king, kingship

Definition

In the Bible, the term “king” refers to a man who is the supreme ruler of a particular group of people or a particular region of land (or both).

• In biblical times, a king was usually chosen to rule on the basis of family relation to the previous king(s). When a king died, usually his oldest son became the next king.
• The Bible often refers to God is as a king who rules over the entire universe (in a general sense) and over his people (in a specific sense).
• The New Testament refers to Jesus as a king in various ways, including: “king of the Jews;” “king of Israel;” and “king of kings.”
• Depending on the context, the term “king” might also be translated as “supreme chief” or “sovereign ruler.”
• The phrase “king of kings” might be translated as “king who rules over all other kings” or “supreme ruler who has authority over all other rulers.”

(See also: authority, Herod Antipas, kingdom, kingdom of God)

Bible References

• 1 Timothy 6:15-16
• 2 Kings 5:18
• 2 Samuel 5:3
• Acts 7:9-10
• Acts 13:22
• John 1:49-51
• Luke 1:5
• Luke 22:24-25
• Matthew 5:35
• Matthew 14:9

Examples from the Bible stories

• __8:6__ One night, the Pharaoh, which is what the Egyptians called their kings, had two dreams that disturbed him greatly.
• __16:1 The Israelites had no king__, so everyone did what they thought was right for them.
• __16:18 Finally, the people asked God for a king__ like all the other nations had.
• __17:5 Eventually, Saul died in battle, and David became king of Israel. He was a good king__, and the people loved him.
• __21:6 God’s prophets also said that the Messiah would be a prophet, a priest, and a king__.
• __48:14 David was the king of Israel, but Jesus is the king__ of the entire universe!

Word Data

• Strong’s: H4427, H4428, H4430, G09350, G09360