WG: Power / Authority
Overview
Five Greek words all rendered "power" or "authority" in KJV — but each marks a distinct mode of
power: vested right, inherent force, sovereign dominion, raw strength, or originating rank. Their
frequent pairing in cosmic-hierarchy lists (Eph 1:21; Col 1:16; 1 Pet 3:22) shows the NT authors
distinguishing graduated levels of authority, not treating them as synonyms.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G1849 |
ἐξουσία |
exousía |
fem. noun |
93 |
Delegated right; vested privilege to act |
G1849-exousia |
| G1411 |
δύναμις |
dýnamis |
fem. noun |
116 |
Inherent force; miracle-working ability |
TODO(need G1411 study) |
| G2904 |
κράτος |
krátos |
neut. noun |
12 |
Sovereign dominion; almighty grip (near-exclusively divine) |
TODO(need G2904 study) |
| G2479 |
ἰσχύς |
ischýs |
fem. noun |
11 |
Raw physical or muscular strength |
TODO(need G2479 study) |
| G746 |
ἀρχή |
archḗ |
fem. noun |
56 |
Originating rank; principality; first position |
G746-arche.md |
| G758 |
ἄρχων |
árchōn |
masc. noun |
36 |
The holder of first rank; ruler, prince, magistrate |
G758-archon.md |
Relationships
Shared Roots / Cognates
- ἀρχή (G746) and ἄρχων (G758) share the root ἄρχω (archō — to be first, to rule); ἄρχων is the participle ("the ruling one"), ἀρχή is the abstract ("the first position/authority")
- ἐξουσία (G1849), ἐξουσιάζω (G1850), and κατεξουσιάζω (G2715) form a single word family from G1832 ἔξεστι
- No cognate relationship between the δύναμις / κράτος / ἰσχύς cluster; they are distinct primary stems
Co-occurrence (shared distinct verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| G1849 exousía |
G746 archē |
10 |
"principalities and powers" — cosmic-hierarchy lists |
| G1849 exousía |
G1411 dýnamis |
9 |
"power and authority" — paired grant or attribute (Luke 9:1; Rev 12:10) |
| G1411 dýnamis |
G2479 ischýs |
4 |
strength listings (Eph 1:19; 6:10) |
| G2904 krátos |
G2479 ischýs |
3 |
"strength and might" doxologies |
| G1411 dýnamis |
G746 archē |
3 |
cosmic powers catalogued (Rom 8:38) |
| G1849 exousía |
G758 árchōn |
2 |
governing authority + rulers (Rom 13:3) |
| G1411 dýnamis |
G2904 krátos |
2 |
"exceeding greatness of his power" (Eph 1:19) |
Key Passages with 3+ Group Members
- Eph 1:21 [G1849 + G1411 + G746] — "Far above all principality (ἀρχή), and power (ἐξουσία), and might (δύναμις), and dominion"
- Eph 1:19 [G1411 + G2904 + G2479] — "the exceeding greatness of his power (δύναμις)… according to the working of his mighty power (κράτος + ἰσχύς)"
- 1 Cor 15:24 [G1849 + G1411 + G746] — "when he shall have put down all rule (ἀρχή), and all authority (ἐξουσία), and power (δύναμις)"
Hebrew Bridging (Shared LXX Sources)
| Hebrew Source |
Strong's |
Bridges To |
Co-occ |
Notes |
| עֹז ʻôz |
H5797 |
G2479, G1411, G2904 |
30/24/5 |
Strength in various applications |
| חַיִל chayil |
H2428 |
G1411, G2479 |
134/34 |
Force: military, economic, moral |
| שַׂר sar |
H8269 |
G758, G1411 |
230/53 |
Head person of any rank → archōn |
| רֹאשׁ rōʼsh |
H7218 |
G746, G758 |
53/104 |
Head → first rank → ruling position |
| שׇׁלְטָן sholṭân |
H7985 |
G1849, G746 |
5/5 |
Aramaic empire/dominion (Daniel) |
Roles in the Concept
- Delegated right: exousía (G1849) — the vested privilege or authorized capacity to act; emphasizes legitimacy and grant
- Inherent force: dýnamis (G1411) — power as energy, ability, or miraculous capacity; emphasizes what a being can do
- Sovereign grip: krátos (G2904) — dominion as overwhelming hold; used almost exclusively of God's almighty rule
- Physical strength: ischýs (G2479) — strength as bodily or measurable force; often paired with krátos in doxologies
- Originating rank: archē (G746) — the position of first place; both temporal ("beginning") and hierarchical ("principality")
- Rank-holder: archōn (G758) — the person occupying the archē position; ruler, prince, magistrate, demonic prince
Key Distinguishing Contexts
- Luke 9:1 — Jesus gave the disciples "power (δύναμις) and authority (ἐξουσία) over all devils": dynamis = the ability to cast out; exousia = the right/authorization to do so
- Eph 1:19–21 — four terms stacked: δύναμις (ability), κράτος (dominion), ἰσχύς (strength), then above all ἀρχή + ἐξουσία (cosmic ranks)
- Rom 13:1–3 — exousia alone used for governing civil powers; emphasizes legitimacy and ordained structure, not raw force
- Rev 13:2, 4, 7 — the dragon gives the beast his exousia: delegated, derivative authority (not inherent power)
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, gather_word_data.py
Last updated: 2026-04-01