βασιλεία

βασιλεία, -ας, ἡ

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

1. prop. abstract, sovereignty, royal power, dominion: Luke 1:33; 22:29, John 18:36, Acts 1:6, Hebrews 1:8, 1 Corinthians 15:24; λαβεῖν β., Luke 19:12, 15, Revelation 17:12; δοῦναι τὴν, ib. 17; ἔχειν β., ib. 18; ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τ. (εἰς τὴν) β., Matthew 16:28, Luke 23:42; β. τ. θεοῦ, Revelation 12:10.

2. By meton., concrete (MM, Exp., x),

(a) a kingdom, the territory or people over whom the king rules (Esther 5:3, al.): Matthew 4:8; 12:25, 26; 24:7, Mark 3:24; 6:23, Luke 4:5, Hebrews 11:33, al.;

(b) the royal majesty (cf. our phrase His Majesty), the king himself (τ. σπέρμα τῆς β., 2 Kings 11:1).

3. In LXX (Wis.6.5, Tob.13.1, al.), Targ. and NT, of the Messianic rule and kingdom, ἡ β. τ. θεοῦ, τ. οὐρανῶν (Heb. מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם, Aram. מַלְכוּתָא דִשׁמַיָּא; see Dalman, Words, 91-147; Cremer, 132, 658), the kingdom of God (on the equivalence of the two phrases, see Dalman, op. cit., 93, 218f.); τ. θεοῦ, Matthew 6:33; 12:28, al.; τ. οὐρανῶν, Matthew 3:2; 4:17, al.; τ. Χριστοῦ (מַלִכוּת דִמְשִׁיחא, Targ. Jon. on Isaiah 53:10), Ephesians 5:5; τ. κυρίου, 2 Peter 1:11, Revelation 11:15; τ. Δαυείδ, Mark 11:10; absol., ἡ β., Matthew 4:23, James 2:5, al. The kingdom is regarded as present: Matthew 11:12, Luke 17:21, Romans 14:17, al.; as that which is to be consummated in the future, Matthew 6:10, Mark 9:1, John 3:5, 2 Peter 1:11, al. Noteworthy phrases are: ζητεῖν τὴν β., Matthew 6:33; δέχεσθαι, Mark 10:15; κλρονομεῖν, Matthew 25:34; διδόναι, Luke 12:32; παραλαμβάνειν, Hebrews 12:28; αὐτῶν (τοιούτων) εστὶν ἡ β., Matthew 5:3, 10; 19:14, Mark 10:14, Luke 18:16; διὰ τὴν β., Matthew 19:12; ἕνεκεν τῆς β., Luke 18:29; εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, κηρύσσειν, διαγγέλλειν τὴν β., Luke 4:43; 9:2, 60; ἤγγικεν ἡ β., Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:15; κλεῖς τῆς β., Matthew 16:10; κλείειν τὴν β., Matthew 23:14; υἱοὶ τῆς β., Matthew 8:12; 13:38 (cf. Cremer, 132, 658).