Bible Verses About the King: 12

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

— John 18:37 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about the king want Scripture on basileus — king and Messiah-king language — not only the King of Kings doubled title or the kingdom of God reign/parables inventory alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about King of Kings, Bible verses about the kingdom of God, Bible verses about Messiah, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about salvation, and Bible verse of the day. King here means the royal person and Messiah-king confession — distinct from King-of-kings title inventory or kingdom-as-reign sayings alone.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "king" is βασιλεύς basileus (Strong's G935; Bible Hub G935) — a king, sovereign, or royal ruler. John 18:37 and Zechariah 9:9 center Jesus as king who comes and testifies to the truth; this list tracks king/Messiah-king texts, not only basileus basileōn or basileia inventories.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalm 2 presses the Lord's Anointed king installed on Zion (Bible Hub MHC Psalms 2; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Psalms 2). (King-of-kings and kingdom-of-God lists live on those pages; this list centers basileus / the King.)

12 Bible verses about the king

1. Zechariah 9:9. "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Your king comes — lowly on a donkey. See Bible verses about Messiah.

2. John 18:37. "'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'" Jesus affirms kingship before Pilate. See Bible verses about Jesus.

3. John 1:49. "Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.'" Son of God and king of Israel. See Bible verses about the Son of God.

4. Matthew 2:2. "and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'" Born king of the Jews. See Bible verses about worship.

5. Matthew 21:5. "'Say to Daughter Zion, "See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."'" Your king comes — gentle. See Bible verses about Messiah.

6. Luke 1:32-33. "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end." Throne of David — kingdom never ends. See Bible verses about hope.

7. Isaiah 32:1. "See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice." A king will reign in righteousness. See Bible verses about hope.

8. Jeremiah 23:5. "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land." A King who will reign wisely. See Bible verses about Messiah.

9. Psalm 24:8-10. "Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory." The King of glory. See Bible verses about worship.

10. 1 Timothy 1:17. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." The King eternal — honor and glory. See Bible verses about worship.

11. Revelation 15:3. "and sang the song of God's servant Moses and of the Lamb: 'Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations." King of the nations. See Bible verses about worship.

12. Psalm 72:11. "May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him." All kings bow down to him. See Bible verses about salvation.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need the king — not twelve as a grind. If you need Jesus before Pilate, start with John 18:37. If you need the coming king on a donkey, open Zechariah 9:9 or Matthew 21:5. If you need Davidic throne promise, open Luke 1:32-33 or Jeremiah 23:5. For the doubled King-of-kings title, open Bible verses about King of Kings. For kingdom-as-reign sayings, open Bible verses about the kingdom of God. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about the king?

John 18:37 (you say that I am a king), Zechariah 9:9 (your king comes to you), and John 1:49 (king of Israel) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about the king differ from King of Kings or kingdom of God?

King-of-kings pages center the doubled supremacy title. Kingdom-of-God pages center basileia reign and parables. This page centers basileus — king and Messiah-king confession — then cross-links those companions. See Bible verses about King of Kings.

What does basileus mean?

Greek basileus (G935) means king or sovereign. Scripture applies it to the Messiah-king who comes lowly and reigns in righteousness.

Is "king" the same as "King of kings"?

Related: King of kings names supremacy over every throne. This list tracks king/Messiah-king texts more broadly. See Bible verses about King of Kings.

Where can I read more about kingdom, Messiah, and Jesus?

Start with Bible verses about the kingdom of God, then Bible verses about Messiah, Bible verses about Jesus, and Bible verses about King of Kings.

Sources

• Blue Letter Bible lexicon G935 (basileus): https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g935/kjv/tr/0-1/
• Bible Hub G935: https://biblehub.com/greek/935.htm
• Matthew Henry on Psalms 2: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Psa/Psa_002.cfm ; https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/psalms/2.htm