Topic
Government
2 answers, with the passages behind them
Our answers on Government
Why does God allow tragedies like mass shootings—and how should Christians respond?
God allows tragedies for a time in a fallen world where human choices have real consequences, yet he is not the author of violence; Christians respond with lament, mercy, justice, and gospel hope in Jesus.
How should Christians think about political chaos (like a government shutdown)?
How should Christians think about political chaos (like a government shutdown)? With steady trust in God, prayer for leaders, gracious speech, and active love—because Jesus is King.
- Romans 13:1–7 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. Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those…
- 1 Peter 2:13–17 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you sho…
More passages on this topic
From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.
Paternal functions of
- Genesis 41:25–57 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning. Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came u…
Civil service school provided by
- Daniel 1:3–20 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace— and to teach them the lan…
Maintains of public instruction
- 2 Chronicles 17:7–9 In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah, accompanied by certain Levites — Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah — along with the p…
Executive departments in
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Judicial department in
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Mosaic
Administrative and Judicial System
- Exodus 18:13–26 The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing arou…
- Numbers 11:16–17 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you. And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put t…
- Numbers 11:24–25 So Moses went out and relayed to the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy el…
- Deuteronomy 1:9–17 At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised. But how can I bear your…
Popular, by a National Assembly or Its Representatives
Accepted, and agreed to, the law given by Moses
- Exodus 19:7–8 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” So Moses brought their words back to the LORD.
- Exodus 24:3 When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.”
- Exodus 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
- Deuteronomy 29:10–15 All of you are standing today before the LORD your God— you leaders of tribes, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is mak…
Refused to make conquest of Canaan
- Numbers 14:1–10 Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bring…
Chose, or ratified, the chief ruler
- Numbers 27:18–23 And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight. Confer on him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel wil…
- 1 Samuel 10:24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
- 1 Samuel 8:4–22 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.” But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight…
- 1 Samuel 11:14–15 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.” So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.
- 2 Samuel 3:17–21 Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “In the past you sought David as your king. Now take action, because the LORD has said to David, ‘Through My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and of all their enemies.’” Abner also spoke to the Benja…
- 2 Samuel 5:1–3 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood. Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler ov…
- 1 Chronicles 29:22 That day they ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD. Then, for a second time, they designated David’s son Solomon as king, anointing him before the LORD as ruler, and Zadok as the priest.
- 2 Chronicles 23:3 the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. “Behold, the king’s son!” said Jehoiada. “He must reign, just as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David.
Possessed veto power over the king's purposes
- 1 Samuel 14:44–45 And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!” But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die — he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with…
The court in certain capital cases
- Numbers 35:12 You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
- Numbers 35:24–25 then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the deat…
The Delegated, Senatorial Council
Closely associated with Moses and subsequent leaders
- Exodus 3:16 Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
- Exodus 3:18 The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
- Exodus 4:29–31 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron relayed everything the LORD had said to Moses. And Moses performed the signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they…
- Exodus 12:21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb.
- Exodus 17:5–6 And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for…
- Exodus 18:12 Then Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
- Exodus 19:7–8 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” So Moses brought their words back to the LORD.
- Exodus 24:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD — you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders — and you are to worship at a distance.
- Exodus 24:14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.”
- Leviticus 4:15 The elders of the congregation are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the LORD, and it shall be slaughtered before the LORD.
Show 20 more passages
Leviticus 9:1 Numbers 11:16–18 Numbers 11:30 Numbers 16:25 Deuteronomy 1:13–15 Deuteronomy 5:23 Deuteronomy 27:1 Deuteronomy 29:10–15 Deuteronomy 31:9 Deuteronomy 31:28 Joshua 7:6 Joshua 8:10 Joshua 8:32–33 Joshua 23:2–3 Joshua 23:6 Joshua 24:1 Joshua 24:24–25 Judges 21:16–25 Acts 5:17–18 Acts 5:21–41
Miscellany of Facts Relating to the Senate
Demands a king
- 1 Samuel 8:4–10 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.” But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight…
- 1 Samuel 8:19–22 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.” Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing o…
Saul pleads to be honored before
- 1 Samuel 15:30 “I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.”
Chooses David as king
- 2 Samuel 3:17–21 Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “In the past you sought David as your king. Now take action, because the LORD has said to David, ‘Through My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and of all their enemies.’” Abner also spoke to the Benja…
- 2 Samuel 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 11:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
Closely associated with David
- 2 Samuel 12:17 The elders of his household stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.
- 1 Chronicles 15:25 So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom.
- 1 Chronicles 21:16 When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
Joins Absalom in his usurpation
- 2 Samuel 17:4 This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
David rebukes
- 2 Samuel 19:11 Then King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to restore the king to his palace, since the talk of all Israel has reached the king at his quarters?
Assists Solomon at the dedication of the temple
- 1 Kings 8:1–3 At that time Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel — all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites — to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David. And all the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast in the seventh…
- 2 Chronicles 5:2–4 At that time Solomon assembled in Jerusalem the elders of Israel— all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites — to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David. So all the men of Israel came together to the king at the feast in the seventh month. When all…
Counsels king Rehoboam
- 1 Kings 12:6–8 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked. They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, t…
- 1 Kings 12:13 And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders
Counsels king Ahab
- 1 Kings 20:7–8 Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please take note and see that this man is looking for trouble, for when he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not deny him.” And the elders and the people all said, “Do not listen to him or consent to…
Josiah assembles to hear the law of the Lord
- 2 Kings 23:1 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 34:29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 34:31 So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
Legislates with Ezra in reforming certain marriages with the heathen
- Ezra 9:1 After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moa…
- Ezra 10:8–14 Whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles. So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the twentieth day…
Legislates in later times
- Matthew 15:2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
- Matthew 15:7–9 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
- Mark 7:1–3 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled— that is, unwashed. Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their han…
Sits as a court
- Jeremiah 26:10–24 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went up from the king’s palace to the house of the LORD and sat there at the entrance of the New Gate. Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city…
Constitutes, with priests and scribes, a court for the trial of both civil and ecclesiastical causes
- Matthew 21:23 When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”
- Matthew 26:3–5 At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
- Matthew 26:57–68 Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. Now the chief priests an…
- Matthew 27:1–2 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death. They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
- Mark 8:31 Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again.
- Mark 14:43–65 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and elders. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and lead Him away securely.” Going direct…
- Mark 15:1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.
- Luke 22:52–71 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this hour belongs to you and to the power of darkness…
- Acts 4:1–21 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, th…
- Acts 6:9–15 But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They disputed with Stephen, but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then they prompted some men to say, “We h…
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Unfaithful to the city
- Lamentations 1:19 I called out to my lovers, but they have betrayed me. My priests and elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.
Seeks counsel from prophets
- Ezekiel 8:1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me.
- Ezekiel 14:1 Then some of the elders of Israel came and sat down before me.
- Ezekiel 20:1 In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down before me.
- Ezekiel 20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.
- Joel 1:14 Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
- Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the aged, gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
Corrupt
- 1 Kings 21:8–14 Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘Y…
- Ezekiel 8:11–12 Before them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising. “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at t…
- Matthew 26:14–15 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.
- Matthew 27:3–4 When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
A similar senate existed
Among the Egyptians
- Genesis 50:7 Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him — the elders of Pharaoh’s household and all the elders of the land of Egypt —
- Genesis 41:37–38 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”
- Exodus 10:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them,
- Exodus 10:7 Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
- Exodus 12:30 During the night Pharaoh got up — he and all his officials and all the Egyptians — and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.
- Exodus 14:5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”
Among the Midianites and Moabites
- Numbers 22:4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time,
- Numbers 22:7 The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.
Among the Gibeonites
- Joshua 9:11 So the elders and inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’
Executive Officers of Tribes and Cities, Called Princes or Nobles, Members of the National Assembly
- Numbers 1:4–16 And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you. These are the names of the men who are to assist you: From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab; from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar…
- Numbers 1:44 These were the men numbered by Moses and Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family.
- Numbers 7:2–3 And the leaders of Israel, the heads of their families, presented an offering. These men were the tribal leaders who had supervised the registration. They brought as their offering before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen — an ox from each leader and a cart from every two leaders — and pre…
- Numbers 7:10–11 When the altar was anointed, the leaders approached with their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. And the LORD said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to present his offering for the dedication of the altar.”
- Numbers 7:18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, drew near.
- Numbers 7:24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the Zebulunites, drew near.
- Numbers 7:54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the Manassites, drew near.
- Numbers 7:84 So these were the offerings from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes.
- Numbers 10:4 But if only one is sounded, then the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, are to gather before you.
- Numbers 16:2 a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly.
Show 15 more passages
Numbers 17:2 Numbers 17:6 Numbers 27:2 Numbers 31:13–14 Numbers 32:2 Numbers 34:18–29 Numbers 36:1 Joshua 9:15–21 Joshua 17:4 Joshua 22:13–32 1 Kings 21:11–13 Nehemiah 3:9 Nehemiah 3:12 Nehemiah 3:16 Nehemiah 3:18–19
The Mosaic Judicial System
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Forms and facts of government after the death of Moses and the princes who survived Moses
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Constitutional
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Ecclesiastical
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Imperial
- Genesis 14:1 In those days Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim
- Joshua 11:10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword, because Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.
- Esther 1:1 This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
- Daniel 4:1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the people of every nation and language who dwell in all the earth: May your prosperity be multiplied.
- Daniel 6:1–3 Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss. Soon, by his extraordinary spirit, Daniel distinguished himself among the administrators…
- Luke 2:1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire.
Monarchical
Tyranny in, instances of
By Saul
- 1 Samuel 22:6 Soon Saul learned that David and his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with his spear in hand and all his servants standing around him.
- 1 Samuel 22:12–19 “Listen now, son of Ahitub,” said Saul. “Here I am, my lord,” he replied. And Saul asked him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him so that he could rise up against me to lie in wait, as he is doing today.” Ahimelech answ…
By David
- 2 Samuel 1:13–16 And David inquired of the young man who had brought him the report, “Where are you from?” “I am the son of a foreigner,” he answered. “I am an Amalekite.” So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” Then David summoned one of the young men and sai…
- 2 Samuel 4:9–12 But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was…
- 2 Samuel 11:14–17 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.” So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew the strongest ene…
By Solomon
- 1 Kings 2:23–25 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life. And now, as surely as the LORD lives — the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He pro…
- 1 Kings 2:28–34 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar. It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, s…
- 1 Kings 2:36–46 Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.” “The sentence is fair,” Shimei replied. “You…
- 1 Kings 12:1–16 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam a…
- 1 Kings 21:7–16 But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in h…
- 2 Kings 10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying: “When this letter arrives, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and… (whole chapter)
By Ahasuerus
- Esther 2 Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king, and let the king appoint commissioners in each provinc… (whole chapter)
- Esther 3 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him. All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai wo… (whole chapter)
By Nebuchadnezzar
- Daniel 1:10 but he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age? You would endanger my head before the king!”
- Daniel 2:5–13 The king replied to the astrologers, “My word is final: If you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be reduced to rubble. But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So…
- Daniel 5:19 Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.
By Herod
- Mark 6:27–28 So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison. The man brought John’s head on a platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.
See ISRAEL, HISTORY OF
Under these sub-topics
See Kings
Also see [1921]ASSYRIA
See Babylon
See Chaldea
See Syria
Limited
See Constitution
Municipal
Devolving upon a local senate and executive officers
- Deuteronomy 19:12 the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.
- Deuteronomy 21:2–8 your elders and judges must come out and measure the distance from the victim to the neighboring cities. Then the elders of the city nearest the victim shall take a heifer that has never been yoked or used for work, bring the heifer to a valley with running water that has not been plowed or sown, a…
- Deuteronomy 21:18–21 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined, his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown, and say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn an…
- Deuteronomy 22:13–21 Suppose a man marries a woman, has relations with her, and comes to hate her, and he then accuses her of shameful conduct and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman and had relations with her, but I discovered she was not a virgin.” Then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring…
- Deuteronomy 25:7–9 But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.” Then the elders of his city shall summon him and…
- Joshua 20:4 When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.
- Judges 8:14–16 There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth. And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and…
- Judges 11:5–11 and made war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.” Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and expel me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me…
- Ruth 4:2–11 Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the city and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. And he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should inform you that you may buy it back in the…
- 1 Samuel 11:3 “Hold off for seven days,” replied the elders of Jabesh, “and let us send messengers throughout Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.”
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1 Samuel 16:4 1 Samuel 30:26 1 Kings 21:8–14 2 Kings 10:1–7 Ezra 10:8 Ezra 10:14 Nehemiah 3:9 Nehemiah 3:12 Nehemiah 3:16 Nehemiah 3:18–19 Lamentations 5:14
Provincial
- Ezra 4:8–9 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates— the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
- Ezra 5:3 At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”
- Ezra 5:6 This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.
- Ezra 6:6 Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away from that place!
- Ezra 8:36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.
- Nehemiah 2:7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
- Nehemiah 2:9 Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
- Nehemiah 5:14 Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
- Daniel 6:1–3 Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss. Soon, by his extraordinary spirit, Daniel distinguished himself among the administrators…
- Matthew 27:2 They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
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See Herod
See Pilate
Representative
- Deuteronomy 1:13–15 Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.” And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.” So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you — as…
- Joshua 9:11 So the elders and inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’
See DELEGATED, SENATORIAL COUNCIL, above
Also see [1928]ELDER
Theocratic
- Exodus 19:3–8 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you will indeed ob…
- Deuteronomy 26:16–19 The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be careful to follow them with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you have proclaimed that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes and commandments and ordinances…
- Deuteronomy 29:1–13 These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb. Moses summoned all Israel and proclaimed to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Phar…
- 1 Samuel 8:6–7 But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.
See GOVERNMENT, GOD IN, below
Also see RULERS
See Judge
See Elder
See Church and State
Corruption in 1ki 21:5-13; Pro 25:5; Mic 3:1-4,9-11
See CHURCH, CORRUPTION IN>
See COURT, CORRUPT
Instances of
Pilate, in delivering Jesus to death in order to please the clamoring multitude
- John 19:12–16 From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.” When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement…
- Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
Felix, who expected money from Paul
- Acts 24:26 At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him.
See RULERS, WICKED, INSTANCES OF
Duty of Citizens to
See Citizen
God in
In appointment of Saul as king
In Saul's rejection
In the appointment of David
In counseling Solomon
In magnifying him
In denouncing Solomon's wickedness
In raising adversaries against Solomon
In dividing the Jewish nation into two different countries
In blotting out the household of Jeroboam
In the appointment of kings
In the destruction of nations
See THEOCRATIC, above
Also see [1936]GOD, SOVEREIGN
Unclassified Scriptures Relating to God in
Psalm 22:28 Proverbs 8:15 Isaiah 9:6–7 Jeremiah 1:9–10 Jeremiah 18:6–10 Jeremiah 25:12–33 Ezekiel 21:25–27 Ezekiel 29:19–20 Daniel 2:20–21 Daniel 2:37 Daniel 4:17 Daniel 5:18–28 Daniel 10:13 Hosea 8:4 Amos 9:8 Haggai 2:21–22 John 19:10–11
See GOD, SOVERIGN
See JESUS, KINGDOM OF
Word study: the Hebrew and Greek words behind “government” →
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.