXX]