There is scarcely a grander or more widespread image used in the Bible than that of the king. The king was impressive in physical appearance, honored and respected by his people, dispenser of protection, justice, and mercy, and a symbol of great power and authority. In the Bible, two royal images are found — God as king and humans as kings. It is important in the Bible’s theology that the latter reflects the former and that, ultimately, the two merge into one.
The Hebrew-Aramaic word for “king” (melek) is one of the most commonly used in the Hebrew language, occurring almost 2700 times. In the New Testament, the same is the case: the Greek word basileús “king” occurs more than 125 times. When the verbal and other noun forms of these and related words are added (i.e., “to reign,” “kingdom,” etc.), we find ourselves dealing with an important biblical motif woven throughout the entire fabric of the Bible’s message.
Can be found in full here.
