Exploring the Meaning of Megaleiotes in Greek

μεγαλειότης refers to majesty, a term used in the New Testament for the greatness ascribed to God, to a revered goddess in a public dispute, and to Jesus Christ as testified by eyewitnesses. It appears in scenes of astonishment, civic-religious anxiety, and apostolic testimony.

Root and Related Words

μεγαλειότης derives from megaleios (μεγαλεῖος), “mighty” (Strong’s G3167).

Occurrences

Luke 9:43: “They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples,”

Here μεγαλειότης is the object of the crowd’s reaction: they are “astonished” at “the majesty of God.” The sentence then immediately adds that “all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did,” placing the word in a setting where observable deeds provoke wonder and where that wonder is directed to God’s majesty. In this scene, majesty is not presented as a distant quality contemplated in the abstract; it is encountered as something that elicits a shared, public response (“They were all astonished”), and it frames the moment in which Jesus turns to address his disciples. The term gathers the crowd’s amazement into a single focus—God’s majesty—while the narrative keeps that focus alongside the concrete “things which Jesus did.”

Acts 19:27: “Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships.”

In this speech, μεγαλειότης is tied to Artemis: “her majesty.” The speaker fears a double loss: economic (“this our trade come into disrepute”) and religious-cultural (“the temple…will be counted as nothing”). “Her majesty” is portrayed as something that can suffer damage in the eyes of worshipers—indeed, it can be “destroyed.” The word thus functions within the rhetoric of threat: if the temple is diminished, the goddess’s majesty is diminished. The closing description—“whom all Asia and the world worships”—shows that majesty in this context is connected to widespread recognition and honor. The speech treats majesty as a kind of public standing bound to the temple’s reputation and the breadth of devotion offered to Artemis.

2 Peter 1:16: “For we didn’t follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

In this apostolic defense, μεγαλειότης is attached to “our Lord Jesus Christ,” and the claim rests on direct testimony: “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” The word is set over against “cunningly devised fables,” establishing majesty as something not manufactured by storytelling but verified by those who saw it. The verse also pairs the proclamation with “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” so that “his majesty” stands as a reality that supports the announcement being “made known.” In this scene, majesty is not merely a title bestowed; it is something presented as observable and attestable, grounding confidence in what is preached.

Sense and Usage

Across its three uses, μεγαλειότης consistently marks majesty as a quality that draws recognition, loyalty, or testimony. In Luke it prompts astonishment at God amid deeds that cause marveling; majesty is the category into which the crowd’s awe is placed. In Acts it is a contested possession: majesty belongs to a goddess as revered by worshipers, yet it is portrayed as vulnerable to being “destroyed” if the goddess’s temple is “counted as nothing.” In 2 Peter it becomes a cornerstone of credibility: eyewitness experience of majesty stands in contrast to crafted narratives and supports the message about Jesus Christ’s “power and coming.”

The settings show that majesty, as the word is used here, is not confined to private admiration. It is public and communal: “They were all astonished” (Luke), “all Asia and the world worships” (Acts), and “we…were eyewitnesses” (2 Peter). The word therefore belongs naturally to scenes where audiences, communities, and witnesses are in view. It can be ascribed rightly to God and to Jesus Christ within proclamation and response, and it can also be claimed for a deity within a civic-religious argument where reputation and devotion are at stake. In each passage, majesty is treated as something that matters because people respond to it—through astonishment, worship, or testimony—so that majesty is shown through its acknowledged weight in the minds and actions of groups.

Imagery

The word’s imagery in these passages is the imagery of greatness made socially visible. In Luke, majesty is the focal point of a crowd’s astonishment in the wake of striking deeds. In Acts, majesty is pictured as something upheld by a famed temple and wide worship, yet threatened by loss of honor. In 2 Peter, majesty is something that can be seen and then affirmed publicly as a matter of witness rather than invention.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).