βασιλεύω (G936) — Greek Lexicon

βασιλεύω

basileúō

G936 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To exercise royal authority, to act as king or queen; to reign, occupy the office and functions of a monarch. The core meaning is to possess or exercise kingly power, whether in a literal, political sense (to rule over a territory as a monarch), in transferred or figurative usage (to have dominant or supreme authority), or metaphorically (of overpowering forces or principles).

Semantic Range

to reign as monarch, to rule or govern (over a people or territory), to exercise kingly or sovereign power, to hold royal office, to predominate or be in control (figurative), to reign in a spiritual or eschatological sense

Root / Etymology

From βασιλεύς (king, monarch) plus the verbal ending -εύω, forming a verb meaning 'to act as king' or 'to rule as a monarch'. The suffix -εύω is used in Greek to derive verbs of state or profession from nouns of persons. Root ultimately relates to βασιλεύς.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, βασιλεύω primarily denotes the literal action of ruling as a monarch or exercising royal power, appearing in works such as Herodotus and Thucydides for ruling city-states or territories. By the Hellenistic and Koine period (including the Septuagint and New Testament), the verb expands to figurative and transcendental senses, for example: God (or God's kingdom) 'reigning', sin or death 'reigning' in human life, or the faithful 'reigning' with Christ in eschatological contexts. In the Septuagint, βασιλεύω is often used to translate Hebrew מָלַךְ (malak, 'to be/become king, to reign'), including concrete political rulership and metaphorical senses for God. In English Bible translations, 'reign' is the standard rendering, but significance can be lost when used for abstract forces (e.g., 'sin reigns'). The verb is used transitively in some cases (to rule over someone/something) and intransitively (to exercise kingship in general). It differs from related terms like ἄρχω ('to rule, to lead') in emphasizing specifically monarchical or royal rule, not general governance. No gender is inherent in the verb; it can describe female as well as male sovereigns, according to the subject.

Translation Consistency

primary "reign" 21 occurrences

“Reign” best captures the core meaning of exercising royal/sovereign authority in literal, transferred, and metaphorical/eschatological contexts. It is the most natural, common rendering in the attested forms (majority of P2 occurrences) and conveys monarchic power more precisely than alternatives like “rule,” while remaining natural English for all inflected forms.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from βασιλεύς; to rule (literally or figuratively):--king, reign.

Root Family

βασιλεϝ- (basileúō) — to rule as king, to reign, to exercise royal authority

Root βασιλεϝ- to rule as king, to reign, to exercise royal authority

Word Forms

12 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G936-08`	βασιλεύσουσιν	basileusousin	`V FUT ACT IND 3P PL`	they will reign	they will reign as kings	they will reign as kings	4
`G936-12`	ἐβασίλευσεν	ebasileusen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	reigned	he reigned as king	he reigned as king	4
`G936-05`	βασιλεῦσαι	basileusai	`V AOR ACT INF`	to reign	to reign as king	to reign as king	2
`G936-07`	βασιλεύσει	basileusei	`V FUT ACT IND 3P SG`	he will reign	he will reign as king	he will reign as king	2
`G936-11`	ἐβασιλεύσατε	ebasileusate	`V AOR ACT IND 2P PL`	you did reign	you were reigning as kings	you were reigning as kings	2
`G936-01`	βασιλεύει	basileuei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	was reigning	reigns as king	is reigning as king	1
`G936-02`	βασιλεύειν	basileuein	`V PRS ACT INF`	reign	to reign as king	to reign as king	1
`G936-03`	βασιλευέτω	basileueto	`V PRS ACT IMP 3P SG`	let reign	let him reign as king	let reign as king	1
`G936-04`	βασιλευόντων	basileuonton	`V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL`	kings	of those reigning as kings	reigning as kings	1
`G936-06`	βασιλεύσῃ	basileuse	`V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG`	might reign	may reign as king	may reign as king	1
`G936-09`	ἐβασίλευσαν	ebasileusan	`V AOR ACT IND 3P PL`	reigned	they reigned	they reigned	1
`G936-10`	ἐβασίλευσας	ebasileusas	`V AOR ACT IND 2P SG`	have begun to reign	you reigned as king	you reigned as king	1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G936-01`	Matthew 2:22	βασιλεύει	basileuei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	was reigning	reigns as king	is reigning as king
`G936-07`	Luke 1:33	βασιλεύσει	basileusei	`V FUT ACT IND 3P SG`	he will reign	he will reign as king	he will reign as king
`G936-05`	Luke 19:14	βασιλεῦσαι	basileusai	`V AOR ACT INF`	to reign	to reign as king	to reign as king
`G936-05`	Luke 19:27	βασιλεῦσαι	basileusai	`V AOR ACT INF`	to reign	to reign as king	to reign as king
`G936-12`	Romans 5:14	ἐβασίλευσεν	ebasileusen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	reigned	he reigned as king	he reigned as king
`G936-12`	Romans 5:17	ἐβασίλευσεν	ebasileusen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	reigned	he reigned as king	he reigned as king
`G936-08`	Romans 5:17	βασιλεύσουσιν	basileusousin	`V FUT ACT IND 3P PL`	will-reign	they will reign as kings	they will reign as kings
`G936-12`	Romans 5:21	ἐβασίλευσεν	ebasileusen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	reigned	he reigned as king	he reigned as king
`G936-06`	Romans 5:21	βασιλεύσῃ	basileuse	`V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG`	might reign	may reign as king	may reign as king
`G936-03`	Romans 6:12	βασιλευέτω	basileueto	`V PRS ACT IMP 3P SG`	let reign	let him reign as king	let reign as king
`G936-11`	1 Corinthians 4:8	ἐβασιλεύσατε	ebasileusate	`V AOR ACT IND 2P PL`	you have reigned	you were reigning as kings	you were reigning as kings
`G936-11`	1 Corinthians 4:8	ἐβασιλεύσατε	ebasileusate-2	`V AOR ACT IND 2P PL`	you did reign	you were reigning as kings	you were reigning as kings
`G936-02`	1 Corinthians 15:25	βασιλεύειν	basileuein	`V PRS ACT INF`	reign	to reign as king	to reign as king
`G936-04`	1 Timothy 6:15	βασιλευόντων	basileuonton	`V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL`	kings	of those reigning as kings	reigning as kings
`G936-08`	Revelation 5:10	βασιλεύσουσιν	basileusousin	`V FUT ACT IND 3P PL`	they will reign	they will reign as kings	they will reign as kings
`G936-07`	Revelation 11:15	βασιλεύσει	basileusei	`V FUT ACT IND 3P SG`	he will reign	he will reign as king	he will reign as king
`G936-10`	Revelation 11:17	ἐβασίλευσας	ebasileusas	`V AOR ACT IND 2P SG`	have begun to reign	you reigned as king	you reigned as king
`G936-12`	Revelation 19:6	ἐβασίλευσεν	ebasileusen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	reigns	he reigned as king	he reigned as king
`G936-09`	Revelation 20:4	ἐβασίλευσαν	ebasileusan	`V AOR ACT IND 3P PL`	reigned	they reigned	they reigned
`G936-08`	Revelation 20:6	βασιλεύσουσιν	basileusousin	`V FUT ACT IND 3P PL`	they will reign	they will reign as kings	they will reign as kings
`G936-08`	Revelation 22:5	βασιλεύσουσιν	basileusousin	`V FUT ACT IND 3P PL`	they shall reign	they will reign as kings	they will reign as kings

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