βασιλεία (BSG)
Bill Mounce
0.27
23 November 2021
17 December 2025
βασλεία means “kingdom.”
“Repent, for the βασιλεία of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3:2).
MOUNCE'S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY
Noun: βασιλεία (basileia), GK G993 (S G932). 162x. βασιλεία can be used abstractly to refer to royal power or kingship, while at other times the geographical sense of “area of rule” is emphasized. The kingdom is central to Jesus’ ministry and message. The theology of the basileia of God (“kingdom of heaven” in Matthew) can be summed up under the rubric “already, not yet.” That is, Jesus teaches that the kingdom has already come in his own person, yet it awaits fulfillment at the end of this age. In the meanwhile, Jesus reveals the workings and demands of God’s kingdom, often in the form of parables (Mt. 13:24–52).
(The dictionary entry is abridged from “Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words” (https://billmounce.com/dictionary).