"force, impetus, violence, Acts 5:26; 21:35; 27:41*"
Definition and meaning
force, impetus, violence, Acts 5:26; 21:35; 27:41*
In the original Greek the word is written: βία
Historical context
The Roman Empire provided infrastructure no previous civilization had built — roads, sea routes, a common language in Greek, and relative peace across the Mediterranean. Jewish synagogues existed in every major city, giving Paul a starting point everywhere he traveled. The early church had no buildings, no political power, no social standing — and spread faster than any movement in ancient history.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of bia (G970) across the King James Bible.
Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.
But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,
And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
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Common questions
Strong's G970 (bia) is a Greek word that means: force, impetus, violence, Acts 5:26; 21:35; 27:41* It appears 4 times in the King James Bible.
The word bia (G970) appears 4 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G970 is bia, a Greek word defined as: force, impetus, violence, Acts 5:26; 21:35; 27:41*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
bia is a Greek word found in the New Testament.