Original Word: πολιτεύομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: politeuomai
Pronunciation: po-li-TEU-o-mai
Phonetic Spelling: (pol-it-yoo'-om-ahee)
KJV: let conversation be, live
NASB: conduct, lived life
Word Origin: [middle voice of a derivative of G4177 (πολίτης - citizens)]

1. to behave as a citizen (figuratively)

let conversation be, live.

Middle voice of a derivative of polites; to behave as a citizen (figuratively) -- let conversation be, live.

see GREEK polites

Word Origin
from polités
Definition
to live as a citizen
NASB Translation
conduct (1), lived...life (1).

STRONGS NT 4176: πολιτεύω

πολιτεύω: middle (cf. Winer's Grammar, 260 (244)), present imperative 2 person plural πολιτεύεσθε; perfect πεπολίτευμαι; (πολίτης);

1. to be a citizen (Thucydides, Xenophon, Lysias, Polybius, others).

2. to administer civil affairs, manage the state (Thucydides, Xenophon).

3. to make or create a citizen (Diodorus 11, 72); middle a. to be a citizen; so in the passages from Philo and the Ep. ad Diogn. cited in πολίτευμα, 3.

b. to behave as a citizen; to avail oneself of or recognize the laws; so from Thucydides down; in Hellenistic writings to conduct oneself as pledged to some law of life: ἀξίως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, Philippians 1:27 (R. V. text let your manner of life be worthy of etc.); ἀξίως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, Polycarp, ad Philip. 5, 2 [ET]; ἀξίως τοῦ Θεοῦ, Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 21, 1 [ET]; ὁσίως, ibid. 6, 1 [ET]; κατά τό καθῆκον τῷ Χριστῷ, ibid. 3, 4 [ET]; μετά φοβοῦ καί ἀγάπης, ibid. 51, 2 [ET]; ἐννόμως, Justin Martyr, dialog contra Trypho,

c. 67; ἠρξάμην πολιτεύεσθαι τῇ Φαρισαίων ἁιρεσει κατακολουθῶν, Josephus, Vita2; other phrases are cited by Grimm on 2 Macc. 6:1; τῷ Θεῷ, to live in accordance with the laws of God, Acts 23:1 (A. V. I have lived etc.).

Background and Conceptual Framework

Strong’s Greek 4176 deals with life “in commonwealth.” In the Greco-Roman world a citizen was bound to represent and protect the honor of his city wherever he travelled. Scripture appropriates that social reality to describe the believer’s life within God’s covenant community. The focus is not on the legal status of citizenship but on the public expression of loyalty to the King and His people.

Occurrences in the New Testament

Acts 23:1 records Paul before the Sanhedrin: “Brothers, I have conducted myself before God in all good conscience to this day.” His opening statement frames his entire defense—he has lived out his covenant obligations with unbroken integrity.

Philippians 1:27 summons the church at Philippi: “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” The imperative covers every aspect of communal life: speech, worship, generosity, public reputation, and unity.

Historical Setting

1. Roman Munus. First-century citizenship carried privileges (Acts 22:25-29) but also public duties such as military service and civic benefaction. Paul leverages that expectation: Christians are to render visible allegiance to Christ in a hostile empire.
2. Colony Language at Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony populated by army veterans proud of their status. The command therefore becomes a pointed contrast: “Live as citizens”—not of Rome but of Christ’s kingdom.

Old Testament Foundations

While the exact Greek term appears only in the New Testament, the idea of covenant citizenship pervades the Hebrew Scriptures. Israel was called “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), charged with displaying God’s character among the nations (Deuteronomy 4:6-8). The New Testament extends this vocation to the multi-ethnic church (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Theology of Heavenly Commonwealth

1. Christ the Sovereign. Loyalty to Jesus supersedes every earthly allegiance (Philippians 3:20).
2. Community Ethic. The verb is corporate, demanding shared conduct that adorns the gospel (John 13:34-35).
3. Eschatological Witness. Holy living functions as evidence that the coming kingdom has already broken in (Titus 2:11-14).

Ministry Significance

• Discipleship: Leaders disciple members not merely toward individual holiness but toward visibly faithful public life—employment, civic engagement, political discourse.
• Church Discipline: Since citizenship language is communal, unrepentant sin threatens the testimony of the whole body (1 Corinthians 5:1-13).
• Missions: The church’s counter-cultural conduct authenticates its evangelism (Matthew 5:16).

Practical Applications

1. Ethical Consistency. Believers measure choices by what honors their heavenly city rather than by cultural convenience.
2. Unity in Diversity. Ethnic, social, and economic distinctions yield to the shared “politic” of the gospel (Ephesians 2:14-19).
3. Perseverance under Persecution. Like Paul before the Sanhedrin, modern Christians bear witness through steadfast, conscientious living (1 Peter 3:14-17).

Illustrations from Church History

• Early Apologists (e.g., Justin Martyr) argued that Christians are the empire’s best citizens precisely because they fear God.
• The Moravian Church’s disciplined communal life in the eighteenth century drew curiosity and conversions across Europe.

Key Cross-References

Exodus 19:6; Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Matthew 5:16; John 17:14-18; Acts 22:25-29; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:19; Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9-12.

Summary

Strong’s 4176 exhorts believers to embody the ethos of their true homeland. Rooted in Israel’s covenant vocation and sharpened by Roman civic imagery, the term calls the church to an integrated, public, and communal witness that magnifies the gospel until the kingdom is consummated.

πεπολιτευμαι πεπολίτευμαι πολιτευεσθε πολιτεύεσθε pepoliteumai pepolíteumai politeuesthe politeúestheInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts