θρόνος

From the study of Luke 1:32

Range of meaning

A seat of state for a king, god or judge. By extension it means royal power, reign or dynasty ('the throne of David' = the kingship of David's house).

Against the English

'Throne' is accurate. What modern readers easily miss is that 'the throne of David' meant the kingship of Israel, a political and national office with a specific family claim to it.

How it drifted

Devotional language often makes the throne private and inward ('the throne of your heart'), or locates it only in heaven. Luke himself later connects the throne promise to resurrection and exaltation (Acts 2:30–36). But the first hearers of the angel's words heard the restoration of Israel's own king.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Sam 7:13, 16, 'I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever… your throne shall be established forever'. Isa 9:7, 'on the throne of David and over his kingdom… from now and forevermore'. Ps 132:11. Psalms of Solomon 17:4–6, 21 (mid-1st century BC): a prayer for God to raise up 'their king, the son of David' because outsiders had taken over David's throne.

From the study of Revelation 22:1

Range of meaning

A seat of royal or divine authority. By extension it stands for rule and sovereignty itself.

Against the English

"Throne" is accurate. What English readers may miss is that it is one throne, shared by God and the Lamb.

Used elsewhere in the period

The throne is central to Revelation, which uses the word more than any other New Testament book (chs. 4–5; 7:9–17; 20:11; 21:5). In Dan 7:10 "a river of fire" flows from before God's throne, and 1 Enoch 14:19 describes streams of flaming fire coming from beneath the throne. Both are images of judgment.

From the study of Hebrews 4:16

Range of meaning

Thronos is the seat of a king or judge, standing for sovereign rule and the right to judge. Charis in this phrase describes the throne: it is a throne defined by favor. Elsewhere Hebrews speaks of "the throne of the Majesty in heaven" (8:1) and "the throne of God" (12:2), where the exalted Jesus sits.

Against the English

Most versions keep "throne of grace." NIV adds "God's" to make clear whose throne it is. NLT makes it "the throne of our gracious God," which shifts the focus from the place to the person and loses some of the sanctuary imagery.

How it drifted

In church language "the throne of grace" has become close to a stock phrase for "prayer time," so readers can miss the jolt the phrase would have given: a throne was the place where judgment was given.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Israel God is "enthroned upon the cherubim" (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; Psalm 80:1; 99:1), meaning above the ark and its gold cover. The Greek Old Testament calls that cover the hilastērion ("place of atonement," traditionally "mercy seat"), a word Hebrews uses in 9:5. In later Jewish thought God was pictured as having a "seat of justice" and a "seat of mercy" (rabbinic, e.g. Leviticus Rabbah 29.3; this is later than Hebrews, so it shows an idea that continued rather than one Hebrews borrowed).