Romans 13:1

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Let everyone put himself under the authority of the higher powers, because there is no power which is not of God, and all powers are ordered by God.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑποτασσέσθω. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐξουσία εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ: αἱ δὲ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τεταγμέναι εἰσίν.

Transliteration

Every psychē to exousiais hyperechousais let be hypotassesthō. Not gar is exousia except from Theou: the de being exousiai by the Theou tetagmenai are.

Grammar Details

• *psychē*: nominative, feminine, singular - soul/life
• *exousiais*: dative, feminine, plural - authorities/powers
• *hyperechousais*: present active participle, dative, feminine, plural - higher/superior
• *hypotassesthō*: present middle/passive imperative, 3rd singular - let be subject to
• *gar*: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• *exousia*: nominative, feminine, singular - authority/power
• *Theou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of God
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and/now
• *exousiai*: nominative, feminine, plural - authorities/powers
• *tetagmenai*: perfect passive participle, nominative, feminine, plural - having been appointed/ordered

Word Meanings

• *psychē*: soul/person/life/being
• *exousia*: authority/power/jurisdiction/right
• *hyperechousais*: higher/superior/eminent/governing
• *hypotassesthō*: be subject to/submit to/obey
• *tetagmenai*: appointed/ordained/established/arranged

Referenced Verses

• Titus 3:1 : 1 Make clear to them that they are to put themselves under rulers and authorities, to do what they are ordered, to be ready for every good work,
• 1 Pet 2:13-17 : 13 Keep all the laws of men because of the Lord; those of the king, who is over all, 14 And those of the rulers who are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and for the praise of those who do well. 15 Because it is God's pleasure that foolish and narrow-minded men may be put to shame by your good behaviour: 16 As those who are free, not using your free position as a cover for wrongdoing, but living as the servants of God; 17 Have respect for all, loving the brothers, fearing God, honouring the king.
• John 19:11 : 11 Jesus gave this answer: You would have no power at all over me if it was not given to you by God; so that he who gave me up to you has the greater sin.
• Eph 5:21 : 21 Letting yourselves be ruled by one another in the fear of Christ.
• Matt 6:13 : 13 And let us not be put to the test, but keep us safe from the Evil One.
• 2 Pet 2:10-11 : 10 But specially those who go after the unclean desires of the flesh, and make sport of authority. Ready to take chances, uncontrolled, they have no fear of saying evil of those in high places: 11 Though the angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not make use of violent language against them before the Lord.
• Jude 1:8 : 8 In the same way these dreamers make the flesh unclean, having no respect for authorities, and say evil of rulers.
• Prov 8:15-16 : 15 Through me kings have their power, and rulers give right decisions. 16 Through me chiefs have authority, and the noble ones are judging in righteousness.
• Dan 2:21 : 21 By him times and years are changed: by him kings are taken away and kings are lifted up: he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those whose minds are awake:
• Dan 4:32 : 32 And they will send you out from among men, to be with the beasts of the field; they will give you grass for your food like the oxen, and seven times will go by you, till you are certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives it to any man at his pleasure.
• Dan 5:18-23 : 18 As for you, O King, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the kingdom and great power and glory and honour: 19 And because of the great power he gave him, all peoples and nations and languages were shaking in fear before him: some he put to death and others he kept living, at his pleasure, lifting up some and putting others down as it pleased him. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hard with pride, he was put down from his place as king, and they took his glory from him: 21 And he was sent out from among the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts', and he was living with the asses of the fields; he had grass for his food like the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he was certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives power over it to anyone at his pleasure. 22 And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not kept your heart free from pride, though you had knowledge of all this; 23 But you have been lifting yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have put the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your women, have taken wine in them; and you have given praise to gods of silver and gold, of brass and iron and wood and stone, who are without the power of seeing or hearing, and without knowledge: and to the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not given glory;
• Jer 27:5-8 : 5 I have made the earth, and man and beast on the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I will give it to anyone at my pleasure. 6 And now I have given all these lands into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant; and I have given the beasts of the field to him for his use. 7 And all the nations will be servants to him and to his son and to his son's son, till the time comes for his land to be overcome: and then a number of nations and great kings will take it for their use. 8 And it will come about, that if any nation does not become a servant to this same Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and does not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, then I will send punishment on that nation, says the Lord, by the sword and need of food and by disease, till I have given them into his hands.
• 1 Chr 28:4-5 : 4 Though the Lord, the God of Israel, took me out of all my father's family, to be king over Israel for ever, marking out Judah to be chief, and, of the people of Judah, my father's family; and among the sons of my father he was pleased to make me king over all Israel; 5 And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me a great number of sons) he has made selection of Solomon to take his place on the seat of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
• Ps 62:11 : 11 Once has God said, twice has it come to my ears, that power is God's:
• Rev 1:5 : 5 And from Jesus Christ, the true witness, the first to come back from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who had love for us and has made us clean from our sins by his blood;
• Rev 17:14 : 14 These will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because he is the Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with him are named, marked out, and true.
• Rev 19:16 : 16 And on his robe and on his leg is a name, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
• Deut 17:12 : 12 And any man who, in his pride, will not give ear to the priest whose place is there before the Lord your God, or to the judge, is to be put to death: you are to put away the evil from Israel.
• 1 Sam 2:8 : 8 Lifting the poor out of the dust, and him who is in need out of the lowest place, to give them their place among rulers, and for their heritage the seat of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has made them the base of the world.