G4174 πολιτεία (politeía)

Greek

Noun, Feminine

Quick Definition

πολιτεία, ας, ἡ n.f. citizen body, citizenship

Strong's Definition

citizenship; concretely, a community

Derivation: from G4177 (πολίτης) ("polity");

KJV Usage: commonwealth, freedom

UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

πολιτεία (G4174)

noun, f. | -ας | πολιτεύομαι

11.70 · Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes · Socio-Political

citizenship the right to be a citizen of a particular socio-political entity (see 11.67 and 11.68) In some languages ACT 22:28 may be rendered as ‘I obtained the right to be counted as a citizen’ or ‘I became a person who belongs to that nation.’

ACT 22:28

11.67 · Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes · Socio-Political

state, people a group of people constituting a socio-political unit It is possible that in EPH 2:12 the use of πολιτεία suggests not merely a socio-political but also a socio-religious grouping. Such a conclusion would, in a sense, be true of any and all designations of a Jewish constituency, since religion and ethnic identification were so inextricably bound together.

EPH 2:12

UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

πολιτεία, -as, 7, (πολιτεύω) ; 1. the administration of civil affairs (Xen. mem. 3, 9,15; Arstph., Aeschin., Dem., [al.]). 2. astate, commonwealth, (2 Mace. iv. 11; viii. 17; xiii. 14; Xen., Plat., Thuc., [al.]): with a gen. of the possessor, τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ, spoken of the theocratic or divine commonwealth, Eph. ii. 12. 3. citizenship, the rights of a citizen, [some make this sense the primary one]: Acts xxii. 28 (3 Mace. iii. 21,23; Hdt. 9,34; Xen. Hell. 1,1, 26; 1, 2,10; [4, 4,6, etc.]; Dem., Polyb., Diod., Joseph., al.).

Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary

πολιτεία politeia 2x

the state of being a citizen; citizenship, the right or privilege of being a citizen, freedom of a city or state, Acts 22:28; a commonwealth, community, Eph. 2:12*

Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon

** πολιτεία, -ας, ἡ

(< πολιτεύω), [in LXX: II Mac 4:11 6:23 8:17 13:14, III Mac 3:21, 23, IV Mac 3:20 8:7 17:9*;]

citizenship: Ac 22:28 (III Mac 3:21, 23, Hdt., Xen., a1.).

government, administration (Aristoph., Dem., al.).

a commonwealth: Eph 2:12.†

Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT

πολιτεία [page 525] In a letter of remonstrance, P Oxy VIII. 1119 .21 (A.D. 254), vindicating the privileges enjoyed by the Antinoites of immunity of public burdens outside their own city, the phrase occurs κατὰ το [ὺ ]ς πατρίους τῆς ἡμετέρας πολειτίας νόμους , in accordance with the ancestral usages of our constitution (Ed.) : cf. Eph_2:12 . Wilcken ( Chrest. I. i. p. 78) cites the following exx. from Egypt of πολιτεία practically = πόλις ( civitas ) P Flor I. 95 .9 (Hermopolis Magna A.D. 375) ὑπεδεξάμεθα [παρά σου ] ὑπὲρ τῆς σῆς πολ [ιτ <ε >ί ]ας , P Lips I. 62 ii. 5 (Antinoopolis A.D. 385) (= Chrest. I. p. 220 ) ὑπεδεξάμην παρά σου καὶ νῦν ὑπὲρ τῆς σῆς πολιτείας , and BGU I. 304 .3 (Fayϋm c. A.D. 640) παγάρχ (ῳ ) τοῦ βορρ (ινοῦ ) σκέλους ταύτης τῆς πολ (ι )τ (είας ). For πολιτεία = citizenship, as in Act_22:28 , we may cite Gnomon 47 ( c. A.D. 150) (= BGU V. I. p. 23) ἀστὴ συνελθοῦσα Α̣ἱ̣̓ [γ ]υ̣[πτίῳ ] κ̣ατ᾽ ἄγνοιαν ὡς ἀστῷ ἀνεύθυνός ἐστιν . ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ ἀμφοτ̣ε̣ρ̣[ων ἀπ ]αρχὴ τέκνων τεθῇ , τηρεῖται τοῖς τέκνοις ἡ πολιτει̣α , if a woman, being a citizen [i.e. of alexandria], marries an Egyptian in the mistaken belief that he is also a citizen, she is not liable to penalty; and if both parties present birth-certificates, their children preserve the status of citizens. The religious sense which the word acquired (cf. the verb in Act_23:1 , Php_1:27 ) is well seen in the Christian letter P Heid 6 .8 (iv/A.D.) (= Selections , p. 125 f.) πιστεύομεν γὰρ τὴν πολιτία [ν σ ]ου ἐνν οὐρανῷ . Deissmann ad l. cites Gregory of Nyssa σπεύδειν πρὸς τὴν ἐπουράνιον πολιτείαν (Migne 46, 597 b ), and Isidore of Pelusium ἡ οὐρανῷ πρέπουσα πολιτεία ( Epp. 216 and 33).

Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon

πολιτεία (politeia) — citizenship. πολῑτ-εία, Ionic dialect πολῑτ-ηΐη, ἡ, condition and rights of a citizen, citizenship, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: plural, grants of citizenship, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

2. the daily life of a citizen, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; life, living, ἡ ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ π. [NT+2nd c.BC+]

3. concrete, body of citizens, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

4. = Latin civitas in geographical sense, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]

II. government, administration, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; course of policy, τῇ π. καὶ τοῖς ψηφίσμασι [Refs 4th c.BC+]: plural, acts of policy, [Refs 1st c.AD+]

II.2. tenure of public office, πᾶσαν π. ἐπιφανῶς ἐκτελέσαι [Refs]; ἐν τοῖς τῆς π. χρόνοις [Refs 3rd c.BC+]

III. civil polity, constitution of a state, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; form of gouernment, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὴν ἀρίστην πολιτεύεσθαι π.[Refs 5th c.BC+]

III.2. especially republican government, free common-wealth, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὅταν δὲ τὸ πλῆθος πρὸς τὸ κοινὸν πολιτεύηται συμφέρον, καλεῖται π.[Refs 5th c.BC+]

STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon

πολιτεία, -ας, ἡ (πολιτεύω), [in LXX: 2Ma.4:11 2Mac 6:23 2Mac 8:17 2Mac 13:14, 3Ma.3:21 3Mac 3:23, 4Ma.3:20 4Mac 8:7 4Mac 17:9 * ;] __1. citizenship: Act.22:28 (3 Mac, ll. with, Hdt., Xen., a1.). __2. government, administration (Aristoph., Dem., al.). __3. a commonwealth: Eph.2:12.† (AS)

Bible Occurrences (2)

22:28

2:12

Acts 22:28

I paid a high price [for my] citizenship, said the commander. But I was born a citizen, Paul replied.

Ephesians 2:12

[remember] that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without... hope and without God in the world.