Quick Definition
ἐξουσία, ας, ἡ n.f. power, authority, weight
Strong's Definition
from 1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence
KJV Usage: authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ας | εἰμί
37.35 · Control, Rule · Exercise Authority
authority to rule, right to control the right to control or govern over
MAT 7:29 · MAT 8:9 · MAT 9:6 · MAT 9:8 · MAT 10:1 · MAT 21:23 · MAT 21:23 · MAT 21:24 · MAT 21:27 · MAT 28:18 · MRK 1:22 · MRK 1:27 · MRK 2:10 · MRK 3:15 · MRK 11:28 · MRK 11:28 · MRK 11:29 · MRK 11:33 · MRK 13:34 · LUK 4:32 · LUK 4:36 · LUK 5:24 · LUK 7:8 · LUK 9:1 · LUK 10:19 · LUK 12:5 · LUK 19:17 · LUK 20:2 · LUK 20:2 · LUK 20:8 · LUK 20:20 · JHN 17:2 · JHN 19:10 · JHN 19:10 · JHN 19:11 · ACT 1:7 · ACT 9:14 · ACT 26:10 · ACT 26:12 · 1CO 15:24 · 2CO 10:8 · 2CO 13:10 · 2TH 3:9 · JUD 1:25 · REV 2:26 · REV 6:8 · REV 11:6 · REV 11:6 · REV 12:10 · REV 13:2 · REV 13:4 · REV 13:5 · REV 13:7 · REV 13:12 · REV 17:12 · REV 17:13 · REV 18:1
37.36 · Control, Rule · Exercise Authority
jurisdiction the domain or sphere over which one has authority to control or rule
37.37 · Control, Rule · Exercise Authority
symbol of authority, symbol of subjection to authority a means or instrument by which authority is marked or symbolized This passage, however, is subject to a number of different interpretations, as commentaries clearly indicate.
37.38 · Control, Rule · Exercise Authority
an authority, ruler one who has the authority to rule or govern
LUK 12:11 · ROM 13:1 · ROM 13:1 · ROM 13:2 · ROM 13:3 · 1CO 15:24 · EPH 1:21 · TIT 3:1
37.13 · Control, Rule · Control, Restrain
control a state of control over someone or something
76.12 · Power, Force
power the power to do something, with or without an added implication of authority It is also possible to understand ἐξουσία in MRK 3:15 as meaning ‘authority,’ and in a number of instances it is difficult to determine whether the focus is upon the power which an individual has or a granted authority to do something which naturally implies strength or power (see 37.35 - 37.38).
MRK 3:15 · MRK 6:7 · LUK 4:6 · LUK 22:53 · JHN 5:27 · ACT 8:19 · 1CO 15:24 · HEB 13:10 · REV 9:3 · REV 9:3 · REV 9:10 · REV 9:19 · REV 20:6
12.44 · Supernatural Beings and Powers · Supernatural Powers
power, authority, lordship, ruler, wicked force (title for supernatural forces and powers) a supernatural power having some particular role in controlling the destiny and activities of human beings Some scholars have believed that it is possible to reconstruct at least in part some of the hierarchy represented by these various supernatural forces and powers, on the basis of the neoplatonic system of nine such powers arranged in three orders of three each. NT terminology and usage does not, however, lend itself to such a classification, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine what are the significant differences between these supernatural powers and forces.
In the case of EPH 1:21 some scholars apply the terms in question both to the supernatural and to the human sphere, thus emphasizing the totality of Christ’s rule. This has a considerable measure of justification in view of the concepts held by persons in the ancient world, since various earthly powers were supposed to reflect corresponding supernatural powers.
For the most part, translators have endeavored to render the various terms in somewhat different ways, for example, ἐξουσία as ‘authority’; δύναμις as ‘power’; κυριότης as ‘ruler’; and phrases such as τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις as ‘wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world.’ In a number of languages, however, there are simply not enough terms to designate various kinds of powers, authorities, and forces which could be employed in speaking of such supernatural impersonal powers. Accordingly, some translators have simply used a phrase such as ‘any and all kinds of supernatural powers.’ Where it is possible to make certain lexical distinctions between terms and phrases, this, of course, should be done, but in a number of contexts this may be impossible, and accordingly, some explanation in a marginal note may be required if the reader is to understand satisfactorily the intent of the passages in question.
1CO 15:24 · EPH 1:21 · EPH 2:2 · EPH 3:10 · EPH 6:12 · COL 1:16 · COL 2:10 · COL 2:15 · 1PE 3:22
30.122 · Think · To Distinguish, To Evaluate, To Judge
right, freedom of choice, freedom of action, power to evaluate the right to judge on the basis of having the potential to evaluate
JHN 1:12 · JHN 10:18 · JHN 10:18 · ROM 9:21 · 1CO 8:9 · 1CO 9:4 · 1CO 9:5 · 1CO 9:6 · 1CO 9:12 · 1CO 9:12 · 1CO 9:18 · REV 22:14
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἐξουσία, -as, 7, (fr. ἔξεστι, ἐξόν, q. v-), fr. Eur., Xen., Plato down; Sept. for mw and Chald. Ow; power. 1. power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases; leave or permission: 1 Co. ix. 12, 18; ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν, 2 Th. iii. 9; with an inf. added indicating the thing to be done, Jn. x. 18; 1 Co. ix. 4 sq.; Heb. xiii. 10 [WH br. €&.]; foll. by an inf. with τοῦ, 1 Co. ix. 6 (LT Tr ΝῊ οπι. τοῦ) ; with a gen. of the thing or the pers. with regard to which one has the power to decide: Ro. ix. 21 (where an explanatory infin. is added [B. 260 (224)]); 1 Co. ix. 12; ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, permission to use the tree of life, Rev. xxii. 14 [see ἐπί, C. I. 2e.]; ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν περὶ τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος (opp. to ἀνάγκην ἔχειν [οἵ. W. § 30, 3 N.5]), 1 Co. vii. 37; ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ, [appointed, see τίθημι. 1 a. sub fin.] according to his own choice, Actsi. 7; ἐν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχεν. i.e. at thy free disposal, Acts v. 4; used of liberty under the gospel, as opp. to the yoke of the Mosaic law, 1 Co. viii. 9. 2. physical and mental power; the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises: Mt. ix. 8; Acts viii. 19; Rev. ix. 3, 19; xiii. 2,4; xviii. 1; foll. by an inf. of the thing to be done, Mk. iii. 15; Lk. xii.5; Jn.i.12; Rev. ix. 10; xi. 6; xiii. 5; foll. by rod with the inf. Lk. x. 19; αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐξουσία Tov σκότους, this is the power that darkness exerts, Lk. xxii. 53; ποιεῖν ἐξουσίαν to exert power, give exhibitions of power, Rev. xiii. 12; ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ εἶναι, to be possessed of power and influence, Lk. iv. 32; also ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν (both expressions refer to the ability and weight which Jesus exhibited in his teaching) Mt. vii. 29; [Mk. i. 22]; κατ᾽ ἐξουσίαν powerfully, Mk. i. 27; also ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ, Lk. iv. 36. 3. the power of authority (influence) and of right: Mt. xxi. 23; Mk. xi. 28; Lk. xx. 2; spoken of the authority of an apostle, 2 Co. x. 8; xiii. 10; of the divine authority granted to Jesus as Messiah, with the inf. of the thing to be done, Mt. ix. 6; Mk. ii. 10; Lk. v. 24; Jn. v. 27; ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ; clothed in what authority (i. e. thine own or God’s?), Mt. xxi. 23, 24, 27; Mk. xi. 28, 29, 33; Lk. xx. 2, 8; delegated authority (Germ. Vollmacht, authorization): παρά twos, with gen. of the pers. by whom the authority is given, or received, Acts ix. 14; xxvi.10,12[RG]. 4. the power af rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed, [generally translated authority]); a. uniy.: Mt. xxvili. 18; Jude 25; Rey. xii. 10; xvii. 13; λαμβάνειν ἐξουσίαν ws βασιλεύς, Rev. xvii. 12; εἰμὶ ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν, 1 am under authority, Mt. viii. 9; with τασσόμενος added, (Mt. viii. 9 L WH br.]; Lk. vii. 8; ἐξουσία τινός, gen. of the object, authority (to be exercised) over, as τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων, Mk. vi. 7; with ὥστε ἐκβάλλειν αὐτά added, Mt. χ. 1; ἐξουσίαν πάσης σαρκός, authority over all mankind, Jn. xvii. 2, (πάσης σαρκὸς κυρείαν, Bel and the Drag. vs. 5); [gen. of the subject, τοῦ Σατανᾶ, Acts xxvi. 18]; ἐπί τινα, power over one, so as to be able to subdue, drive out, destroy, Rev. vi. 8; ἐπὶ ra δαιμόνια, Lk. ix. 1; or to hold submissive to one’s will, Rev. xiii. 7; ἐπὶ τὰς πληγάς, the power to inflict plagues and to put an end to them, Rey. xvi. 9; ἐπὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, over the heathen nations, Rev. ii. 26; ἐπί τινος, to destroy one, Rev. xx. 6; ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρός, to preside, have control, over fire, to hold it subject to his will, Rev. xiv. 18; ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, xi. 6; ἐπάνω τινὸς ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν, to be ruler over a thing, Lk. xix.17. ὍὌ. specifically, a. of the power of judicial decision; ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν with an inf. of the thing decided: σταυρῶσαι and ἀπολῦσαί twa, Jn. xix. 10; foll. by κατά τινος, the power of deciding against one, ibid. 11; παραδοῦναί twa... τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, Lk. xx. 20. β. of authority to manage domestic affairs: Mk. xiii. 34. c. metonymically, a. a thing subject to authority or rule: Lk. iv. 6; jurisdiction: ἐκ τῆς ἐξουσίας Ἡρώδου ἐστίν, Lk. xxiii. 7 (1 Mace. vi. 11 [ef. Ps. exiii. (exiv.) 2; Is. xxxix. 2]). B. one who possesses authority; (cf. the Lat. use of honestates, dignitates, auctoritates [so the Eng. authorities, dignities, etc.] in reference to persons ) ; aa. a ruler, human magistrate, (Dion. Hal. 8, 44; 11, 32): Ro. xiii. 1-3; plur.: Lk. xii. 11; Ro. xiii. 1; Tit. ii. 1. BB. the leading and more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates; used in the plur. of a certain class of angels (see ἀρχή. δύναμις, θρόνος. κυριότης) : Col. i. 16; 1 Pet. iii. 22, (cf. Fritzsche on Rom. vol. ii. p. 226 sq.; [Bp. Lghtft. on Col. 1. 6.1); with ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις added, Eph. iii. 10; πᾶσα ἐξουσία, 1 Co. xy. 24; Eph. i. 21; Col. ii. 10; used also of demons: in the plur., Eph. vi. 12; Col. ii. 15; collectively [ef. Lob. ad Phryn. p. 469], ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ ἀέρος (see ἀήρ), Eph. ii. 2; τοῦ σκότους, Col. i. 13 [al. refer this to 4 a. (or ὁ. a.) above (cf. Lk. xxii. 53 in 2), and regard σκότος as personified; see σκότος, b.]. d. a sign of the husband’s authority over his wife, i. e. the veil with which propriety required a woman to cover herself, 1 Co. xi. 10 (as Baσιλεία is used by Diodorus 1, 47 for the sign of regal power, i.e. acrown). [Syn. see δύναμις, fin. On the inf. after ἐξ. and ἐξ. ἔχειν cf. B. 260 (223 sq.).]
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἐξουσία exousia 102x
power, ability, faculty, Mt. 9:8; 10:1; efficiency, energy, Lk. 4:32; liberty, licence, Jn. 10:18; Acts 5:4; authority, rule, dominion, jurisdiction, Mt. 8:9; 28:18; meton. pl. authorities, potentates, powers, Lk. 12:11; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 1:21; right, authority, full power, Mt. 9:6; 21:23; privilege, prerogative, Jn. 1:12; perhaps, a veil, 1 Cor. 11:10
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἐξουσία, -ας, ἡ
(< ἔξεστι), [in LXX: IV Ki 20:13, Ps 113 (114):2 135 (136)8, 9, Is 39:2, Je 28 (51):28 (מֶמְשָׁלָה), freq. in Da for Aram. שָׁלְטָן, etc., Wi 10:14, Si 9:13, al. ;]
prop., liberty or power to act, freedom to exercise the inward force or faculty expressed by δύναμις (q.v.): I Co 9:12; ἐ. ἔχειν, II Th 3:9; id. seq. inf., Jo 10:18, I Co 9:4, 5; c. gen. obj., Ro 9:21; seq. ἐπί, c. acc., Re 22:14; περί, I Co 7:37.
Later (cf. Milligan, Th., 114; MM, Exp., xiv), of the power of right, authority: Mt 21:33, Mk 11:28, Lk 20:2; of Messianic authority, Mt 9:6, Mk 2:10, al.; of apostolic authority, II Co 10:8 13:10; of the authority of government: Mt 8:9 28:18, Ju 25, Re 12:10, al.; esp. of judicial authority, Lk 20:20, Jo 19:10, 11.
Meton., jurisdiction: Lk 23:7 (cf. I Mac 6:11, Is 39:2);
a ruler or magistrate: Ro 13:1-3; pl., Lk 12:11, Ro 13:1, Tit 3:1;
of supramundane powers (syn. with ἀρχή, δύναμις, θρόνος, κυριότης): I Co 15:24, Eph 1:21 3:10, Col 2:10, I Pe 3:22, al. (Cremer. 236).
SYN.: v.s. δύναμις.
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἐξουσία. For the primary meaning of this important word ‘‘ power of choice,” ‘‘liberty of action,” cf. BGU IV. 11581 (8.6. 9), where it is joined with ἐγλογή--μένε(ιν) περὶ ἑατ(ὴν) Kopν(ηλίαν) τὴν ἐξουσία(ν) Kal ἐγλογὴ(ν) ἑαυτὸν πράσσειν τὸ κεφά[λ]αιοί(ν). Hence the common usage in wills, contracts, and other legal documents, to denote the ‘‘claim,’’ or “‘right,”’ or ‘‘control,’’ one has over anything, e.g. P Oxy II. 27215 (A.D. 66) ὁμολογ[ο]ῦμεν ἔχειν σε ἐξουσίζαν σε]αυτῆι τὴν ἀπία(τησΊ]ιν ποιεῖσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Ἡ ρακλήου τῶν προκειμένων ἀργ(υρίου) (δραχμῶν), BGU I. 183? (a.p. 85) ἔχειν αὐτὴν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν ἰδίων πάντων, P Tebt II. 3105} (A.D. 248) ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὑπαρχόντων : see also Milligan ad 2 Thess 3°. For the definite idea of right given by law, see P Oxy II. 237%17 (a.p. 186) ἀξιῶ τοῦ νόμου διδόντος μοι ἐξουσίαν KTA. and 16. V2, ὙΠ]. ἀν of, also 26, 259138 (A.D. 23) where a man undertakes to produce a prisoner within a month—py ἔχοντός pov ἐκξουσίαν (/. ἐξ---) χρόνον ἕτερον [κ]τή[σἼεσθαι, ‘‘as I have no power to obtain a further period of time.’’ In Sy/7 3288 (B.c. 84) πρὸς ἐμὲ ἦλθ[εν E]v ᾿Απαμήᾳ ἠρώτησέν τε [ὅπως ἂν] ἐξουPart III. | Syracuse 1G XIV.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἐξουσία (exousia) — authority. ἐξουσ-ία, ἡ, (ἔξεστι) power, authority to do a thing, with infinitive, χαίρειν καὶ νοσεῖν ἐ. πάρεστι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐξουσίαν ὁ νόμος δέδωκε permission to do.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐ. with the freedom permitted by peace, [Refs 4th c.BC+] power of life and death, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; πρᾶγμα οὗ τὴν ἐ. ἔχουσιν ἄλλοι control over.., [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; ἐ. τινός power over, licence in a thing, τοῦ λέγειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν μεγάλῃ ἐ. τοῦ ἀδικεῖν[Refs]; κατὰ τὴν οὐκ ἐ. τῆς ἀγωνίσεως from want of qualification for.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]: absolutely, power, authority, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. abuse of authority, licence, arrogance, ὕβρις καὶ ἐ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. Lit. Crit., ἐ. ποιητική poetic licence, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
II. office, magistracy, ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐ. [LXX+5th c.BC+]; ἡ ὑπατικὴ ἐ. the consulate, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; ἡ ταμιευτικὴ ἐ. the quaestorship, [Refs]; δημαρχικὴ ἐ., see at {δημαρχικό; ἡ τοῦ θαλάμου ἐ}., in the Roman empire, lordship of the bedchamber, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
II.2. concrete, body of magistrates, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; αἱ ἐ. (as we say) the authorities, [NT+1st c.AD+]
II.2. b ἡ ἐ. as an honorary title, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
III. abundance of means, resources, ἐξουσίας ἐπίδειξις [Refs 5th c.BC+]; excessive wealth, opposed to οὐσία, [Refs]
IV. pomp, [Refs 1st c.AD+]