What does βασιλεύς (basileús) mean in the Bible?
βασιλεύς means king or sovereign and is used for many kinds of rulers. New Testament referents include Herod, other earthly kings, the Roman emperor, God, and Jesus.
Greek · G935
βασιλεύς
A sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively)
Reading a lexicon entry
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βασιλεύς G935
Pronunciation basileús
What does βασιλεύς (basileús) mean in the Bible?
βασιλεύς means king or sovereign and is used for many kinds of rulers. New Testament referents include Herod, other earthly kings, the Roman emperor, God, and Jesus.
Reader summary
Full entry for βασιλεύς (G935) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G935?
The BSB source-word alignment has 115 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include king (67), kings (24), a king (8), [the] King (3), king’s (3).
Where does βασιλεύς (basileús) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (22), Revelation (21), Acts (20), John (16).
Are there verse guides for βασιλεύς (basileús)?
This entry includes 4 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
βασιλεύς means king or sovereign and is used for many kinds of rulers. New Testament referents include Herod, other earthly kings, the Roman emperor, God, and Jesus. The noun supplies a royal title but does not make every king righteous, absolute, or messianic; the identity of the referent and the narrative setting control the claim.
The Gospels apply royal language to Jesus in birth narratives, public acclaim, interrogation, mockery, crucifixion, and confession. Matthew 27 places "King of the Jews" in the passion account, where accusation and mockery surround Jesus' own response. First Timothy 1:17 addresses a doxology to the eternal, immortal, invisible King, and Revelation 19:16 names Christ King of kings and Lord of lords. These texts support worship, allegiance, endurance, and hope, but the noun by itself does not provide a complete political program or identify any present nation or party with Christ's kingdom.
Lexical sourceCanonical parallelPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
βασιλεύς designates earthly rulers, God, and Jesus. Royal language for Jesus draws on Israel's Scriptures and gains distinctive force in the passion and Revelation, while ordinary occurrences retain their own historical referents.
- Ps.2.6
“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
This is an Old Testament canonical parallel rather than a direct G935 occurrence. The New Testament cites and echoes Psalm 2 in royal and messianic arguments, but each later use of βασιλεύς still requires its own context.
- Matt.27.11
Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
Pilate asks whether Jesus is the King of the Jews, and Jesus answers, "You have said so." The passion narrative then repeats the title in accusation and mockery; interpreters should follow Matthew's narrative rather than infer Pilate's tone or a full political theory from the noun.
- John.18.36
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
This verse uses the kingdom noun rather than G935 directly; the king title appears in the surrounding exchange, especially verse 37. Jesus contrasts the source or origin of His kingdom with kingdoms whose servants would fight, but the sentence should not be made to settle every question of political theology.
- 1-Tim.1.17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul's doxology addresses honor and glory to the eternal, immortal, invisible King. The verse applies royal language to God directly without requiring every human kingship to be classified as either reflection or usurpation.
- Rev.19.16
And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND Lord OF LORDS.
Revelation applies "King of kings and Lord of lords" to the rider in the judgment vision. The title presents supremacy over other rulers within the book's eschatological conflict and should be interpreted from Revelation before adding external imperial history.
Lexical sourceCanonical parallelBook contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It king 67× Matthew 1:6, Matthew 2:2, Matthew 2:3, Matthew 2:9
kings 24× Matthew 10:18, Matthew 17:25, Mark 13:9, Luke 10:24
a king 8× Matthew 18:23, Matthew 22:2, Luke 23:2, John 18:37
[the] King 3× Matthew 27:42, John 19:21, 1 Timothy 1:17
king’s 3× Acts 12:20, Hebrews 11:23, Hebrews 11:27
of kings 3× Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16, Revelation 19:18
O king 2× Acts 26:7, Acts 26:13
[was] king 1× Hebrews 7:1
kings’ 1× Matthew 11:8
of King 1× Matthew 2:1
the King 1× John 1:49
to [the] king 1× 1 Peter 2:13
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 1:6 βασιλέα to king Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 2:1 βασιλέως to of King Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 2:2 βασιλεὺς to King Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 2:3 βασιλεὺς to King Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 2:9 βασιλέως to king Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 5:35 Βασιλέως to King Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 10:18 βασιλεῖς to kings Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural Matthew 11:8 βασιλέων to kings’ Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Matthew 14:9 βασιλεὺς to king Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 17:25 βασιλεῖς to kings Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 1:6
Aligned rows 115
Books represented 10
Matthew 22 Mark 12 Luke 11 John 16 Acts 20 2 Corinthians 1 1 Timothy 3 Hebrews 7 1 Peter 2 Revelation 21
Source forms
Βασιλεὺς 21x Basileus Matthew 25:34, Matthew 25:40, Matthew 27:11, Matthew 27:42
βασιλεῖς 16x basileis Matthew 10:18, Matthew 17:25, Luke 10:24, Luke 21:12
βασιλεὺς 16x basileus Matthew 2:2, Matthew 2:3, Matthew 14:9, Matthew 22:7
βασιλέα 11x basilea Matthew 1:6, Mark 6:25, Luke 23:2, John 6:15
βασιλέων 10x basileōn Matthew 11:8, Mark 13:9, Acts 9:15, 1 Timothy 2:2
βασιλέως 8x basileōs Matthew 2:1, Matthew 2:9, Luke 1:5, Acts 7:10
βασιλεῦ 7x basileu Acts 25:24, Acts 25:26, Acts 26:2, Acts 26:7
βασιλεῖ 5x basilei Matthew 18:23, Matthew 22:2, Luke 14:31, Acts 25:14
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 48x Matthew 2:2, Matthew 2:3, Matthew 14:9, Matthew 21:5
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular 15x Matthew 1:6, Mark 6:25, Mark 15:9, Mark 15:12
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural 12x Matthew 17:25, Luke 10:24, Luke 22:25, Acts 4:26
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural 11x Matthew 11:8, Mark 13:9, Acts 9:15, 1 Timothy 2:2
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular 9x Matthew 2:1, Matthew 2:9, Matthew 5:35, Luke 1:5
Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular 9x Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:18, Acts 25:24, Acts 25:26
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular 6x Matthew 18:23, Matthew 22:2, Luke 14:31, Acts 25:14
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural 4x Matthew 10:18, Luke 21:12, Revelation 16:14, Revelation 19:19
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Join comfort in Christ's royal supremacy with allegiance, obedience, justice, and endurance, using the full passages rather than the title alone.
- Do not use submission to Christ the King to demand unquestioning loyalty to a human leader or to prevent reporting abuse, seeking protection, or holding authorities accountable.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that any present nation, party, ruler, or church institution is the unique political embodiment of Christ's kingship.
- Do not claim that naming Jesus King removes the need to interpret passages about earthly authorities, faithful resistance, justice, and suffering in their own contexts.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
John 1:49 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεὺς basileus a sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively) The form supports a confessional and honorific reading of Jesus as Israel's king, while leaving the larger scope to the verse and Gospel context. Read verse guide John 19:19 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεὺς basileys a sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively) The noun supplies the royal title written above Jesus. Read verse guide Matthew 1:6 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
βασιλέα. basilea a sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively) The form strengthens the reading of David as the king in the genealogy, so the verse emphasizes royal lineage as part of the Messiah's story. Read verse guide Matthew 1:6 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεὺς basileus a sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively) The form reinforces that David is being identified in his royal role, which supports the genealogy's emphasis on kingship without adding more than the verse states. Read verse guide Evidence Summary
KingdomMessiah
Greek word. Sovereign ruler holding absolute authority; applied to God, Christ, earthly monarchs, and Roman emperors throughout NT.
Source Gloss
a sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 118 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
basilea
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse basileuv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 2:1 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
βασιλέως, basilewv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 2:2 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεὺς basileuv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 2:3 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεὺς basileuv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 2:9 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
βασιλέως basilewv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 5:35 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
βασιλέως· basilewv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 10:18 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
βασιλεῖς basileiv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 11:8 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
βασιλέων basilewn
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 14:9 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεύς, basileuv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 17:25 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
βασιλεῖς basileiv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 18:23 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
βασιλεῖ, basilei
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 21:5 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεύς basileuv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 22:2 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
βασιλεῖ, basilei
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 22:7 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεὺς basileuv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verse Matthew 22:11 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
βασιλεὺς basileuv
a king, ruler, emperor
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 9 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 9 Aligned forms 115 Case pattern Nominative (60) Number pattern Singular (87)
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 2:2 · Matt 2:3 · Matt 14:9 · Matt 21:5 · Matt 22:7 · Matt 22:11 · Matt 22:13 · Matt 25:34 · Matt 25:40 · Matt 27:11 · Matt 27:37 · Matt 27:42 · Mark 6:14 · Mark 6:22 · Mark 6:26 · Mark 6:27 48×
Nominative · Plural · Masculine Matt 17:25 · Luke 10:24 · Luke 22:25 · Acts 4:26 · Rev 6:15 · Rev 17:2 · Rev 17:9 · Rev 17:12 · Rev 18:3 · Rev 18:9 · Rev 21:24 12×
Genitive · Plural · Masculine Matt 11:8 · Mark 13:9 · Acts 9:15 · 1 Tim 2:2 · Heb 7:1 · Rev 1:5 · Rev 16:12 · Rev 17:14 · Rev 17:18 · Rev 19:16 · Rev 19:18 11×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 2:1 · Matt 2:9 · Matt 5:35 · Luke 1:5 · Acts 7:10 · Acts 12:20 · 2 Cor 11:32 · Heb 11:23 · Heb 11:27 9×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 18:23 · Matt 22:2 · Luke 14:31 · Acts 25:14 · 1 Tim 1:17 · 1 Pet 2:13 6×
Dative · Plural · Masculine Rev 10:11 1×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Matt 1:6 · Mark 6:25 · Mark 15:9 · Mark 15:12 · Luke 23:2 · John 6:15 · John 18:39 · John 19:12 · John 19:15 · Acts 13:21 · Acts 13:22 · Acts 17:7 · 1 Pet 2:17 · Rev 9:11 15×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine Matt 10:18 · Luke 21:12 · Rev 16:14 · Rev 19:19 4×
Vocative · Singular · Masculine Matt 27:29 · Mark 15:18 · Acts 25:24 · Acts 25:26 · Acts 26:2 · Acts 26:7 · Acts 26:13 · Acts 26:19 · Acts 26:27 9×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Sovereign ruler.
king
king
Additional Occurrences
John 12:12-19 βασιλες basileús
king
John 19:17-30 βασιλες basileús
king
John 6:1-15 βασιλες basileús
king
Luke 19:28–44 βασιλεύς basileús
King
Mark 15:1–15 βασιλεύς basileús
king; ruler with sovereign authority
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 115 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
βασιλεύς is built from this root:
βάσις G939
Why This Word Matters
Identifies the central charge against Jesus. Acts 17:1-9
Identifies Jesus as the Messianic ruler. Luke 19:28–40
Clarifies the nature of Jesus’ messianic claim. Luke 23:1–5
Affirms royal identity of Jesus.
Messianic kingship affirmed in crucifixion.
Highlights misunderstanding of Christ's mission as merely political.
Identifies Jesus as the true ruler, central to the accusation and confession.
Canonical Themes
Kingdom Messiah
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The passion narratives make royal language pastorally searching because Jesus is questioned, mocked, and crucified under the title "King of the Jews." Revelation later calls Him King of kings and Lord of lords. A preacher can hold humiliation, vindication, judgment, and hope together without claiming that every occurrence of βασιλεύς is an anti-imperial slogan.
Christ's kingship relativizes the ultimacy of every earthly ruler, yet it must not be recruited to sanctify a party, nation, leader, or coercive church program. Believers under unjust power may take comfort that present rulers are not final. Believers with power must hear a summons to accountable allegiance, truth, justice, and endurance rather than a license to dominate in Christ's name.
Anchor passage
Rev.19.16
Doctrinal connections
- G932 βασιλεία names kingdom or reign and often supplies the larger setting for royal claims.
- G936 βασιλεύω is the related verb for reigning or ruling as king.
- Psalm 2 presents God's installed king amid the nations' opposition.
- Psalm 72 connects royal prayer with justice for the poor and afflicted.
- Daniel 7 portrays dominion given to one like a son of man.
- Revelation 17:14 and 19:16 apply King of kings language to Christ.
βασιλεύς is a masculine noun for a king and is related to βασιλεία, kingdom or reign, and βασιλεύω, to reign. The local artifact records about 115 New Testament occurrences across ordinary rulers, emperors, God, and Christ. The title identifies royal status in context; morphology alone does not determine legitimacy, scope, or moral character.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's Scriptures portray both failed human kingship and hope for righteous Davidic rule. Psalms 2 and 72 and Daniel 7 provide important canonical settings used or echoed by New Testament royal claims. Each connection should be traced through the relevant passage rather than assumed from βασιλεύς wherever it appears.
Canonical parallelPastoral applicationLexical sourcelocal_artifact
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain