Bible Dictionary
JURISDICTION
Jurisdiction is the right or authority to rule, decide, or exercise governmental power over a matter or place. In the New Testament the term is used of the authority belonging to a magistrate.
Definition
Jurisdiction is the right, authority, or power to act, decide, or exercise governmental control over a matter or place. In the New Testament it can refer specifically to a magistrate’s authority.
Biblical Usage
The underlying term may mean right, authority, capability, power, or strength. In Luke 23:7 it is translated “jurisdiction” of Herod.
Historical Background
The Greek word later acquired the meaning of magistrates’ powers, as seen in references to civil authorities.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>joo-ris-dik'-shun (exousia): The word exousia is well known in New Testament Greek. It is derived from the word exesti, and suggests the absence of any hindrance to an act. It contains the idea of right and might (Cremer). In the New Testament it means right, authority, capability (Ro 9:21); power, strength (Mt 9:8); right and might (Joh 5:27). Thus it gets the meaning of the powers of the magistrate, which it bears in later Greek (Tit 3:1; Ro 13:1-3). And in this sense it is used in Lu 23:7, where it is translated "jurisdiction."</p>