κλείς, κλειδός, accusative κλεῖδα and κλεῖν (Luk_11:52; Rev_3:7), accusative plural κλεῖδας and κλείς (Mat_16:19; Rev_1:18; cf. Kühner, § 130, i., p. 357; Winers Grammar, 65 (63), cf. Buttmann, 24 (22); (WH's Appendix, p. 157)), ἡ (from Homer down); a key. Since the keeper of the keys has the power to open and to shut, the word κλείς is figuratively used in the N. T. to denote power and authority of various kinds (cf. B. D., under the word ) viz. τοῦ φρέατος, to open or unlock the pit, Rev_9:1, cf. ; τῆς ἀβύσσου, to shut, Rev_20:1, cf. ; τοῦ θανάτου καί τοῦ ᾅδου, the power to bring back into life from Hades and to leave there, Rev_1:18; τῆς γνώσεως, the ability and opportunity to obtain knowledge, Luk_11:52; τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν (see βασιλεία, 3 e., p. 97b under the end), Mat_16:19; τοῦ Δαυίδ, the power of David (who is a type of the Messiah, the second David), i. e. of receiving into the Messiah's kingdom and of excluding from it, Rev_3:7 (apparently after Isa_22:22, where ἡ κλείς οἴκου Δαυίδ is given to the steward of the royal palace).

κλείς kleis 6x a key, used in NT as the symbol of power, authority, etc. Mat_16:19 ; Rev_1:18 ; Rev_3:7 ; Rev_9:1 ; Rev_20:1 ; met. the key of entrance into knowledge, Luk_11:52

κλείς , -δός , Att. . acc , κλεῖν , later -εῖδα , pl ., κλεῖδες , -ας , contr ., -εῖς , ἡ , [in LXX for H4668 , Isa_22:22 , al. ;] a key. Fig., τ . βασιλείας τ . οὐρανῶν , Mat_16:19 ; τ . γνώσεως , Luk_11:52 ; of David ( cf. LXX , l.c .), Rev_3:7 ; τ . θανάτου κ . τ . ᾅδου , Rev_1:18 ; τ . ἀβύσσαυ , Rev_20:1 ; τ . φρέατος τῆς ἀ ., Rev_9:1 .†

κλείς [page 345] P Petr II. 39 ( d ) .16 (accounts iii/B.C.) κλειδοποιῷ τιμὴν κλειδῶν . For acc. sing. κλεῖδα , as in Luk_11:52 , cf. P Oxy I. 113 .3 (ii/A.D.) ἔπεμψά σοι διὰ Ὡρ [ίων ]ο [ς ] τὴν κλεῖδα (cf. ib. .16 μὴ δόξῃς με ἠμεληκότα τῆς κλειδός ), and for acc. plur. κλεῖδας , as in Mat_16:19 , cf. CP Herm I. 8 ii. 5 λαβόντες τὰς κλῖδας τῶν θησ [α ]υρῶν , BGU I. 253 .18 (iii/A.D.) κλεῖδας ἐπιστήσομαι . On the other hand, for κλεῖν , as in Rev_3:7 ; Rev_20:1 , cf. P Oxy VIII. 1127 .25 (A.D. 183) κλεῖν μίαν , and for κλεῖς , as in Rev_1:18 , cf. ib. IV. 729 .23 (A.D. 137) ἃς ἂν παραλάβωσι θύρας καὶ κλεῖς , any doors and keys they may have received, a common phrase in leases : cf. P Lond 216 .29 (A.D. 94) (= II. p. 187) παραδόσθαι τὸν θ [η ]σαυρὸν . . σὺν ταῖς ἐφεστώισαι [ς ] θυραῖσι κ (αὶ ) κλ [εῖ ]σι . See further Mayser Gr. p. 272, Reinhold, p. 51. We can supply no good parallel to the figurative use of κλείς in the NT, but the κλειδὸς πομπή or ἀγωγή in honour of the goddess Hecate is perhaps worth recalling, when a priestess, known as the κλειδοφόρος , carried a golden key, the symbol of Hecate, in the solemn procession at Stratonicea : see Syll 420 .14 with the editor s note, and BCH xi. (1887) p. 36 f. A curious verbal correspondence to our phrase having the power of the keys may be seen in OGIS 229 .56 (iii/B.C.) καὶ ἄρχοντα δὲ ὃν ἂν ἀποστέλληι ὁ δῆμος κυριεύσοντά τε τῶγ κλειδῶν καὶ ἐσόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς φυλακῆς τῆς πόλεως , with reference to the protection of the city of Smyrna. With Luk_11:52 cf. the new fragment of a lost gospel, P Oxy IV.655 .41 ff τὴν κλεῖδα τῆς [γνώσεως ἐ ]κρύψ [ατε· αὐτοὶ οὐκ ] εἰσήλ [θατε , καὶ τοῖς ] εἰσερ [χομένοις οὐ ]κ ἀν [εῴξατε . . .. For the Ionic form κληισ see Michel 594 .91 al. (Delos B.C. 279), and for the dim. κλειδίον see BGU III. 775 .5 al (ii/A.D.). The adj. κλειδοποιός occurs in P Oxy XII. 1518 .21 (ii/A.D.). MGr κλειδί , key.

κλείς κλείς, ίδος [Etym: κλείω] "that which serves for closing": "a bar or bolt", drawn or undrawn by a latch or thong (ἱμάς), Hom. "a key", or rather a kind of "catch or hook", by which the bar (ὀχεύς) was shot or unshot from the outside, id=Hom. "a key" (unknown to Hom. ), Aesch. , Eur. metaph., Ἁσυχία βουλᾶν τε καὶ πολέμων κλαῖδας ἔχοισα Pind. ; κλῇς ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ βέβηκε, of enforced silence, Soph. ; so, καθαρὰν ἀνοῖξαι κλῇδα φρενῶν Eur. "the hook or tongue" of a clasp, Od. "the collar-bone", so called because it "locks" the neck and breast "together" Il. , Soph. , etc. "a rowing bench", which "locked" the sides of the ship together, Od. "a narrow pass, "the key"" of a country, Hdt. ; "a strait", Eur.

κλείς, -δός Att.. accusative, κλεῖν, later -εῖδα, pl., κλεῖδες, -ας, contr., -εῖς, ἡ, [in LXX for מַפְתֵּחַ, Isa.22:22, al. ;] a key. Fig., τ. βασιλείας τ. οὐρανῶν, Mat.16:19; τ. γνώσεως, Luk.11:52; of David (cf. LXX, l.with), Rev.3:7; τ. θανάτου κ. τ. ᾅδου, Rev.1:18; τ. ἀβύσσαυ, Rev.20:1; τ. φρέατος τῆς ἀ., Rev.9:1.† (AS)