Greek word · G968

βῆμα

bēma

judgement seat

Literally "a step" or "stride" (Acts 7:5, "not even a foot's length"). From there it came to mean a raised platform reached by steps: an orator's speaking platform, and above all the official tribunal where a magistrate or governor sat to hear cases and give verdicts.

Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

βῆμα, -τος, τό

(βαίνω), [in LXX: Deuteronomy 2:5 (מִדְרָךְ), Nehemiah 8:4 (מִגְדָּל), I Est.9:42, Sirach 19:30 45:9, 2Ma.13:26 * ;]

1. a step, stride, pace: Acts 7:5.

2. a raised place, a platform reached by steps, originally that in the Pnyx at Athens from which orations were made; frequently of the tribune or tribunal of a Roman magistrate or ruler: Matthew 27:19, John 19:13, Acts 12:21, 18:12, 16, 17 25:6, 10, 17; β. τοῦ θεοῦ, Romans 14:10; τ. Χριστοῦ, 2 Corinthians 5:10.

† (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Corinthians 5:10

Range of meaning

Literally "a step" or "stride" (Acts 7:5, "not even a foot's length"). From there it came to mean a raised platform reached by steps: an orator's speaking platform, and above all the official tribunal where a magistrate or governor sat to hear cases and give verdicts.

Against the English

"Judgment seat" (KJV, BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB) is accurate. "Tribunal" (YLT) is more exact. Modern English "seat" can suggest a chair, but the bēma was a raised dais, a public platform of authority where verdicts were given.

How it drifted

The English itself has not drifted much. The drift comes from popular teaching that pictures the bēma as an awards stand at athletic games (see popular_drift).

Used elsewhere in the period

In every other New Testament use for a seat of authority the bēma is a judicial or royal platform: Pilate (Matt 27:19; John 19:13), Herod Agrippa speaking from it (Acts 12:21), Gallio at Corinth (Acts 18:12, 16–17), Festus (Acts 25:6, 10, 17). Romans 14:10 has "the bēma of God" in the same judgment context. Josephus uses it of Roman governors' tribunals, for example Florus setting up his bēma before the palace in Jerusalem (Jewish War 2.301). Excavations at Corinth found a large speaker's platform in the Roman forum, often identified as the bēma where Paul stood before Gallio around AD 51.

From the study of Matthew 27:19

Range of meaning

Literally a “step” or “stride,” and from that a raised platform reached by steps: a speaker’s platform, or the tribunal of a magistrate. In Roman-period Greek it normally means the official seat of judgment, which in Latin was the tribunal, where a governor sat to hear cases and pronounce sentence.

Against the English

“Judgment seat” (KJV, BSB, WEB) and “tribunal” (YLT) are both accurate. “Seat” can suggest a chair. The βῆμα was a raised platform, and a portable official chair was set on it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Josephus describes Pilate seated on his βῆμα in the stadium at Caesarea (Jewish War 2.172) and the later governor Florus setting up a βῆμα in front of the palace in Jerusalem (War 2.301). Acts 18:12–17 places Gallio at his βῆμα in Corinth. John 19:13 puts Pilate’s βῆμα at “the Stone Pavement” (Gabbatha). Paul uses the word for the divine court: “the judgment seat of God / of Christ” (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10).

From the study of Romans 14:10

Range of meaning

Literally 'a step', then a raised platform: a speaker's platform in the Greek assembly, and in the Roman period above all the tribunal, the raised dais where a magistrate sat to hear cases and give verdicts (BDAG s.v. βῆμα). Rarely, in its original sense, 'a step' or 'a foot's length' (Acts 7:5).

Against the English

'Judgment seat' (KJV, BSB, ESV, NIV, NASB) and YLT's 'tribunal' both get the courtroom sense right. The English is accurate; the drift is in a popular explanation of the Greek word (see popular_drift).

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament bēma is consistently a judicial seat: Pilate's (Matt 27:19; John 19:13), Herod Agrippa's (Acts 12:21), Gallio's at Corinth (Acts 18:12, 16, 17), Festus's at Caesarea (Acts 25:6, 10, 17). Josephus uses it for Pilate's tribunal in Jerusalem (Jewish War 2.172). Neh 8:4 in the Septuagint uses it for Ezra's wooden platform for public reading. Paul's only other use is 2 Cor 5:10: 'we must all appear before the bēma of Christ, so that each may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad.'

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 27:19 βήματος judgment seat

    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.”

    Here: The raised platform from which a Roman official heard cases and gave verdicts. It stood for Rome’s authority to judge, and here that authority is about to be used to condemn the man his wife calls righteous.

John · 1

  1. John 19:13 βήματος judgment seat

    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.

    Here: The governor's tribunal: a raised platform where his official chair was set, so that his rulings counted as formal court acts. It is a stage of state power, not just a seat.

Acts · 8

  1. Acts 7:5 βῆμα [the] length

    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.

    Here: Here it has its basic meaning, a step or stride: the patch of ground a foot covers. It does not mean 'judgment seat' here, a later meaning of the word.

  2. Acts 12:21 βήματος throne

    On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.

  3. Acts 18:12 βῆμα, judgment seat,

    While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.

    Here: The raised platform where a Roman magistrate sat to hear cases in public. Bringing Paul here means taking him into an official Roman hearing, not a synagogue dispute.

  4. Acts 18:16 βήματος.¶ judgment seat.

    And he drove them away from the judgment seat.

    Here: Literally 'a step', then a raised platform reached by steps. Here it is the public tribunal from which a Roman magistrate heard cases and gave rulings. To be driven 'from the bēma' means being sent out of the court and its formal space, with the case refused.

  5. Acts 18:17 βήματος· 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.

    Here: The raised speaker's platform in the Corinthian forum where the proconsul sat to hear cases. It was public and outdoors, not an enclosed courtroom.

  6. Acts 25:6 βήματος 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.

  7. Acts 25:10 βήματος 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.

  8. Acts 25:17 βήματος 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.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 14:10 βήματι judgment seat

    Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

    Here: The magistrate's raised platform, where a governor or judge sat to hear cases and give verdicts. The picture is a courtroom, with God on the bench.

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 5:10 βήματος judgment seat

    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.

    Here: The raised platform where a ruling official sat to hear cases and give verdicts. The Corinthians had one in their own forum, where Paul himself had stood before the governor Gallio (Acts 18:12).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.