Bible dictionaries

Dominion

What Bible dictionaries say about “Dominion”, one article after the other.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary & Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

Dominion - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

DOMINION, n. [L. See Dominant.]

1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling.

The dominion of the Most High is an everlasting dominion. Dan 4.

2. Power to direct, control, use and dispose of at pleasure; right of possession and use without being accountable; as the private dominion of individuals.

3. Territory under a government; region; country; district governed, or within the limits of the authority of a prince or state; as the British dominions.

4. Government; right of governing. Jamaica is under the dominion of Great Britain.

5. Predominance; ascendant.

6. An order of angels.

Whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. Col 1.

7. Persons governed.

Judah was his sanctuary; Israel his dominion. Psa 114.

Matthew George Easton, Easton’s Bible Dictionary; Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language (1828)

The article in Easton + Webster 1828

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE 1915)

do-min'-yun: In Eph 1:21; Col 1:16 the word so translated (kuriotes) appears to denote a rank or order of angels. The same word is probably to be so interpreted in Jude 1:8 (the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) "dominion"), and in 2Pe 2:10 (the King James Version "government," the Revised Version (British and American) "dominion"). See ANGEL.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia — James Orr, general editor and contributors; CrossWire SWORD module ISBE 2.2

The article in ISBE 1915

Translation Words

Definition

The term “dominion” refers to power, control, or authority over people, animals, or land.

  • Jesus Christ is said to have dominion over all the earth, as prophet, priest, and king.
  • Satan’s dominion has been defeated forever by Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.
  • At creation, God said that man is to have dominion over fish, birds, and all creatures on the earth.

Translation Suggestions

  • Depending on the context, other ways to translate this term could include “authority” or “power” or “control.”
  • The phrase “have dominion over” could be translated as “rule over” or “manage.”

(See also: authority, power)

Bible References

Word Data

The original work by unfoldingWord is available from https://www.unfoldingword.org/utw. Bible Strong converted the Markdown and resource links to its dictionary schema and normalized Bible references.

The article in Translation Words