Word Study for G936 (βασιλεύω)

basileúō /bas-il-yoo'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom βασιλεύς

Meaningto rule (literally or figuratively)

KJV usageking, reign.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of basileúō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word basileúō, represented by G936, means to rule or reign. Derived from the word for king, G935 basileús, it appears 23 times across 18 unique verses. It is used to describe the rule of earthly kings, the dominion of abstract forces like sin and death, and the ultimate, eternal reign of God and Christ.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G936 is applied in several distinct contexts. It can refer to the literal rule of a human monarch, such as when Archelaus was said to reign in Judaea Matthew 2:22. It is also used figuratively to describe the power of abstract concepts. Paul explains that "death reigned from Adam to Moses" Romans 5:14 and warns believers not to let "sin therefore reign in your mortal body" Romans 6:12. Most significantly, it describes the divine and eternal rule of Christ, who "shall reign for ever and ever" Revelation 11:15, and the shared reign of the saints, who "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" Revelation 20:4.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the concept of reigning and authority:

G935 basileús (king): The root of basileúō, this noun refers to a sovereign. It identifies the one who exercises the reign, such as the "King of kings" 1 Timothy 6:15.
G932 basileía (kingdom): This term defines the realm or royalty itself. It is the territory or sphere of a king's rule, as in the promise that of Christ's kingdom there shall be no end Luke 1:33.
G2961 kyrieúō (to rule): This verb means to have dominion over. It is used in parallel contexts, such as the assurance that sin will not have dominion over believers Romans 6:14.
G2190 echthrós (enemy): This word describes an adversary. It defines those who stand in opposition to a king's rule, and who must be put under Christ's feet as he reigns 1 Corinthians 15:25.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of G936 is central to the gospel narrative of redemption and eschatology.

The Reign of Hostile Powers: Scripture establishes that, due to the fall, "sin hath reigned unto death" Romans 5:21. This reign of death Romans 5:17 signifies humanity's state of bondage before Christ.
The Reign of Christ: The New Testament proclaims the transfer of authority to Christ. He must reign until all enemies are defeated 1 Corinthians 15:25, and his eternal rule is celebrated when the "Lord God omnipotent reigneth" Revelation 19:6.
The Reign of Believers: A key promise to the redeemed is that they will participate in this rule. Those who receive grace "shall reign in life" Romans 5:17. This culminates in the promise that the saints will be priests of God and Christ and "shall reign with him" Revelation 20:6 and "shall reign for ever and ever" Revelation 22:5.

Summary

In summary, G936 is a powerful verb that charts the transition of dominion. It moves from describing the temporal power of earthly rulers and the oppressive rule of sin and death to the absolute and eternal authority of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it conveys the promise that believers, once subject to sin's reign, are destined to reign with Christ in life and for eternity.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 21 occurrences, inflected in 12 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Singular 4×
Future Active Indicative 3rd Plural 4×
Aorist Active Indicative 2nd Plural 2×
Aorist Active Infinitive 2×
Future Active Indicative 3rd Singular 2×
Aorist Active Indicative 2nd Singular 1×
Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Aorist Active Subjunctive 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Imperative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Infinitive 1×
Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine 1×

Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Future: Action yet to take place.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Imperative: A command or entreaty.
Subjunctive: Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 18 verses across 6 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Revelation (7 verses); never once in the other 21.

Matthew

Luke

Romans

1 Corinthians

1 Timothy

Revelation

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.