Greek noun (neuter) · G968
βῆμα
bemabay'-ma
a step, stride, pace; a raised place, a platform
12 uses in the Greek text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key
Concordance spelling: bēma
Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's G968is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.
- 5 of 27New Testament books
- 4spellings
- 2meanings
The definition in full
Strong's key (1890) · G968
a step, i.e. foot-breath; by implication, a rostrum, i.e. a tribunal
The King James renders it: judgment-seat, set (foot) on, throne.
James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.
Summary
bema is rendered "a step, stride, pace; a raised place, a platform". It stands 12 times in the Greek text, across five books.
- Eight of the uses stand in Acts, more than in any other book.
- The lexicon lists two meanings for it, beginning with "a step, stride, pace".
- Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Matthew 27:19While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
- The Greek text spells it four different ways.
The first use
While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
Matthew 27:19βήματος
The first use, in the order of the New Testament's books.
Where the word stands
Eight of the word's twelve uses are in Acts.
What the word means
The word carries two meanings: a step, stride, pace, and a raised place, a platform.
Each meaning, and the words it is translated by
| Meaning | Tagged as | Where |
|---|---|---|
| a step, stride, paceAct.7:5. | Tagged as
| WhereActs 7:5He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground… |
| a raised place, a platformreached by steps, originally that in the Pnyx at Athens from which orations were made | Tagged as
| WhereMatthew 27:19While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat… |
The words built on the same word-part
Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.
All 12, in canonical order
Every use, in order
Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.
4 spellings and their grammar
STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.
How it is spelled
- βήματος8
- βῆμα2
- βήματι1
- βήματος.¶1
The grammar of each form
- noun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singular9N-GSN
- noun · accusative (object) · neuter singular2N-ASN
- noun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singular1N-DSN
Matthew
one use
While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
John
one use
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrew is Gabbatha.
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
Acts
eight uses
He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.
- βῆμαbemanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: length
On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: throne
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.
- βῆμαbemanoun · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
- βήματος.¶bematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
At this, the crowd seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in.
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
Paul replied, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
So when they came here with me, I did not delay. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered that the man be brought in.
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
Romans
one use
Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
- βήματιbematinoun · dative (“to / for”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
2 Corinthians
one use
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
- βήματοςbematosnoun · genitive (“of”) · neuter singulartagged: judgment seat
Where it leads
How the numbers are counted
Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.
Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.