What does ἐξουσία (exousía) mean in the Bible?
Exousia names authority, right, jurisdiction, delegated power, or rightful rule. It is related to power but not identical with power.
Greek · G1849
ἐξουσία
Authority
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἐξουσία G1849
Pronunciation exousía
What does ἐξουσία (exousía) mean in the Bible?
Exousia names authority, right, jurisdiction, delegated power, or rightful rule. It is related to power but not identical with power.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐξουσία (G1849) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1849?
The BSB source-word alignment has 102 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include authority (61), power (10), authorities (6), right (6), the right (2).
Where does ἐξουσία (exousía) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:29. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (21), Luke (16), 1 Corinthians (10), Mark (10).
Are there verse guides for ἐξουσία (exousía)?
This entry includes 7 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Exousia names authority, right, jurisdiction, delegated power, or rightful rule. It is related to power but not identical with power. The word often asks who has the right to command, act, judge, permit, or rule. Jesus teaches with authority, commands unclean spirits with authority, gives His disciples authority in mission, lays down His life by authority received from the Father, and declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.
The word can also describe earthly governing authorities and dark dominions from which Christ rescues His people. Exousia therefore teaches readers to distinguish rightful authority from mere force, to submit all authority claims to God, and to see Christ as the Lord whose authority governs heaven, earth, salvation, mission, and judgment.
How the Bible Uses It
Exousia appears in scenes of Jesus' teaching, exorcism, mission, self-giving, civil order, and cosmic transfer. It can name Christ's own authority, authority given to disciples, governing authorities, or hostile dominions. Its theological center is that all authority is accountable to God and fulfilled in Christ.
- Matt.28.18
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
The risen Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on earth before sending His disciples. Mission rests on His universal authority, not on human permission.
- Mark.1.27
All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”
The crowd marvels that Jesus commands unclean spirits with authority. Exousia is visible in teaching and command that evil must obey.
- Luke.10.19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
Jesus gives authority over the enemy in the mission of the seventy-two. The verse names delegated authority under His protection and purpose.
- John.10.18
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
Jesus has authority to lay down His life and take it up again. The cross is not loss of control but obedient authority received from the Father.
- Rom.13.1
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.
Paul says governing authorities exist under God's appointment. Exousia here grounds civil submission while keeping authority derivative, not ultimate.
- Col.1.13
He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
Believers are rescued from the dominion of darkness and transferred into the Son's kingdom. The word includes hostile authority from which Christ saves.
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 authority 61× Matthew 7:29, Matthew 8:9, Matthew 9:6, Matthew 9:8
power 10× Luke 22:53, Acts 8:19, Acts 26:18, Ephesians 2:2
authorities 6× Luke 12:11, Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 6:12, Colossians 1:16
right 6× 1 Corinthians 9:4, 1 Corinthians 9:5, 1 Corinthians 9:12, Hebrews 13:10
the right 2× John 1:12, Romans 9:21
. . . 1× 1 Corinthians 9:6
[and] authorities 1× Titus 3:1
[that of] 1× Revelation 9:3
[the] authority 1× Acts 26:12
[this] right 1× 2 Thessalonians 3:9
a sign of authority 1× 1 Corinthians 11:10
authority over 1× Matthew 10:1
control 1× 1 Corinthians 7:37
disposal 1× Acts 5:4
dominion 1× Colossians 1:13
freedom 1× 1 Corinthians 8:9
in charge 1× Mark 13:34
jurisdiction 1× Luke 23:7
of authority 1× Revelation 17:12
one in authority 1× Romans 13:3
rights 1× 1 Corinthians 9:18
to the governing authorities 1× Romans 13:1
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 7:29 ἐξουσίαν to authority Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 8:9 ἐξουσίαν to authority Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 9:6 ἐξουσίαν to authority Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 9:8 ἐξουσίαν to authority Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 10:1 ἐξουσίαν to authority over Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 21:23 ἐξουσίᾳ to authority Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Matthew 21:23 ἐξουσίαν to authority Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 21:24 ἐξουσίᾳ to authority Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Matthew 21:27 ἐξουσίᾳ to authority Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Matthew 28:18 ἐξουσία to authority Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 7:29
Aligned rows 102
Books represented 16
Matthew 10 Mark 10 Luke 16 John 8 Acts 7 Romans 5 1 Corinthians 10 2 Corinthians 2 Ephesians 4 Colossians 4 2 Thessalonians 1 Titus 1 Hebrews 1 1 Peter 1 Jude 1 Revelation 21
Source forms
ἐξουσίαν 56x exousian Matthew 7:29, Matthew 8:9, Matthew 9:6, Matthew 9:8
ἐξουσίᾳ 16x exousia Matthew 21:23, Matthew 21:24, Matthew 21:27, Mark 11:28
ἐξουσία 13x exousia Matthew 28:18, Luke 22:53, Romans 13:1, 1 Corinthians 8:9
ἐξουσίας 12x exousias Luke 12:11, Luke 23:7, Acts 26:12, Acts 26:18
ἐξουσίαις 3x exousiais Romans 13:1, Ephesians 3:10, Titus 3:1
ἐξουσίαι 1x exousiai Colossians 1:16
ἐξουσιῶν 1x exousiōn 1 Peter 3:22
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 56x Matthew 7:29, Matthew 8:9, Matthew 9:6, Matthew 9:8
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 16x Matthew 21:23, Matthew 21:24, Matthew 21:27, Mark 11:28
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 13x Matthew 28:18, Luke 22:53, Romans 13:1, 1 Corinthians 8:9
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 9x Luke 23:7, Acts 26:12, Acts 26:18, 1 Corinthians 9:12
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural 3x Luke 12:11, Ephesians 6:12, Colossians 2:15
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural 3x Romans 13:1, Ephesians 3:10, Titus 3:1
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural 1x 1 Peter 3:22
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural 1x Colossians 1:16
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Teach authority with Christ at the center and creaturely limits clearly named.
- Use this word to expose both lawless resistance and abusive claims of control.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every authority-holder acts righteously simply because authority exists by God's providence.
- Do not claim that exousia means raw power; the word often stresses right, jurisdiction, or delegated rule.
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.
Colossians 1:16 Noun Nominative Plural Feminine
ἐξουσίαι· exousiai authority The form supports the sense that authorities are one category among many created realities, reinforcing the verse's comprehensive scope. Read verse guide Colossians 2:10 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίας· exousias authority The grammar reinforces that authority is gathered into the scope of Christ's headship, but the verse's meaning comes from the whole sentence, not from the case ending alone. Read verse guide Colossians 2:15 Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
ἐξουσίας, exousias authority The form sharpens the verse's portrayal of Christ's victory by naming the authorities as a plural object of his triumph, while leaving their precise identity to the context. Read verse guide John 1:12 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian authority The grammar highlights the gift character of the statement: becoming children of God is linked to a granted authority or right, not merely to human initiative. Read verse guide Matthew 7:29 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian authority The form helps frame Jesus' teaching as authoritative in manner, while the surrounding comparison with the scribes supplies the main interpretive contrast. Read verse guide Matthew 28:18 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσία exousia authority The nominative noun makes authority the stated subject of the clause and the basis for the commission. Read verse guide Revelation 22:14 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσία exousia authority The form encourages a reading of granted authority or right within the blessing, while leaving the exact nuance to the larger clause and immediate imagery. Read verse guide Evidence Summary
MessiahRevelation
Greek word. Liberty or power to act; authority as rightful power, especially judicial and governmental authority
Source Gloss
authority
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 103 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 8:9 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν, exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 9:6 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 9:8 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 10:1 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 21:23 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίᾳ exousia
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 21:23 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 21:24 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίᾳ exousia
power, authority, weight
Read verse Matthew 21:27 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίᾳ exousia
power, authority, weight
Read verse exousia
power, authority, weight
Read verse Mark 1:22 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Mark 1:27 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Mark 2:10 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Mark 3:15 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Mark 6:7 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίαν exousian
power, authority, weight
Read verse Mark 11:28 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἐξουσίᾳ exousia
power, authority, weight
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 8 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 8 Aligned forms 102 Case pattern Accusative (59) Number pattern Singular (94)
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Matt 28:18 · Luke 22:53 · Rom 13:1 · 1 Cor 8:9 · Jude 1:25 · Rev 6:8 · Rev 9:3 · Rev 9:10 · Rev 9:19 · Rev 12:10 · Rev 13:5 · Rev 13:7 · Rev 22:14 13×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Luke 23:7 · Acts 26:12 · Acts 26:18 · 1 Cor 9:12 · 2 Cor 10:8 · Eph 1:21 · Eph 2:2 · Col 1:13 · Col 2:10 9×
Genitive · Plural · Feminine 1 Pet 3:22 1×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Matt 21:23 · Matt 21:24 · Matt 21:27 · Mark 11:28 · Mark 11:29 · Mark 11:33 · Luke 4:32 · Luke 4:36 · Luke 20:2 · Luke 20:8 · Luke 20:20 · Acts 1:7 · Acts 5:4 · Rom 13:2 · 1 Cor 9:12 · 1 Cor 9:18 16×
Dative · Plural · Feminine Rom 13:1 · Eph 3:10 · Titus 3:1 3×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 7:29 · Matt 8:9 · Matt 9:6 · Matt 9:8 · Matt 10:1 · Matt 21:23 · Mark 1:22 · Mark 1:27 · Mark 2:10 · Mark 3:15 · Mark 6:7 · Mark 11:28 · Mark 13:34 · Luke 4:6 · Luke 5:24 · Luke 7:8 56×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Additional Occurrences
John 17:1-5 ξο...ϒία exousía
authority, right
John 19:1-16 ξο...ϒία exousía
authority
Luke 10:17–20 ἐξουσίαν exousía
Authority
Luke 12:4–7 ἐξουσίαν exousía
Authority
Luke 20:1–8 ἐξουσία exousía
Authority, delegated power
New Testament Witnesses
authority
authority
authority
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 102 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἐξουσία is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Affirms that governing power is derived and accountable to God.
Affirms Christ’s divine authority over revelation.
Defines Jesus’ sovereign and intrinsic authority.
Central to the identity and mission of Christ.
Authority flows from Christ’s sovereign lordship.
Delegated power originates in Christ’s sovereignty. Luke 10:17–20
Authority over Satan is delegated from Christ. Luke 20:1–8
Centers the confrontation on the source of Christ’s divine commission. Luke 22:47–53
Shows darkness operates under limited, permitted power.
Highlights the false shortcut offered by Satan.
Defines the intrinsic power of Christ’s word.
Expresses Christ’s delegated and divine power.
Represents delegated authority from Christ.
Sovereign authority to grant eternal life.
Earthly authority derived from divine sovereignty.
Canonical Themes
MessiahRevelation
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
Exousia teaches that authority is a theological question before it is a social question. Who has the right to command? Who gives that right? What is its limit? The New Testament answers by placing all authority beneath God and locating the fullness of saving authority in Christ. Jesus does not merely have more force than His opponents. He has rightful authority to teach, command spirits, forgive, lay down His life, take it up again, and send His church.
Earthly authority is real but derivative. Dark authority is real but defeated. Christian teaching on exousia should therefore produce courage, humility, lawful submission where appropriate, resistance to idolatrous claims, and confidence in the risen Lord.
Anchor passage
Matt.28.18
Doctrinal connections
- G1411 Dynamis: power and authority are related but distinct; exousia emphasizes right or jurisdiction.
- G2962 Kyrios: lordship language gives the personal center of Christ's authority.
- Matthew 28:18-20: mission flows from the risen Christ's universal authority.
- John 10:18: Jesus' death is voluntary obedience under authority, not defeat by superior power.
- Romans 13:1-7: civil authority is derivative from God and must not be absolutized.
- Colossians 1:13-16: Christ rescues from dark authority and rules over all created powers.
Exousia can mean authority, right, jurisdiction, or delegated power. It often emphasizes legitimate right to act rather than raw ability. That distinction matters when comparing it with dynamis, which more often highlights effective power or mighty capacity.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament presents the Lord as King and judge over all rulers. The New Testament confesses that this divine rule is exercised through the Son, to whom all authority is given. Human rulers, angelic powers, hostile dominions, and the church's mission must all be interpreted under Christ's final authority.
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