Menu

Revelation 3:11 — Word Study

Depth

N1904ἰδού ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

BSAbehold I am comingerchomai quickly;tachu [quickly, without delay] do hold fastkrateō [firmly, with strength] to whathos, hē you have,echō [possess, hold as a treasure] so thathina no onemēdeis [nothing, no person] may takelambanō [receive, seize] theho crownstephanos [wreath of honor, symbol of victory] of you.su

Word
Listen & take awayRevelation 3
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 11 is in this chapter.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (su) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
Revelation 3:11quick helps
In a sentenceJesus promises His imminent return and encourages believers to hold on to their faith.
Who is speakingJesus, addressing the church in Philadelphia.
Where we areThis verse is part of a message to the churches in Revelation, specifically focused on perseverance.
The hard wordκράτει
Take awayBelievers are urged to maintain their faith and not let it be taken away.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectμηδείς verbἔρχομαι The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the New Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the New Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — , the commonest word in the Greek New Testament, stands 19,867 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Revelation 3:11

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Message to the Church in Philadelphiagenerated

10Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
11I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.
13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:11 is part of a series of messages to the seven churches, where Jesus commends and admonishes them. In this context, He reassures the church in Philadelphia of His return and emphasizes the importance of holding on to their faith. This message reflects the broader theme of perseverance and reward found throughout Revelation.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Revelation 1:3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
2Revelation 22:7–12“Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book. ”
3Zephaniah 1:14The great Day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
4Philippians 4:5Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.
5James 5:9Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!

The Key Word κράτει, krateōgenerated

The verb κράτει (i.e., *krateō*) means 'to hold fast' or 'to grasp firmly.' It is an imperative form, indicating a command for the reader to actively retain what they possess.

This word emphasizes strength and determination, suggesting that believers should not only hold on but do so with vigor. It is often used in contexts where one must maintain control or possession, highlighting the importance of faith in the face of challenges.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study references the Berean Standard Bible, which uses 'hold fast' for κράτει. The KJV and ASV use 'hold that fast,' while the WEB opts for 'hold firmly.'

Where translations differ, they do so primarily in the rendering of ἔρχομαι as 'I am coming' in the BSB and other versions like the NETB, while the KJV and ASV choose 'come.'


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse contains a main clause introduced by the finite verb ἔρχομαι, I am coming, followed by a command to hold fast and a purpose clause explaining why.

The structure emphasizes the urgency of the command and the importance of the believer's response to the promise of Jesus' return.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

ἔρχομαι is used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew verb for 'to come' or 'to go,' indicating a consistent meaning across both Testaments.

κράτει does not have a direct equivalent in the Septuagint but relates to the concept of holding fast found in various contexts.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Revelation 3:11 shows Jesus telling the church in Philadelphia that He is coming soon and encourages them to hold on to their faith. This is a reminder to stay strong and not let anyone take away their reward.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to hold fast?

To hold fast means to firmly retain one's faith and convictions, ensuring they are not swayed or taken away by external pressures.

Why is Jesus coming quickly significant?

The promise of Jesus' quick return serves as a motivation for believers to remain steadfast and vigilant in their faith.

What is the crown referred to in this verse?

The crown symbolizes the reward or honor given to believers for their faithfulness and perseverance in their spiritual journey.

How can I hold fast to my faith?

Holding fast to your faith can involve regular prayer, studying the Scriptures, and surrounding yourself with a supportive community of believers.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What are some ways I can actively hold fast to my faith in challenging times?
  2. How does the promise of Jesus' return impact my daily life and decisions?
  3. In what areas of my life do I need to strengthen my grip on what I believe?
  4. How can I encourage others to hold fast to their faith as well?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Several early church Fathers comment on this verse, discussing the implications of holding fast to faith and the assurance of reward for believers.

Augustine of HippoADMONITION AND GRACE 13.39 354–430
I have said all this about those who have been predestined to the kingdom of God, whose number is so fixed that not one can be added to it or taken from it.
Early Church Fathers on Revelation 3 →
OecumeniusCommentary on Revelation 6th c.
I am coming quickly, he says, having taken hold of you. Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. And what do you hold fast? The genuine love toward the Lord, evidently, in which, having persevered until the end,
Early Church Fathers on Revelation 3 →
BedeCommentary on Revelation c. 673–735
Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast what you have, etc. Lest you grow weary in enduring. For I will quickly help, lest perhaps, if you fail, another receives the reward decreed for you.
Early Church Fathers on Revelation 3 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Revelation 3:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Behold, I come quickly,.... To bring on this hour of temptation on the reformed churches, which will be at the beginning of this period; to help and deliver, save and preserve the truly godly among

Read John Gill on Revelation 3 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Behold. Omitted by 'Aleph (') A B C, Vulgate, Coptic, Syriac.

Read Robert Jamieson on Revelation 3 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Behold, I come quickly; tacu, which certainly is the same with en tacei; and it might be as well concluded, that the day of judgment should come by that time Rome pagan should cease, as that all things written in this book had their accomplishment in that time, because Christ told John they should come to pass en tacei, 22:6. No other coming of Christ, but his coming to the last judgment, can be here meant. Hold that fast which thou hast; kratei, hold with a strong hand the doctrine of faith, which thou yet hast, pure, and thy pure worship, and discipline, and a pure conscience. That no man take thy crown; that thou mayest not lose that reward which shall be the portion of those that…

Read Matthew Poole on Revelation 3 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Ver. 11. That no man take thy crown] Not that crown of eternal life (for that is unlosable), but that honour that God hath put upon thee, Revelation 3:9. A Christian may, by falling into reproachful courses, "lose what he hath wrought," 2 John 1:8. 1. In respect of the praise of men. 2. In respect of inward comfort. 3. In respect of the degrees of glory in heaven; he may miss being a pillar in the temple of God, as Revelation 3:1.

Read John Trapp on Revelation 3 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) Behold, I come.—Omit “Behold.” Better, I am coming quickly; hold fast; continue your race as those who are striving for a garland (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Read Charles John Ellicott on Revelation 3 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 11. Behold, I come quickly] These things will shortly take place; and I am coming with consolations and rewards to my faithful followers, and with judgments to my adversaries. Take thy crown.] God has provided mansions for you; let none through your fall occupy those seats of blessedness.

Read AdamClarke on Revelation 3 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. hold that fast which thou hast] See on Revelation 2:6; Revelation 2:25.that no man take thy crown] i.e. rob thee of it: the image of a race or other contest for a prize does not seem in harmony with the context, nor with the style of this book.

Read Cambridge on Revelation 3 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Behold, I come quickly - That is, in the trials referred to. Compare the notes on Revelation 1:1, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 1:16. Hold that fast which thou hast - That is, whatever of truth and piety you now possess.

Read Albert Barnes on Revelation 3 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

I am coming quickly! Hold firmly that which you have, so that no one takes your crown.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

NETBNew English Translation2006

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away your crown.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown.

RVARevised Version, American1894

I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Beholde, I come shortly: holde that which thou hast, that no man take thy crowne.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

I come quickly: hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Lo, I come quickly, be holding fast that which thou hast, that no one may receive thy crown.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Behold, I come quickly, be holding fast that which you have, that no one may receive your garland.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

I am coming soon. Hold to what you have so no one can take away your crown.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Behold, I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I am coming soon! Keep a tight grasp on what you have, so that no one takes your crown.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

I come quickly: keep that which you have, so that no one may take your crown.

Word by word, the decisions they made

ἔρχομαιerchomai I am coming G2064 2 different renderings
comeASV BBE DBY DRA GNV KJV LSV NWB RVA YLT
i am comingBSB FBV MSB NETB ULB WEB
κράτειkrateō do hold fast G2902 2 different renderings
holdingLSV YLT
firmlyWEB
ἔχεις,echō you have, G2192 2 different renderings
you haveBBE BSB FBV LSV MSB NETB ULB WEB
holdingYLT
λάβῃlambanō may take G2983 4 different renderings
takeASV BSB DBY DRA GNV KJV MSB NETB NWB RVA ULB
receiveLSV YLT
takesFBV WEB
may takeBBE

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the Nestle 1904 treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseverbἔρχομαιI am comingadverbialταχύquicklyclauseclauseverbκράτειHold fastnoun phrase · objectclauseobjectto whatverbἔχειςyou haveclauseἵναso thatclausesubjectμηδεὶςno oneverbλάβῃmay takenoun phrase · objectτὸνthenoun phraseστέφανόνcrownσουof you

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The earliest translations — Latin and Syriac

Every translation is an argument about meaning made by someone who had to commit to one. These two were made while the Greek was still a living language, and they are the oldest opinions we have about what this verse says.

Latin VulgateAD 382–405

Ecce venio cito : tene quod habes, ut nemo accipiat coronam tuam.

Jerome revised the Old Latin against the Greek from AD 382; the Latin west read this text for a thousand years.

Syriac Peshittaby AD 400

ܐܬܐ ܐܢܐ ܡܚܕܐ ܐܚܘܕ ܗܘ ܡܐ ܕܐܝܬ ܠܟ ܕܠܐ ܐܢܫ ܢܣܒ ܟܠܝܠܟ

The Bible of the Syriac-speaking church, in the language nearest to the Aramaic Jesus spoke.

Shown verse by verse rather than word by word: aligning a Greek word to its Latin or Syriac counterpart automatically would be guesswork, and a wrong alignment is worse than none.


The Greek editions compared — what the manuscripts actually say

Eight printed editions of the Greek New Testament, side by side. Where they agree the wording is settled; where a word is missing from an edition it is marked, so you can see the difference rather than take it on trust.

Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

An independent critical text built from the oldest witnesses then known.

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

ἰδού ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου.

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse they differ
Critical editions
Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993SBL Greek New Testament2010Westcott–Hort1881Tregelles1857–1879Tyndale House Greek NT2017
Byzantine / Majority
Byzantine majority text2018
Received Text
Textus Receptus1550/1894

A witness that read differently would show its variant word here, marked.

Word by word, across the editions

WordEditions carrying itMissing from
ἰδού beholdTRNA28, NA27, SBL, WH, Treg, Tyn, Byz

The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Greek New Testament — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Revelation 3:11ἰδούbeholdbeholdἰδούἔρχομαιI am comingI am comingἔρχομαιταχύςquickly;quickly;ταχύςκρατέωdo hold fasdo hold fastκρατέωὅςto whatto whatὅςἔχωyou have,you have,ἔχωἵναso thatso thatἵναμηδείςno oneno oneμηδείςλαμβάνωmay takemay takeλαμβάνωthetheστέφανοςcrowncrownστέφανοςσύof you.of you.σύκράτοςn.n. dominn.n. dominion, κράτοςArticle thArticle theοἶδαv. I know,v. I know, remeοἶδαταχύςAdj quick,Adj quick, swifταχύςοὗAdv where,Adv where, whitοὗἑαυτοῦRefl.pr. hRefl.pr. himselἑαυτοῦδέχομαιv. I take,v. I take, receδέχομαιαἱρέωv. I choosv. I choose, prαἱρέωδιάδημαn.n. a hean.n. a head-wreδιάδηματαχύςAdv quicklAdv quickly, spταχύςἨλίαςn.m. Elijan.m. ElijahἨλίαςἔρχομαιv. I come,v. I come, goἔρχομαιὁράωv. I see, v. I see, look ὁράωπαράδοσιςn.f. an inn.f. an instrucπαράδοσιςἩρῴδηςn.m. Herodn.m. HerodἩρῴδηςἄνDisj.prt. Disj.prt. an unἄνἄχριAdv as farAdv as far as, ἄχριχρείαn.f. need,n.f. need, neceχρεία
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Revelation 3:11

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Greek lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. Imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, the full Liddell-Scott-Jones, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate LSJ, Robinson and Packard on the Greek, Webster and Cawdrey on the English the translators were using. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
ἰδού behold G2400
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἰδού,

[in LXX chiefly for הִנֵּה,]

prop. imperat. 2 aor. mid. of ὁράω, used as a demonstrative particle, with frequency much greater in LXX and NT than in cl. (v. M, Pr., 11),

lo, behold, see: Mt 10:16 11:8 13:3, Mk 3:32, Lk 2:48, I Co 15:51, Ja 5:9, Ju 14, Re 1:7, al.; after gen. absol., Mt 1:20 2:1, 13 12:46, al.; καὶ ἰδού, Mt 2:9 (and freq.), Lk 1:20 10:25, Ac 12:7, al.; in elliptical…

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἰδού, a demonstrative particle, [in Grk. writ. fr. Soph. down], found in the N. T. esp. in the Gospels of Matthew and of Luke, used very often in imitation of the Hebr. nan, and giving a peculiar vivacity to the style by bidding the reader or hearer to attend to what is said: behold! see! lo! It is inserted in the discourse after a gen. absol., Mt. i. 20; ii. 1, 13; ix. 18; xii. 46; xvii. 5; Xxvi.47; xxviii. 11. καὶ ἰδού is used, when at the close of a narrative something new is introduced, Mt. ii. 9; ili. 16; iv. 11; viii. 2, 24, 29,32, 34; ix. 2 54. 20; xii. 10; KV 224 ΧΥΙ- Ss) KIX. 10... eva. 91; ΧΧΥΪ. 51: ΧΧΥΤΙ ὦ, 7; Lk. i. 20, 31, 36; ii. 9[R GL Tr br. ], 25; ix. 30, 38 sq.; x. 25; xiv. 2; xxiv.13; Acts xii.7; xvi.1; when a thing is specified which is unexpected yet sure, 2 Co. vi. 9 (καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶμεν, and nevertheless we live), cf. Mt. vii. 4; when a thing is specified which seems…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἰδού. Moulton (Pro/eg. p. 11) has shown that the frequency with which ἰδού (originally the imper. of εἰδόμην and accented ἰδοῦ) is used by certain NT writers is due to the fact that they were accustomed to the constant use of an equivalent interjection in their own tongue: cf. Wellhausen £ini.* p. 22. As showing, however, that the interjection was used in the Kou where no Hebraistic influence is predicable, we may cite P Oxy VII. 10665 (iii/A.p.) εἰδ[ο]ὺ οὖν ἀπέστιλά σοι αὐτήν, with reference to the return of a file, 76. 10691 (very illiterate—iii/a.p.) εἰδοὺ γὰρ kal τὸ πορφύρειν μετὰ τῶν συ[ν]έργων κεῖντε, “see, the purple is put with the tools” (cf. 1.5), 74. X. 12917 (A.D. 30) οὐδ[εί]ς μοι ἤνεγκεν ἐπιστολήν περὶ ἄρτων, ἀλλ᾽ εὐθέως, ἡ (-- εἰ) ἔπεμψας διὰ ἸΚολλούθου ἐπιστολήν, εἰδοὺ ἀρτάβηι σοι γίνεται, ‘“‘no one has brought me a letter about the bread, but if you send a letter by…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἰδού (idou) — look!.

ἰδοῦ

(ἴδου Hdn.Gr. cited in [Refs 4th c.AD+]aorist 2 imperative middle of ὁρά; but,

II. ἰδού (on the accent see Hdn.Gr.[Refs] adverb, lo! behold! (even with words of hearing, ἰδοὺ δοῦπον αὖ κλύω τινά [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II.1. with Nouns and Prons., ἰ. χελιδών Klein [Refs 6th c.BC+], etc.; ἰ. ἐγώ here am I, [LXX+NT]; οὐκ ἰ. Ἀαρώ; [LXX]

II.2. with Verbs,

II.2. a in the imperative, ἰ. θεᾶσθε [Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially in offering a thing, take it! ἰ. δέχου παῖ [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II.2. b in indicative of all tenses, ἰ. πείθομαι [NT+5th c.BC+] with past tenses, [LXX+NT]; in the middle of a sentence, [NT]

II.3. with questions, ἰ., τί ἔστι; [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἰδού

idou

second person singular imperative middle voice of 1492; used as

imperative lo!; --behold, lo, see.

see GREEK for 1492

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἰδού

v.

See! Lo! Behold! Look!

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἰδού idou 200x

aorist middle imperative of εἶδον used as an interjection, Look! See! Lo! Mt. 1:23; Lk. 1:38; Acts 8:36

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἰδού 2nd sg mid imperat of εἰδόμην, as adv. lo! behold! see there! Soph.; ἰδού, δέχου there! take it! Lat. en tibi! id. Soph., etc.:— well, as you please! Ar.

in repeating another's words quizzingly, ἰδού γ᾽ ἄκρατον oh yes, wine, id. Ar.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Into Englishhow translators actually render it
100%behold
behold100% · 207×other renderings0% · 1×

208 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 2 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 603 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
ἔρχομαιerchomai I am coming G2064 Verb · present · no voice stated · indicative · first person · singular
635× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Revelation as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To come or go is the meaning of this word, used in many applications, such as in Matthew 8:9 and Romans 9:9. The KJV translates it in various ways, including come, go, and enter.
Tyndale gloss
to come/go
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἔρχομαι (i.e., *erchomai*) means 'to come' or 'to go.' It is used in various contexts, often indicating arrival or return, and can apply to both people and events. The New Testament frequently employs this term, notably in references to the coming of the Messiah (e.g., Mt 11:3). Lexicons note its use with various prepositions to indicate direction or purpose.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἔρχομαι,

[in LXX very freq. for בּוֹא, also for הלךְ ni., אתה, etc., 34 words in all ;]

to come;

of persons, either as arriving or returning from elsewhere: Mt 8:9, Mk 6:31, Lk 7:8, Jo 4:27, Ro 9:9, al.; seq. ἀπό, Mk 5:35 7:1, Jo 3:2, al.; ἐκ, Lk 5:17, Jo 3:31, al.; εἰς, Mk 1:29, al.; διά seq. εἰς, Mk 7:31; ἐν (Cremer, 263 f., but v.s. ἐν), Ro 15:29,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἔρχομαι, impy. ἔρχου. ἔρχεσθε, (for the Attic ἴθι, tre fr. εἶμι); impf. ἠρχόμην (for ἤειν and ya more com. in Attic) ; fut. ἐλεύσομαι; ---- (on these forms cf. [esp. Rutherford, New Phryn. p. 103 sqq.; Veitch 5. v.]; Matthiae § 234; Bttm. Ausf. Spr. ii. 182 sq.; Kriiger § 40 5. v.; Kiihner §343; W.§ 15s. v.; [B. 58 (50)]); pf. ἐλήλυθα; plpf. ἐληλύθειν; 2 aor. ἦλθον and (occasionally by LT Tr WH [together or severally ]—as Mt. vi. 10; [vii. 25, 27; x.13; xiv. 34; xxv. 86; Mk. i. 29; vi. 29; Lk. i. 59; ii. 16; v. 7; Vi. 17; viii. 35; x1. 2; xxiii. 33; xxiv. 1,23]; Jn. [1.39 (40); iii. 26]; iv. 27; [xii. 97; Acts xii. 10; [xiv. 24]; xxviii. 14 sq. etc.) in the Alexandrian form ἦλθα (see ἀπέρχομαι init. for reff.); Sept. for x13, rarely for ANN and 72; [fr. Hom. down] ; I. to come; 1. prop. a. of persons; a. univ. to come from one place into another, and used both of persons arriving,—as in…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἔρχομαι. P Fay 123!5 (c A.D. 100) ἐλήλυθεν γὰρ Τεύφιλος ᾿Ιουδαῖος λέγων [ὅ]τι ἤχθην is γεωργίαν, ‘ Teuphilus the Jew has come saying, ‘I have been pressed in as a cultivator’” (Edd.) will serve as an instance of the ordinary use of this very common verb: the mention of the Jew Teuphilus (or Theophilus) is interesting. A few miscellaneous exx. may be added which illustrate NT constructions or phrases— with Jn 5*% cf. P Lond 427 (B.c. 168) (= I. p. 30, Se/ections, Ῥ. 10) εἰς πᾶν τι ἐληλυθυῖα διὰ τὴν τοῦ σίτου τιμήν, ‘ having come to the last extremity because of the high price of corn,” P Vat A® (B.c. 168) (= Witkowski’, p. 65) τοῦ παιδίου σου els τὰ ἔσχατα ἐληλυθότος, P Flor IL. 212° (A.D. 254) els τοσαύτην ἀτυχίαν ἦλθες. . . ὡς μὴ ἔχειν σε ἀρτά[β]ην μίαν λωτίνου: with Jn 939 cf. P Tor I. 1 ἴ1 39 (B.c. 116) ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ κριτήριον : with Jn 18, cf. the late P Iand I. 21% (vi/vii A.D.)…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἔρχομαι (erchomai) — to come/go.

ἔρχομαι

[Refs 8th c.BC+]: imperfect ἠρχόμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; frequently in later Prose, [LXX+NT+2nd c.AD+]; in Attic dialect rare even in compounds, ἐπ-ηρχόμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]future ἐλεύσομαι, [Refs 8th c.BC+], Ionic dialect, Trag. [Refs 5th c.BC+], in Attic dialect Prose only in [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist, Epic dialect and Lyric poetry ἤλῠθον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; but ἦλθον is more frequently even in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect infinitive ἐλθέμεναι, -έμεν, [Refs 8th c.BC+] unaugmented unless ἐξ-ελύθη [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Doric dialect ἦνθον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; participle ἐνθών [Refs 6th c.BC+]; subjunctive ἔνθῃ [Refs]; Laconian dialect ἔλσῃ, ἔλσοιμι, ἐλσών, [NT+5th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural ἤλθοσαν [LXX+2nd c.BC+]; ἤλυθα [Refs 4th c.AD+]perfect ἐλήλῠθα (not in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; syncopated. plural ἐλήλῠμεν, -υτε, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic dialect…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἔρχομαι

erchomai

middle voice of a primary verb

(used only in the present and imperfect tenses, the others being

supplied by a kindred (middle voice)

eleuthomai el-yoo'-thom-ahee, or (active)

eltho el'-tho,

which do not otherwise occur)

to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and

figuratively):--accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, fall out, go,

grow, X light, X next, pass, resort, be set.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἔρχομαι

v.

I come, go

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἔρχομαι erchomai 632x

to come, to go, to pass. By the combination of this verb with other terms, a variety of meaning results, which, however, is due, not to a change of meaning in the verb, but to the adjuncts. Ὁ ἐρχόμενος, He who is coming, the expected Messiah, Mt. 11:3

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἔρχομαι to come or go, Hom., etc.

to come or go back, return, Od.; in full, αὖτις, ἄψ, πάλιν ἐλθεῖν id. Od.

c. acc. cogn., ὁδόν or κέλευθον ἐλθεῖν to go a journey, Hom., Aesch.; ἀγγελίην ἐλθεῖν to go a message, Il.

c. gen. loci, πεδίοιο ἐλθεῖν over or across the plain, id. Il.

c. part. fut., to denote the object, ἔρχομαι οἰσόμενος I go to fetch, id. Il.; μαρτυρήσων ἦλθον Aesch., etc.:—like an auxiliary Verb, ἔρχομαι λέξων I am going to tell, I intend to say (as in French je vais dire), Hdt.

the aor. part. ἐλθών is often added to another Verb, κάθηρον ἐλθών come and cleanse, Il., etc.

Post-Homeric phrases:

εἰς λόγους ἔρχεσθαί τινι to come to speech with, Hdt., Soph.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PNI-1S — Verb · present · no voice stated · indicative · first person · singular
present no voice stated indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PNI-1S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: middle or passive depoNent Mood: Indicative Person: first Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
14%coming
coming14% · 92×having come13% · 81×came11% · 73×come9% · 55×comes7% · 44×they came3% · 22×he came3% · 18×he comes2% · 16×other renderings38% · 241×

642 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 91 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb92%adverbial7%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 635 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existβροχήa heavy rain
Article the
εὐλογέωI blessεἰμίI am, existκαίand, even, also,
ὅτιthat, since, because
αὐτόςἀκούωI hear, listenνομίζωI think, suppose
αὐτός
μαθητήςa learner, disciλέγωI say, speakἐπί
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theὅτανwhen, whensoeverὅτεwhen
ἔρχομαιI am coming635×
what comes after →
πρός
αὐτόςσύἐγώ
Article the
ὥραan hour, seasonἸησοῦςJesusκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
εἰς
Article theτόποςa placeΚαφαρναούμProp
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theὁράωI see, look uponἔρχομαιI come, go
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theεἰςἡμέραa day

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceἔρχομαι · 635× in the New Testament
John Matthew Luke Mark Acts Revelation 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Romans Galatians Hebrews 1 John

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament24 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 423 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Didache
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 27c. AD 40

καὶ γὰρ εὔλογον τῷ ὄντι πρῶτον αὐτὸν εἰς γένεσιν ἐλθεῖν, ἄριστόν τε ὄντα τῶν γεγονότων κἀκ τοῦ καθαρωτάτου τῆς οὐσίας παγέντα, διότι θεῶν ἐμφανῶν τε καὶ αἰσθητῶν ἔμελλεν οἶκος ἔσεσθαι ἱερώτατος.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.27c. AD 75–95

ταύτης δʼ ὑπʼ ὄψιν οὐκ ἐρχομένης, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖ μὲν κρυπτομένης σκότει, πνεύματος δʼ αὐτὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπιθέοντος, γενέσθαι φῶς ἐκέλευσεν ὁ θεός.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 5.9c. AD 100

ὅτε δὲ τοὺς ἰδίους ἀποστόλους τοὺς μέλλοντας κηρύσσειν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον αὐτοῦ ἐξελέξατο, ὄντας ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνομωτέρους, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθεν καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς, τότε ἐφανέρωσεν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι υἱὸν θεοῦ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Cair. Zen. 3 59469276 BC–227 BC

καὶ ἵνʼ ἀεὶ διδῶσιν οἱ ἐκεῖθεν ποιά τινα· τὴν δὲ τιμὴν αὐτοῦ ὡς ἂν ἔλθῃς δώσουσι. καί, εἰ δυνατόν, Ἕρμωνα πρόδομα λαβεῖν ἄχρι τῶν Λαμέδοντος.

P.Lond. 7 2009Philadelphia (Arsinoites)247 BC

καὶ ἐν τῶι β ἔτει … τῆι ζ εἰς τὴν η ἦλθεν μετά μεθυόντων … τινων καὶ ἔκρουσεν τὴν θύραν κελεύων ἄνοιξον ἵνα πίωμεν. ἐμοῦ δὲ

P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Πηλουσίωι θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ Ψενανοῦπιν καὶ … … ελθεῖν ἐπὶ προ … ους καὶ γραψάτωσαν ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐσπούδασας διὰ τὰς ἡμῶν παρακλήσεις

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
ταχύ·tachu quickly; G5035 Adverb
12× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Revelation than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means quickly or without delay, like in Matthew 28:7-8 where the women ran to tell the disciples about Jesus. It's about taking action fast, without waiting. The Bible uses it to show swift action and urgency.
Amplified meaning
quickly, without delay
Tyndale gloss
quickly
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

ταχύς is an adverb meaning 'quickly' or 'speedily,' derived from the neuter form of the adjective. It appears frequently in the New Testament, including in Matthew and John, and conveys a sense of urgency or promptness. The lexicons note its use in various contexts, from motion to thought, but do not indicate any significant disagreement regarding its meaning.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ταχύ

(neut. of ταχύς),

adv.,

[in LXX chiefly for מָהַר pi. ;]

quickly, speedily, forthwith: Mt 5:25 28:7, 8, Mk 9:39, Lk 15:22, Jo 11:29, Re 2:16 3:11 11:14 22:7, 12, 20. Compar., τάχειον (T, Rec. τάχιον), = cl. θᾶσσον, θᾶττον (Att..), (v. Bl., § 44, 3): Jo 13:27 20:4, I Ti 3:14 (T, Rec.), He 13:19, 23 Superl., τάχιστα: ὡς τ., as quickly as possible (BL, § 11, 3), Ac 17:15.†

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ταχύ, (neut. of the adj. ταχύς), adv., [fr. Pind. down], quickly, speedily, (without delay): Mt. v. 25; xxviii. 7 54.; Mk. xvi. 8 Ree.; Lk. xv. 22 L Tr br. WH; Jn. xi. 29; ἔρχεσθαι, Rev. ii. 5 Ree.b*'7, 16; 111. 11; xi. 14; xxii. 7,12, 20; forthwith, i.e. while in the use of my name he is performing mighty works, Mk. ix. 39.

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ταχύ (neut. of ταχύς as adv.), ‘‘quickly’”’ (Mt 5°° αΔ and common in LXX). See P Par 45° (B.c. 152) (= UPZ i. P: 329) κἀαντὸς παρέσομαι ταχύ, P Oxy IV. 7434! (B.c. 2) καλῶς δὲ γέγονεν τὸ ταχὺ αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν, ὑφηγήσεται γάρ σοι, ‘it is well for him to come quickly, for he will instruct you” (Edd.), and Βαϊ II. 423” (soldier’s letter to his father—ii/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 91) ἐκ τούτου ἐλπίζω ταχὺ προκόσαι (/. προκόψαι) τῶν θε[ῶ |v θελόντων, ““ ἴῃ consequence of this I hope to be quickly promoted, if the gods νν1]].᾿᾿ Ταχὺ ταχύ is a common formula in incantations, e.g. P Hawara 3128 (ii/A.b.) in Archiv v. p. 393 ἄρτι ἄρτι ταχὺ ταχὺ ἐξ ψυχῆς καὶ καρδίας, and the Gnostic amulet P Oxy VIL. 10608 (vi/A.D.) ἀπάλλαξον τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ ἑρπετοῦ πράγματος ταχὺ ταχύ, “ἴτε this house from every evil reptile and thing, quickly, quickly’”’: see also Deissmann 4.5, p. 289, and…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ταχύ (tachu) — quickly.

Included with: τᾰχύς [ῠ], εῖα, ύ:

I. of motion, swift, fleet, opposed to βραδύς,

I.1. of persons and animals, either absolutely, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; or more fully, πόδας ταχύς [Refs]; ταχὺς ἔσκε θέειν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; θείειν τ. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κύνες, ἔλαφος, πτώξ, ἵππος, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τ. βαδιστής a quick walker, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; σφοδροὶ καὶ τ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. of things, τ. πόδες [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τ. ἰός, ὀϊστοί, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; νῆες, τριήρεις, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. of thought and purpose, quick, hasty, φρονεῖν γὰρ οἱ ταχεῖς οὐκ ἀσφαλεῖς [Refs 5th c.BC+]infinitive, βλάπτειν τ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ ταχύ speed, haste, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ταχύ

tachu

neuter singular of 5036 (as adverb); shortly, i.e. without delay,

soon, or (by surprise) suddenly, or (by implication, of ease)

readily:--lightly, quickly.

see GREEK for 5036

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ταχύ

Adv

quickly, speedily

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ταχύς tachus 13x

swift, fleet, quick; met. ready, prompt, Jas. 1:19; Mt. 28:7f.; Mk. 9:39; Lk. 15:22; Jn. 11:29

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adv — Adverb
adverb — it qualifies the verb, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

ADV ADVerb or adverb and particle combined

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
90%quickly
quickly90% · 9×readily10% · 1×

10 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 2 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 12 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
ἔρχομαιI come, go
ὁράωI see, look uponτρίτος& AdvναίDisj
σύ
ἀντίδικοςan opponent, advἔρχομαιI come, go
καίand, even, also, nam
ἀπέρχομαιI come or go away fr
καίand, even, also,
δύναμαιI am powerful, am ab
καίand, even, also,
ταχύςquickly;12×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
ἔρχομαιI come, goπολεμέωI make war, contArticle the
ἕωςuntil, as far as
ὅστις
πορεύομαιI travel, journey, g
λέγωI say, speak
ἀπό
Article the
κακολογέωI speak evil of, cur
ἐγώ

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceταχύς · 12× in the New Testament
Revelation Matthew John Luke Mark
Across the New Testament5 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Sacrifices of Abel and Cain 64c. AD 40

ταχέως οὖν αὐτὸ ἀναζήτησον, ὦ ψυχή, καθάπερ ὁ ἀσκητὴς Ἰακώβ, ὃς πυνθανομένου τοῦ πατρὸς „τί τοῦτο ὃ ταχὺ εὗρες, ὦ τέκνον;“ δογματικῶς ἀποκρίνεται „ὃ παρέδωκε κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ“ (Gen.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 11.55c. AD 75–95

εἰ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ γῆ μεγίστη καὶ ὑψηλὸς ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ταχὺς ὁ ἥλιος, ταῦτα δὲ πάντα κινεῖται κατὰ βούλησιν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀληθινὸς δέ ἐστιν καὶ δίκαιος οὗτος, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας δεῖ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἰσχυροτάτην ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ μηδὲν πρὸς αὐτὴν τὸ ἄδικον…

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 23.5c. AD 96

ἐπ’ ἀληθείας ταχὺ καὶ ἐξαίφνης τελειωθήσεται τὸ βούλημα αὐτοῦ, συνεπιμαρτυρούσης καὶ τῆς γραφῆς, ὅτι ταχὺ ἥξει καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ, καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει ὁ κύριος εἰς τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ἅγιος, ὃν ὑμεῖς προσδοκᾶτε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 1st c. AD 4th c. AD 2nd c. BC 3rd c. AD
P.Köln 1 56AD 1–AD 100

γράψεις μοι … τε … ωκαν· καὶ ἐὰν περαιώσω τὸ μετέωρον καὶ ὦμαι ἀπρόσκοπος, ταχὺ καταπλεύσω. Φαῶφι α. ἔρρωςο.

P.IFAO 2 8AD 1–AD 100

Εὔνομος καὶ Ῥούφιος Θῶνι τῶι ἀδελφῶι χαίρειν καὶ ὑγιαίνειν. θέλω σε λαβεῖν τὸ γράμμα ταχὺ καὶ … τῆς ὄνο … α ἔρια πε… … … καὶ ὑγιαίνειν … ελάβομεν

P. Princ. 2 66AD 1–AD 100

ἐντάχιον ἀγγέλλεις ποιεῖν ταχὺ πλὴν γένηται τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπάνω μου καὶ πέμψαι μοι ἐντάχιον τὰ σιδήρια τῶν βοῶν.

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
κράτειkrateō do hold fast G2902 Verb · present · active · imperative · second person · singular
47× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Revelation than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to grasp or seize something, like in Matthew 9:25 and Acts 27:13. It is about using strength to take hold of or retain something. The Bible translates it as 'hold' or 'take'.
Amplified meaning
firmly, with strength
Tyndale gloss
to grasp/seize
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

κρατέω is built from the root κράτος, meaning strength or power. It encompasses meanings such as to be strong, to rule, to seize, and to retain. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts of holding power over others, obtaining possession, or retaining teachings. Notably, it is used in Matthew 9:25 and Acts 2:24.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

κρατέω, -ῶ

(< κράτος),

[in LXX chiefly for חזק hi., also for אחז, etc.;]

to be strong, mighty, hence, to rule, be master, prevail (so chiefly in cl.; in LXX: Es 1:1, I Es 4:38, Wi 14:19, al.).

to get possession of, obtain, take hold of (Hdt., Thuc., al.): c. gen. rei (M, Pr., 65), Ac 27:13; τ. χειρός, Mt 9:25, Mk 1:31 5:41 9:27, Lk 8:54; c. acc. rei, Mt 12:11; c. acc. pers., Mt 14:3 18:28 21:46 22:6 26:4, 48 ff.,

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

κρατέω. For κρατέω in its primary sense of ‘‘ become master of,’’ “rule,” ‘conquer,’’ we may cite P Oxy I. 33 verso: 8 (late ii/A.D.) πρῶτον μὲν Καῖσαρ ἔϊσωσε Κλεοπάτρ[αν] ἐκράτησεν βασι[λείας, ““ἴπ the first place Caesar saved Cleopatra’s life when he conquered her kingdom” (Edd.). The gen. construction, which is here supplied, is comparatively rare in the NT (cf. Pro/eg. pp. 65, 235), but may be further illustrated by P Par 26°? (B.c. 163-2) (= Se/ections, p. 18) ὑμῖν δὲ γίνοιτο κρατεῖν πάσης ἧς ἂν αἱρῆσθε χώρας, and by the magic P Lond 121®8® (iii/a.p.) (=I. p. 106) Upkre . . . κρατοῦσα [τοῦ ὅλου συστήματος --αἡ invocation to the constellation of the Bear. [See also the interesting parallels to Ac 271% in Field Wo¢es, p. 144.) Another magic papyrus 2. 46‘! (iv/A.D.) (=I. p. 80) κράτει τῇ ἀριστερᾷ σου τὸν δακτύλ(ιον) shows the more common accusative ; see also the curious theological…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

κρατέω (krateō) — to grasp/seize.

κρᾰτ-έω,

Aeolic dialect κρετέω, aorist infinitive κρέτησαι [Refs 7th c.BC+] — middle, aorist ἐπι-κρατησάμενοι[Refs 2nd c.AD+]:—passive, future κρατήσομαι [Refs 1st c.AD+] and, with variant{κρατηθήσομαι}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—to be strong, powerful: hence,

I. absolutely, rule, hold sway, Ἤλιδα.., ὅθι κρατέουσιν Ἐπειοί [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μέγα κρατέων ἤνασσε with mighty sway.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὁ κρατῶν the ruler, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ κρατοῦσα the lady of the house [Refs 4th c.BC+]

I.2. in Poets, with dative, rule among, μέγα κρατέεις νεκύεσσιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Φθίᾳ rule in Phthia, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

κρατέω

krateo

from 2904; to use strength, i.e. seize or retain (literally or

figuratively):--hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain,

retain, take (by).

see GREEK for 2904

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

κρατέω

v.

I lay hold of, obtain

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

κρατέω krateō 47x

pr. to be strong; to be superior to any one, subdue, vanquish, Acts 2:24; to get into one’s power, lay hold of, seize, apprehend, Mt. 14:3; 18:28; 21:46; to gain, compass, attain, Acts 27:13; in NT to lay hold of, grasp, clasp, Mt. 9:25; Mk. 1:31; 5:41; to retain, keep under reserve, Mk. 9:10; met, to hold fast, observe, Mk. 7:3, 8; 2 Thess. 2:15; to hold to, adhere to, Acts 3:11; Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

κρατέω κράτος to be strong, mighty, powerful: hence,

absol. to rule, hold sway, be sovereign, Hom., Trag.; ἡ κρατοῦσα the lady of the house, Aesch.

c. dat. to rule among, κρατέεις νεκύεσσιν Od.

c. gen. to be lord or master of, ruler over, πάντων Hom.; δωμάτων Aesch., etc.

to conquer, prevail, get the upper hand, Hdt., attic; κρ. γνώμηι to prevail in opinion, Hdt.; τῆι μάχηι Eur., etc.;—also c. acc. cogn., κρ. τὸν ἀγῶνα Dem.:— οἱ κρατοῦντες the conquerors, Xen.:—of reports, etc., to prevail, become current, Soph., Thuc.

impers., κατθανεῖν κρατεῖ 'tis better to die, Aesch.; κρατεῖ ἀπολέσθαι Eur.

c. gen. to prevail over, Aesch.; ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἔργου ἐκράτει surpassed, went beyond it, Thuc.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAM-2S — Verb · present · active · imperative · second person · singular
present active imperative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAM-2S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: iMperative Person: second Number: Singular

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Fast

The sole fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement (q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called “the fast” (Acts 27:9).

The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old Testament is in Zech. 7:1-7; 8:19, from which it appears that during their captivity the Jews observed four annual fasts.

(1.) The fast of the fourth month, kept on the seventeenth day of Tammuz, the anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; to commemorate also the incident recorded Ex. 32:19. (Comp. Jer. 52:6, 7.)

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
11%holding
holding11% · 5×do hold fast6% · 3×having seized6% · 3×he seized4% · 2×lay hold of4% · 2×do seize4% · 2×seized4% · 2×you did seize4% · 2×other renderings55% · 26×

47 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 32 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 47 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
δηνάριονa denariusἸησοῦςJesusαὐτός
αὐτός
ζητέωI seek, search fἐγείρωI wake, arouse, ὀφθαλμόςthe eye
οὐNeg
καίand, even, also,
δόλοςdeceit, guile, treac
ἸησοῦςJesusἐν
εἰμίI am, exist
αὐτός
κρατέωdo hold fast47×
what comes after →
Article the
χείρa handπαράδοσιςan instruction, ἸωάννηςJohn
αὐτός
καίand, even, also,πνίγωI choke, stranglArticle the
καίand, even, also, nam
ἀποκτείνωI put to death, φοβέωI fear, am terri
ἐγώ
ἀλλάbut, except
φοβέωI fear, am terrified
Article the

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceκρατέω · 47× in the New Testament
Mark Matthew Revelation Acts Hebrews John Luke 2 Thessalonians Colossians
Across the New Testament9 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 32 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 1.73c. AD 40

ὅταν δὲ ἔμπαλιν ἀφηνιάσῃ καὶ ἀναχαιτίσῃ ὁ θυμὸς καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία καὶ τὸν ἡνίοχον, λέγω δὲ τὸν λογισμόν, τῇ βίᾳ τῆς ὁρμῆς κατασύρῃ καὶ ὑποζεύξῃ, ἑκάτερον δὲ πάθος λάβηται τῶν ἡνιῶν, ἀδικία κρατεῖ·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.178c. AD 75–95

Ἅβραμος δὲ διώκων εἵπετο μέχρι καὶ δευτεραίους συνήλασεν αὐτοὺς εἰς Ὠβὰ τῆς Δαμασκηνῶν γῆς, ἐπιδείξας ὅτι τὸ νικᾶν οὐκ ἐν τῷ πλήθει καὶ τῇ πολυχειρίᾳ κεῖσθαι συμβέβηκεν, ἀλλὰ προθυμία τῶν μαχομένων καὶ τὸ γενναῖον κρατεῖ παντὸς ἀριθμοῦ, τριακοσίοις…

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 27.5c. AD 96

ἢ τίς ἀντιστήσεται τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ;

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. AD 2nd c. AD 6th c. AD 7th c. AD 4th c. AD
P.Adl. 20Poinkoris (Diopolites)99 BC

κώμης Μούχεως ἑπταρούρων πήχεις στερεοὺς μέτρῳ βασιλικοὺς τριακοσίους ὧν γείτονες νότου οἰκία Πκώιος ἧς κρατεῖ … , βορρᾶ οἱ λοιποὶ τόποι, ἀπηλιώτου ῥύμη βασιλική, λιβὸς οἱ λοιποὶ τόποι, ἢ

P. Mich. 5 324Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 47

αὐτῶν ὁμολογούντων πατρὸς δουλίαν ἐφʼ ὃν χρόνον περίεστιν ἡ Ταορσεῦς τῆς προγεγραμμένης δουλείας Θερμουθαρίου· κρατεῖν οὖν καὶ δεσπόζειν ἕκαστον τῶν ὁμολογούντων καὶ τοὺς παρʼ αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς μεταλημψομένους ὧν

ZPE 156 (2006), p. 199-216Soknopaiu Nesos (ArsinoitesAD 50

Νήσωι τῆς Ἡρακλείδου, ὧν γείτονες τῆς μὲν α σφραγῖδος νότου Πισάιτος οἰκία, ἧς νῦν κρατεῖ τὰ τέκνα, καὶ Στοτοήτιος αὐλὴ, δι’ ἧς εἴσοδος καὶ ἔξοδος κοινή, βορρᾶ Θαυβάστιος οἰκία

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
hos, hē to what G3739 Relative pronoun · accusative · singular · neuter
1,407× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Revelation as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The word which is a pronoun used to ask for or identify something, as seen in John 5:11. It can also be used to describe a person or thing, such as in Mark 15:23. This word helps to clarify or specify what is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
which
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

ὅς is a pronoun meaning 'who,' 'which,' 'what,' or 'that.' It serves as both a demonstrative and a relative pronoun, agreeing in gender with its antecedent. The New Testament uses it in various constructions, including phrases like ὃς μὲν... ὃς δέ to indicate contrasting subjects. Notably, it can express purpose or cause in certain contexts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ,

the postpositive article (ἄρθρον ὑποτακτικόν).

As demonstr. pron. = οὗτος, ὅδε, this, that, also for αὐτός, chiefly in nom.: ὅς δέ, but he (cf. ἦ δὲ ὅς, freq. in Plat.), Mk 15:23, Jo 5:11; ὃς μὲν . . . ὃς δέ, the one . . . the other, Mt 21:35 22:5 25:15, Lk 23:33, Ac 27:14, Ro 14:5, I Co 11:21, II Co 2:16, Ju 22; neut., ὃ μὲν . . . ὃ δέ, the one . . . the other, some . . . some, Mt 13:8, 23, Read the full entry →

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὅς 455 ὅς iii. 5 [RG], 6; Heb. vi. 10; ix. 20; Jas. ii. 5; 1 In. iii. 24; Jude 15; for other exx. see below; ἐν ὥρᾳ 7 οὐ γινώoxet, Mt. xxiv. 50; τῇ παραδύσει 9 παρεδώκατε, Mk. vii. 13 ; add, Lk. ii. 20; v. 9; ix. 435 xii. 46; xxiv. 25; Jn. xvii. 5; Acts ii. 22; xvii. 31; xx. 38; 2 Co. xii. 21; 2Th.i. 4; Rev. xviii. 6; ef. W. § 24,1; [B. as above]. Rarely attraction oceurs where the verb governs the dative [but see below]: thus, κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσε θεοῦ for xarévavre θεοῦ, ᾧ ἐπίστευσε (See κατέναντι). Ro. iv. 17; φωνῆς, ἧς ἔκραξα (for 7 (al. ἥν, οἴ. W. 164 (154 sq.) Β. 287 (217)}7), Acts xxiv. 21, οἵ. Is. vi. 4; (7γετο δὲ καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ τε πιστῶν, οἷς ἥδετο καὶ ὧν ἠπίστει πολλούς, for καὶ πολλοὺς τούτων, οἷς ἠπίστει, Xen. Cyr. ὅ, 4, 39; ὧν ἐγὼ ἐντετύχηκα οὐδείς; for οὐδεὶς τούτων, οἷς ἐντετ. Plato, Gorg. p. 509 ἃ.; Protag. p. 361 6.; derep.7 p.531e.; παρ᾽ ὧν βοηθεῖς, οὐδεμίαν λήψει…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ος is found as a demonstrative pronoun in P Ryl II. 14415 (complaint of assault—a.D. 38) ὃς δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἄλογον ἀηδίαν μοι ἐπιχειρήσας παρεχρήσατό μοι πολλὰ καὶ ἄσχημα, ‘“whereupon he opposing me made a brutal and odious attack upon me and subjected me to much shameful mishandling” (Edd.): cf. Mk 15%, Jn 51. For ὃς μέν... ὃς δέ, “the one . . the other,” as in Mt 21° a/., see P Oxy IX. 1189? (c. A.D. 117) ἐπιστολὰς δύο ds ἔγραψα ἣν μὲν σοὶ ἣν δὲ Σαβείνῳ, and for ὃς δέ solétarium see PSI. IV. 313° (iii/iv A.D.) with the editor’s note. Ὃς ἄν (ἐάν) c. conj. = ‘‘ whosoever ” may be illustrated Ly P Par 4622 (B.c. 153) (= Witkowski*, p. 87), περὶ dv ἂν βούληι γράφε, P Grenf I. 30% (B.c. 103) ἐφ} οἷς ἂν οὖν ὑμῶν προσδέωνται, P Oxy IV. 743%% (B.C. 2) ἐν ols ἐὰν σοῦ προσδέηται, °° ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐὰν θέλῃς. For the comparative usage of ὃς ἄν and ὃς ἐάν, see Thackeray Gr. i. p. 68, cited s.v. ἄν.…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὅς (hos, hē) — which.

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ,

genitive οὗ, ἧς, οὗ, etc.; dative plural οἷς, αἷς, οἷς, etc.: Epic dialect forms, genitive ὅου (probably replacing Οο) in the phrases ὅου κλέος οὔ ποτ᾽ ὀλεῖται [Refs 8th c.BC+]; feminine ἕης [Refs 8th c.BC+]; elsewhere only ἧς [Refs]; dative plural οἷς, οἷσι, ᾗς, ᾗσι (never αἷς or αἷσι in [Refs 8th c.BC+] — _pronoun_ used,

__A as demonstrative by the side of οὗτος, ὅδε, and the Article ὁ, ἡ, τό: in post-Homeric Gr. this use survived only in a few special phrases.

__B as a Relat. by the side of the Article ὅ, ἥ, τό (see. ὁ, ἡ, τό, c):—this demonstrative and Relat. pronoun must not be confounded with the Possess. ὅς, ἥ, ὅν. (With Gr. Relat. ὅς, ἥ, ὅ cf. Sanskrit Relat. yas, yā, yad, Lithuanian jis, ji (he, she), Oslav. i, ja, je (he, she…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὅς ἥ ὅ

hos

he hay, and neuter

ho ho

probably a primary word (or perhaps a form of the article 3588); the

relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what,

that:--one, (an-, the) other, some, that, what, which, who(-m, -se),

etc. See also 3757.

see GREEK for 3588

see GREEK for 3757

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ

Rel.pr.

who, which, what, that

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὅς hos 1x

who, which, what, that, Mt. 1:16, 23, 25; in NT interrog. ἐφ’ ὅ, wherefore, why, Mt. 26:50; in NT ὅς μὲν ... ὅς δέ, for ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, Mt. 21:35; 2 Cor. 2:16

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Rel-ASN — Relative pronoun · accusative · singular · neuter
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

R-ASN Part of Speech: Relative pronoun Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
25%which
which25% · 356×whom20% · 291×who17% · 238×that14% · 199×what8% · 117×whatever2% · 30×whose2% · 29×other renderings10% · 145×other renderings2% · 25×

1,430 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 60 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
object40%subject29%adverbial26%indirect object3%predicate3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,407 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
ἐν
ἡμέραa dayαὐτόςἵναin order that, s
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςἔχωI have, hold, poυἱόςa son, descenden
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakἀπόλλυμιI destroy, lose,δοῦλος (II)
διά
ἐκεῖνοςΧριστόςanointed, the Meαὐτός
εἰς
καίand, even, also,ἐγώοἰκίαa house, househo
ὅςto what1407×
what comes after →
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theμεθερμηνεύωI translate, intκαίand, even, also,
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existἔξεστι(ν)it is permitted,γινώσκωI come to know,
Article the
θεόςGod, a godυἱόςa son, descendenκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
καίand, even, also, nam
σύποιέωI do, makeαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
ἄνDisjἑξήκονταIndecτριάκονταIndec

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceὅς · 1,407× in the New Testament
Acts Luke John Matthew Romans Mark Hebrews Revelation 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Colossians Ephesians

22 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 33c. AD 40

ἵν’ οὖν μὴ αἰεὶ συμφερόμεναι στασιάζωσι καὶ πόλεμος ἀντ’ εἰρήνης ἐπικρατῇ τὴν ἀκοσμίαν ἐν κόσμῳ τιθείς, οὐ μόνον ἐχώρισε φῶς καὶ σκότος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅρους ἐν μέσοις ἔθετο διαστήμασιν, οἷς ἀνεῖρξε τῶν ἄκρων ἑκάτερον·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

πῶς τὸ Σοδομιτῶν ἔθνος θεὸς κατεστρέψατο χολωθεὶς αὐτοῖς ἐφ' οἷς ἡμάρτανον.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.8c. AD 100

Μωϋσῆ Μωϋσῆ, κατάβηθι τὸ τάχος, ὅτι ἠνόμησεν ὁ λαός σου, οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ συνῆκεν Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἔριψεν τὰς δύο πλάκας ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ: καὶ συνετρίβη αὐτῶν ἡ διαθήκη, ἵνα ἡ τοῦ ἠγαπημένου Ἰησοῦ ἐγκατασφραγισθῇ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 2nd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ Ψενανοῦπιν καὶ … … ελθεῖν ἐπὶ προ … ους καὶ γραψάτωσαν ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐσπούδασας διὰ τὰς ἡμῶν παρακλήσεις καὶ ση

P.Adl. 15Pathyris (?)101 BC

ἐδάνεισεν Ὧρος Ὥρου Ὥρωι Νεχούτου ὡς ἐτῶν ν μέσος μελίχρως ὑποκλαστὸς ἀναφάλακρος μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν οὖς ἀριστερὸν τετρημένον πυροῦ ἀρτάβας τεσσαράκοντα ἓξ κριθῆς ἑξήκοντα ἐννέα , ἴσους ἀτόκους, ὧν ἀπόδοσιν

P.Adl. 17Krokodilopolis (Pathyrites)100 BC

τῆς ἐπιγονῆς τῶν ἐκ Παθύρεως ὡς ἐτῶν ν μέσος μελίχρως τετανὸς ἀναφάλακρος μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν οὖς ἀριστερὸν τετρημένον χαλκοῦ ταλάντων πέντε . προπωλητὴς καὶ βεβαιωτὴς τῶν κατὰ τὴν ὠνὴν ταύτην

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
ἔχεις,echō you have, G2192 Verb · present · active · indicative · second person · singular
709× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Revelation than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This Greek word means to have or hold something, like a possession or ability. It is used in many ways, such as having power or being with someone. The Bible uses it in Revelation 5:8 and 14:6.
Amplified meaning
possess, hold as a treasure
Tyndale gloss
to have/be
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἔχω, transliterated as echō, means 'to have' or 'to hold' and is used in various contexts, including possession, ability, and condition. It appears frequently in the New Testament, often relating to physical possession or metaphorical concepts like keeping faith or emotions. Notably, it can also refer to being pregnant, as seen in Matthew 1:18. The entries do not show significant disagreement.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἔχω,

[in LXX for אָצֵל (ἐχόμενος), בַּעַל, יֵשׁ, etc., 59 words in all;]

(on the Aktionsart of the various tenses, v. M, Pr., 110, 145, 150, 183),

to have, as in cl., in various senses and constructions.

Trans.;

to have, hold, hold fast, etc.;

to hold, as, in the hand: Re 5:8 14:6, al.; ἐν τ. χειρί, Re 1:16 10:2, al.;

of arms and clothing, = φέρω, φορέω, to bear, wear: Mt 3:4 22:12, al.; so freq. pres. ptcp. (LS, s.v., A, I, 6; Bl., § 74, 2), Mk 11:13, Jo 18:10, Re 9:17, al.;

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἔχω ; fut. ἕξω ; impf. εἶχον, [1 pers. plur. εἴχαμεν, 2 Jn. ἔχω 266 5 T Tr WH], 8 pers. plur. εἶχαν (Mk. viii. 7 L T Tr WH; Rey. ix. 8 LT Tr WH; but ef. [ Soph. Lex., Intr. p. 38; Tdf. Proleg. p. 123; WH. App. p. 165]; B. 40 (35)) and εἴχοσαν (LT Tr WH in Jn. xv. 22, 24; but ef. Bitm. in Theol. Stud. u. Krit. 1858, pp. 485 sqq. 491; see his N. T. Gr. p. 43 (37); [Soph. Lex., Intr. p. 39; Τὰ Proleg. p. 124; WH. App. p. 165; ef. δολεόω ]) ; pres. mid. ptep. ἐχόμενος ; to have,—with 2 aor. act. ἔσχον; pf. ἔσχηκα; I. Transitively. have (hold) in the hand: τὶ ἐν τῇ χειρί, Rev. i. 16; vi. 5; x. 2; xvii. 4; and simply, Rev. v. 8; viii. 3, 6; xiv. 6, ete.; Heb. viii. 3. Ὁ. in the sense of wearing (Lat. gestare) ; of garments, arms and the like: τὸ ἔνδυμα, Mt. iii. 4; xxii. 12; κατὰ κεφαλῆς ἔχων, sc. τί, having a covering hanging down from the head, i.e. having the head covered [B. $130, 5; W. §…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἔχω. It may be well to illustrate some of the less usual forms of this common verb. The future σχήσω (cf. Kithner-Blass Gr. 1. ii. p. 112 n.8) is restored by the editor in OGZS 751° (ii/ B.C.) ἐπεὶ θλιβέντες ἐμ πλείοσιν ἀσθενῶς [σχή]σετε. For the 2 aor. with 1 aor. termination (cf. Ac 757 D συνἐσχαν) see BGU 11. 4518 (i/ii A.D.) ἀναγκαίως ἔσχαμεν δ[ι7᾽ ἐπιστολῆς σε ἀσπάσεσθαι, and for ἔσχοσαν cf. OG/S 315°" (B.C. 164-159) ὑφοψίαν μοχθηράν, ἣν Kal περὶ Tod ἀδελφοῦ ἔσχοσαν. In 20. 2237 (iii/B.c.) we have αὐτοὶ ἀπολογισάμενοι περί τε τῆς εὐνοίας ἣν διὰ παντὸς εἰσχήκατε εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν οἰκίαν, and for similar forms see the editor's note ® to 2b. 323. For the trans. use of the verb see such passages as P Oxy IV. 743!® (B.c. 2) εἰ καὶ m[p]ds ἄλλους εἶχον πρᾶγμα, βοηθὸν αὐτοῦ γ[εἸνέσθαι διὰ ἣν ἔχομε(ν) πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς φιλίαν, BGU I. 228(a.p. 114) (= «ϑελδείζογις, p. 74), which illustrate 1 Cor…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἔχω (echō) — to have/be.

ἔχω,

__A2nd pers. singular ἔχεισθα conjecture in [Refs 7th c.BC+]; 2nd pers. singular subjunctive ἔχῃσθα [Refs 8th c.BC+]imperfect εἶχον, Epic dialect ἔχον [Refs 8th c.BC+], Ionic dialect and poetry ἔχεσκον [Refs 8th c.BC+]future ἕξω, Epic dialect infinitive ἑξέμεναι [Refs 3rd c.BC+] (of momentary action, especially in sense check, see below [Refs 4th c.BC+], not found in Attic dialect Inscrr. or [Refs]; 2nd pers. singular σχήσησθα [Refs]aorist 1 ἔσχης α falsa lectio in [Refs 3rd c.AD+]aorist 2 ἔσχον, imperative σχές [Refs 5th c.BC+] only in Oracle texts cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; subjunctive σχῶ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural σχοίησαν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive σχεῖν [Refs 8th c.BC+], Epic dialect σχέμεν [Refs] (in Alexandr. Gr. 3rd.pers. plural imperfect and aorist 2 εἴχοσαν [NT+3rd c.BC+], see at {Σχέθω}: perfect ἔσχηκα [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἔχω

echo

scheo skheh'-o; (used in certain tenses only)

a primary verb; to hold (used in very various applications, literally

or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possession; ability,

contiuity, relation, or condition):--be (able, X hold, possessed

with), accompany, + begin to amend, can(+ -not), X conceive, count,

diseased, do + eat, + enjoy, + fear, following, have, hold, keep, +

lack, + go to law, lie, + must needs, + of necessity, + need, next, +

recover, + reign, + rest, + return, X sick, take for, + tremble, +

uncircumcised, use.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἔχω

v.

I have, hold, possess

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἔχω echō 708x

pluperfect., ἐσχήκειν, to hold, Rev. 1:16; to seize, possess a person, Mk. 16:8; to have, possess, Mt. 7:29, et al. freq.; to have, have ready, be furnished with, Mt. 5:23; Jn. 5:36; 6:68; to have as a matter of crimination, Mt. 5:23; Mk. 11:25; to have at command, Mt. 27:65; to have the power, be able, Mt. 18:25; Lk. 14:14; Read the full entry →

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-2S — Verb · present · active · indicative · second person · singular
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-2S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: second Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
29%having
having29% · 211×has9% · 62×have8% · 58×you have7% · 52×i have5% · 36×we have5% · 35×he has3% · 24×had3% · 21×other renderings30% · 217×

716 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 97 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb99%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 709 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
οὐNeg
καίand, even, also,ἄρτοςbread, a loaf, fἄνθρωποςa man, one of th
Article the
ἄγγελοςan angel, messenαὐτόςκαίand, even, also,
μήNeg
Article theδέbut, on the otheπρόβατονa sheep
ὅς
καίand, even, also,ἐνεἰμίI am, exist
χρείαneed, necessity, bus
οὐNegαὐτόςὅς
ἔχωyou have,709×
what comes after →
Article the
ἑπτάIndecυἱόςa son, descendenδέbut, on the othe
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theοὐNegὅς
ἐν
Article theἑαυτοῦΧριστόςanointed, the Me
οὖςthe ear
ἀκούωI hear, listen
ἐξουσίαpower, authority, we
Article theἀλλάbut, exceptἐκβάλλωI throw, cast, p

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceἔχω · 709× in the New Testament
Revelation John Luke Matthew Mark 1 Corinthians Acts Hebrews 1 John Romans 2 Corinthians 1 Timothy

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 11c. AD 40

ἀπεριμάχητον δὲ δόγμα καὶ ἀνωφελὲς ἀναρχίαν ὡς ἐν πόλει κατασκευάζον τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ τὸν ἔφορον ἢ βραβευτὴν ἢ δικαστὴν οὐκ ἔχοντι, ὑφ’ οὗ πάντ’ οἰκονομεῖσθαι καὶ πρυτανεύεσθαι θέμις.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.11c. AD 75–95

ὁ δὲ τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀρχιερέων οὐδενὸς ἀρετῇ δεύτερος Ἐλεάζαρος τῷ προειρημένῳ βασιλεῖ ταύτης ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς ὠφελείας οὐκ ἐφθόνησε πάντως ἀντειπὼν ἄν, εἰ μὴ πάτριον ἦν ἡμῖν τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν τῶν καλῶν ἀπόρρητον.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.5c. AD 100

λογισάμενος οὖν τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐὰν μελήσῃ μοι περὶ ὑμῶν τοῦ μέρος τι μεταδοῦναι ἀφ̓ οὗ ἔλαβον, ὅτι ἔσται μοι τοιούτοις πνεύμασιν ὑπηρετήσαντι εἰς μισθόν, ἐσπούδασα κατὰ μικρὸν ὑμῖν πέμπειν, ἵνα μετὰ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν τελείαν ἔχητε τὴν γνῶσιν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD 4th c. AD
P.Gen. 1 20Pathyris110 BC

ἔτους η Μεχεὶρ β, ἐπὶ Σώσου ἀγορανόμου. ὁμολογεῖ Ἁρκοννῆσις Φιγήριος Πέρσης τῶν μισθοφόρων ἱππέων ἔχειν παρὰ Ναομσήσιος τῆς Σπεμμίνιος εἰς λύτρα τετάρτης μερίδος γῆς ἠπείρου σιτοφόρου ἐν τῆι κάτω

P.Bad. 2 3Pathyris110 BC

Μεχεὶρ β ἐν Παθύρει ἐπὶ Σώσου ἀγορανόμου. ὁμολογεῖ Ἁρκοννῆσις Φιγήριος Πέρσης τῶν μισθοφόρων ἱππέων ἔχειν παρὰ Ναομσήσιος τῆς Σπεμμίνιος εἰς λύτρα τετάρτης μερίδος γῆς ἠπείρου σιτοφόρου ἐν τῇ κάτω

P.Adl. 4Ptolemais (Oberägypten)110 BC

Ψεμμῖνις … ου Ὥρωι Νεχούτου χαίρειν. ὁμολογῶ ἔχειν παρὰ σοῦ χαλκοῦ νομίσματος τάλαντα τρῖα ἄτοκα ?. ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν ἃ προσωφείλετό σοι

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
ἵναhina so that G2443 Conjunction
669× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Revelation as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means 'in order that' or 'to', showing purpose or result, as seen in Acts 19:4 and Romans 11:31. It's used to express a goal or outcome. In Ephesians 1:17, it's used to describe a purpose.
Tyndale gloss
in order that/to
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἵνα is primarily a conjunction meaning 'in order that' or 'that,' indicating purpose or intention. It can also function as an adverb of place, meaning 'where' or 'whither.' In the New Testament, it appears in various contexts, often introducing clauses that express purpose, such as in Matthew 1:22. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings or usages.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἵνα,

adverb (poët., Hom., al.),

of place, where, whither.

of circumstance, when.

Conjunction,

prop., final, denoting purpose or end (cl.), that, in order that, usually the first word in the clause, but sometimes (cl. also) preceded by an emphatic word (Ac 19:4, Ro 11:31 (?), Ga 2:10, al.);

c. optat. (so in cl. after historic tenses): after a pres., Eph 1:17 (but WH, mg., subjc.; v. Burton, § 225, Rem., 2);

c. subjc.: after a pres., Mk 4:21, Lk 6:34, Jo 3:15, Ac 2:25,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἵνα, I. an adv. of Place. fr. Hom. down, esp. in the poets; a. where; in what place. b. to what place; whither. Of the former signification C. F. A. Fritzsche (on Mt. p. 836; differently in Fritzschiorum Opusce. p. 186 sqq-.) thought he had found two examples in bibl. Greek, and H. A. W. Meyer agrees with him. The first viz. iva μὴ φυσιοῦσθε, 1 Co. iv. 6, they explain thus: where (i. e. in which state of things viz. when ye have leatned from my example to think humbly of yourselves) the one is not exalted to the other’s disadvantage; the second, iva αὐτοὺς ζηλοῦτε, Gal. iv. 17, thus: where ye zealously court them; but see II. 1 d. below. “ iva I. a final Conjunction (for from local direction, indicated by the adverb, the transition was easy te mental direction or intention) denoting pur pose and end: to the intent that; to the end that, in order that; ἵνα pn, that not, lest; it is used…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἵνα (hina) — in order that/to.

ἵνα,

adverb,

I. of Place,

I.1. in that place, there, once in [Refs 8th c.BC+]

I.2. elsewhere relative, in which place, where,[Refs 8th c.BC+]: rarely in Attic dialect Prose, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἵ. ἡ Νίκη (i.e. ἐστίν) [Refs 8th c.BC+] [same place]; ἵν᾽ ἄν with subjunctive, wherever, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; as indirect interrogative, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. b after [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔμαθε ἵ. ἦν κακοῦ in what a calamity, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἵν᾽ ἕσταμεν χρείας[Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. c with Verbs of motion, whither, [Refs 8th c.BC+]

II. of circumstance, γάμος.., ἵ. χρή at which, when, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἵ. μὲν ἐξῆν αὐτοῖς.., ἐνταῦθα.. when it was in their power, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II.2. ={ἐάν}, uncertain in [Refs 8th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἵνα

hina

probably from the same as the former part of 1438 (through the

demonstrative idea; compare 3588); in order that (denoting the purpose

or the result):--albeit, because, to the intent (that), lest, so as,

(so) that, (for) to. Compare 3363.

see GREEK for 1438

see GREEK for 3588

see GREEK for 3363

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἵνα

Cj.

in order that, so that

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἵνα hina 663x

that, in order that, Mt. 19:13; Mk. 1:38; Jn. 1:22; 3:15; 17:1; ἵνα μή, that not, lest, Mt. 7:1; in NT equivalent to ὥστε, so that, so as that, Jn. 9:2; also, marking a simple circumstance, the circumstance that, Mt. 10:25; Jn. 4:34; 6:29; 1 Jn. 4:17; 5:3

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἵνα Adverb,

of Place,

demonstr. in that place, there, only in Il. 10. 127.

relat., = ὅπου, in which place, where, Hdt., etc.;—so, ἵνα τε Il.; ἵνα περ Hom.:—c. gen., ἵνα γῆς in whatever part of the land, Hdt.; ἔμαθε ἵνα ἦν κακοῦ in what a calamity, id. Hdt.; οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἵν᾽ εἶ κακοῦ Soph.

= ὅποι, with Verbs of motion, whither, Od.; ὁρᾷς ἵν᾽ ἥκεις Soph.

of circumstance, when, at which, Od.

Final Conjunction, = ὅπως, that, in order that, Lat. ut, Hom.:

with subj.,

after principal tenses of ind., id. Hom., etc.

after historical tenses, in similes, where the aor. refers to any possible time, Od.

after opt. and ἄν, ἔδωκε μένος, ἵνα γένοιτο she gave him vigour, that he might become, Il.

with opt., after historical tenses, Hom., etc.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

so (co', although the Hebrew might be pointed cewe'; Assyrian Sib'u; Septuagint Segor, Soa; Manetho, Seuechos; Latin Sevechus; Herodotus (ii. 137 ff), Sabakon): In all probability the "Sabaeo" of Herodotus, the Shabaka, who founded the Ethiopian dynasty, the XXVth of Egyptian kings. His date is given as 715-707 BC (Flinders Petrie, History of Egypt, III, 281 ff), but we may suppose that before his accession to the throne he was entitled to be designated king, as being actually regent. To this So, Hoshea, king of Israel, made an appeal for assistance to enable him to throw off the yoke of the Assyrian Shalmaneser IV (2Ki 17:3). But Hoshea's submission to So brought him no advantage, for Shalmaneser came up throughout all the land and laid siege to Samaria. Not long after the fall of Samaria, So ventured upon an eastern campaign, and…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

So

(Nubian, Sabako), an Ethiopian king who brought Egypt under his sway. He was bribed by Hoshea to help him against the Assyrian monarch Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:4). This was a return to the policy that had been successful in the reign of Jeroboam I.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

"So, king of Egypt," is once mentioned in the Bible -- (2 Kings 17:4) So has been identified by different writers with the first and second kings of the Ethiopian twenty-fifth dynasty, called by Manetho, Sabakon (Shebek) and Sebichos (Shebetek).

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

King of Egypt, made an alliance with Hoshea king of Israel, and promised him assistance; but was unable to prevent Shalmaneser king of Assyria from taking Samaria and subverting the kingdom, B. C. 721, 2Ki 17:4. See PHARAOH.

So is believed to have been the Servetus or Sabaco II of secular history, the second king of the Ethiopian or twenty-fifth dynasty, and the predecessor of Trihakah. A singular fact has been brought to light by the recent explorations at Nineveh, corroborating the Scripture record the more forcibly, because unexpected and direct. The Bible shows that Egypt and Assyria, though remote, were often in conflict during the height of the Assyrian ruins power, and that So was at war with Shalmaneser. After war comes the treaty of peace; and as the Bible prepares us to suppose such treaties were made, the Assyrian ruins…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
56%that
that56% · 382×so that40% · 271×other renderings4% · 24×

677 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 10 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial8%object3%subject3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 669 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
αὐτός
παρακαλέωI summon, entreaἐπιτιμάωI rebuke, chide,δίδωμιI offer, give
σύ
λαλέωI speak, sayδιάδίδωμιI offer, give
ἐγώ
δίδωμιI offer, giveὑπέρπερί
ἀλλάbut, except
αὐτόςκόσμοςthe world, univeἐγώ
εἰμίI am, exist
τίςIrgἐγώἱκανόςsufficient, wort
ἵναso that669×
what comes after →
μήNeg
Article theτὶςεἰς
Article the
γραφήa writing, passaχαράjoy, gladnessλόγοςa word, speech,
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theσύαὐτός
ἐν
αὐτόςἐγώὅς
εἰμίI am, exist
μετάεἷςoneἅγιοςset apart, holy,

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceἵνα · 669× in the New Testament
John Mark 1 Corinthians Luke 2 Corinthians Revelation Matthew Romans Ephesians Hebrews 1 John Acts

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament26 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 300 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 15c. AD 40

ἑκάστῃ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀπένειμεν ἔνια τῶν τοῦ παντὸς τμημάτων τὴν πρώτην ὑπεξελόμενος, ἣν αὐτὸς οὐδὲ πρώτην, ἵνα μὴ ταῖς ἄλλαις συγκαταριθμῆται, καλεῖ, μίαν δ’ ὀνομάσας ὀνόματι εὐθυβόλῳ προσαγορεύει, τὴν μονάδος φύσιν καὶ πρόσρησιν ἐνιδών τε καὶ…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.71c. AD 75–95

ἵνα καὶ τῆς πλινθίνης ἀφανισθείσης ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπομβρίας ἡ λιθίνη μείνασα παράσχῃ μαθεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ ἐγγεγραμμένα δηλοῦσα καὶ πλινθίνην ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἀνατεθῆναι.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.5c. AD 100

λογισάμενος οὖν τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐὰν μελήσῃ μοι περὶ ὑμῶν τοῦ μέρος τι μεταδοῦναι ἀφ̓ οὗ ἔλαβον, ὅτι ἔσται μοι τοιούτοις πνεύμασιν ὑπηρετήσαντι εἰς μισθόν, ἐσπούδασα κατὰ μικρὸν ὑμῖν πέμπειν, ἵνα μετὰ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν τελείαν ἔχητε τὴν γνῶσιν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. BC 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Edg. $1Alexandria259 BC–257 BC

καὶ θεῶν μὴ ὀκνήσῃς διελθὼν εἰς ἐμπόριον καὶ ἀγοράσας, οὐθὲν γὰρ ἄλλο ἡμᾶς ἐπικωλύει, ἵνα μὴ ὑστερήσωμεν τῆς ἐργασίας. τὰς δὲ τιμὰς τούτων λαβὲ παρὰ Ἀπολλοφάνους. τὸ γύναιον ἐπίτοκον

vestiges … ἵνα μηθὲν ἐν τούτοις ἀγνοηθῆι … … Ἑρμίαι τῶν διαδόχων καὶ ἐπιμελητῆι, παρὰ Δρύτωνος τοῦ

P.Bour. 11Pathyris89 BC

ἕκαστος τῶν παρὰ σοὶ σιτοποιησάμενος πυροῦ ἀρτάβην μίαν ἐν ἑτοίμωι ἔσται αὐτοῖς ὁ ἄρτος, ἵνα δὲ καὶ κριθὴ ὑπάρξηι ἐπιμε … … ηγησαιἐμμέτρως αἴτησαιἐμμε … … τησαι ἔρρωσο ἔτους

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
μηδεὶςmēdeis no one G3367 Adjective · nominative · singular · masculine
90× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in Revelation than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Means nothing or no one, used in the Bible to emphasize the absence of something, like in Matthew 16:20 where Jesus tells his disciples to tell no one about him.
Amplified meaning
nothing, no person
Tyndale gloss
nothing
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

μηδείς is built from μή (not) and εἷς (one), meaning no one or nothing. It appears frequently in the New Testament, often to emphasize absence or negation, as seen in verses like Matthew 8:4 and Acts 4:17. The lexicons do not present significant disagreement on its usage.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

μηδείς, -δεμία, -δέν

(and -θέν, Ac 27:33, a Hellenistic form; v. Bl., § 6, 7; Thackeray, Gr., 58),

related to οὐδείς as μή to οὐ,

no, none, no one; neut., nothing: Mt 16:20, Mk 5:43 6:8, Lk 3:14, Ac 8:24, Ro 13:8, al.; c. gen., Ac 4:17 24:23; neut. acc., μηδέν, adverbially, in no respect, Ac 10:20 11:12; as acc. obj. after verb, βλάπτειν, Lk 4:35; ὠφελεῖσθαι,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

μηδείς, μηδεμία, μηδέν (and μηθέν, Acts xxvii. 33 LT Tr WH, —a form not infreq. fr. Aristot. on [found as early as B.C. 378, ef. Meisterhans, Gr. d. Att. Inschr. p. 73]; cf. Lob. ad Phryn. p. 181sq.; W. § 5, 1d. 11; [B. 28 (25)]; Kiihner § 187, 1 vol. i. 487 sq.), (fr. μηδέ and εἷς), [fr. Hom. down]; it is used either in connection with a noun, no, none, or absolutely, no one, not one, no man, neut. nothing, and in the same constructions as μή; accordingly a. with an imperative: μηδείς being the person to whom something is forbidden, 1 Co. iii. 18, 21; x. 24; Gal. vi.17; Eph. v. 6; Col. ii. 18; 1 Tim. iv.12; Tit. ii.15; Jas.i.13; 1Jn.iii.7; neut. μηδέν, 50. ἔστω [A. V. have thou nothing to do with etc.], Mt. xxvii. 19; μηδείς in the dat. or the acc. depending on the impv., Ro. xiii. 8; 1 Tim. v. 22; μηδέν (accusative), Lk. iii. 13; ix.3; μ. φοβοῦ, Rev. ii. 10 [here L Tr WH txt. μή]. b.…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

μηδείς. According to Thumb ( 7ε]16᾽1. p. 14) the forms μηθείς and οὐθείς appear in the whole Greek world from iv/B.c., and are in wide use at the beginning of the Christian Era, after which they gradually disappear, without leaving any trace in | B Lond’ 42%* (gic: MGr. Weare prepared, therefore, to find that the forms in θ are more frequent in the LXX than in the NT, where there are only a few examples of οὐθείς (principally in the Lucan writings), and only one of μηθείς, namely Ac 2733 according to NBA. A few exx. of μηθείς from the papyri will suffice—P Petr II. 11(1)® (mid. iii/B.c.) (= Selections, p- 7) εἰ δυνατόν ἐστιν kal μηθέν σε τῶν ἔργων κωλύει, ΚΕ it is possible and none of your work hinders you,’’ Part V.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μηδείς (mēdeis) — nothing.

μηδείς, μηδεμίᾰ, μηδέν

(i.e. μηδὲ εἷς, μηδὲ μία, μηδὲ ἕν): feminine μηδὲ ἴα or μηδεΐα (or -έϊα) [Refs]:— not one, not even one, nobody (in neuter nothing), once in [Refs 8th c.BC+]

2. μηδὲ εἷς (so written) is found in Attic dialect Inscrr., as [Refs]not even one, μηδὲ ἕν [Refs 5th c.BC+]: frequently with an intervening Particle or preposition, μηδ᾽ ἂν ἕνα [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μηδ᾽ ὑφ᾽ ἑνός, μηδ᾽ ὑπὸ μιᾶς, [Refs]

II. nobody, naught, good for naught, κἄμ᾽ ἴσον τῷ μ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μηδέν or τὸ μηδέν as substantive, naught, nothing, κεἰ τὸ μ. ἐξερῶ [Refs]; μ. λέγειν to say what is naught, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of persons, τὸ μ. a good-for-nothing, τὸ μ. εἶναι, of a eunuch, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἧττον αὐτοῖς ἔνι ἢ τὸ μ., i.e. it is a mere…

Read the full entry →
Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

μηδείς, μηδεμία, μηδέν

Adj

no one, nothing

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

μηδείς mēdeis 90x

not one, none, no one, Mt. 8:4

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

μηδείς i. e. μηδὲ εἷς, μηδὲ μία, μηδὲ ἕν and not one, related to οὐδείς as μή to οὐ, Il., etc.; —rare in Pl., Xen.

μηδὲ εἷς, which (so written) is never elided even in attic, retained the first emphatic sense not even one, and often had a Particle between, as μηδ᾽ ἂν εἷς, or a prep., μηδ᾽ ἐξ ἑνός, μηδὲ περὶ ἑνός etc., Plat.

nobody, naught, good for naught, ὁ μηδείς Soph.; pl., οὐ γὰρ ἠξίου τοὺς μηδένας id. Soph.:— so, μηδέν or τὸ μηδέν often as Subst., naught, nothing, id. Soph.; μηδὲν λέγειν to say what is naught, Xen.; τοῦ μηδενὸς ἄξιος Hdt.; ἐς τὸ μηδὲν ἥκειν Eur.;—and of persons, τὸ μηδέν a good for naught, τὸ μηδὲν εἶναι of an eunuch, Hdt.; τὸ μ. ὄντας Soph.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj-NSM-N — Adjective · nominative · singular · masculine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

A-NSM-N Part of Speech: Adjective Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine Negative

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

wun.

See NUMBER.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
40%nothing
nothing40% · 37×no one39% · 36×no5% · 5×not one5% · 5×not4% · 4×none2% · 2×other renderings3% · 3×

92 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 9 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
object44%subject24%indirect object18%adverbial11%predicate2%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 90 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
αὐτός
πρόςπαραγγέλλωI notify, commanλέγωI say, speak
ἵναin order that, so th
αὐτόςμαθητήςa learner, disciπολύςmuch, many, ofte
καίand, even, also, nam
πᾶςall, the whole, ὑπόδημαa sandalἸησοῦςJesus
ἐν
ὑστερέωI am lacking, faμηδείςno one, nothingἵναin order that, s
ὁράωI see, look upon, ex
ἸησοῦςJesusλέγωI say, speakαὐτός
μηδείςno one90×
what comes after →
λέγωI say, speak
ἀλλάbut, exceptArticle theὅτιthat, since, bec
σύ
καίand, even, also,ἀπατάωI deceive, lead παραλογίζομαιI deceive, begui
διακρίνωI distinguish, disce
ὅτιthat, since, becἔρχομαιI come, goArticle the
ἔχωI have, hold, posses
καίand, even, also,λέγωI say, speakἔτιstill, yet, even
γινώσκωI come to know, lear
οὗτος

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceμηδείς · 90× in the New Testament
Acts Luke Mark 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians 1 Timothy Matthew Titus James Philippians Romans 1 Thessalonians
Across the New Testament22 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 21 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 21c. AD 40

οὗ χάριν τῆς ἀρίστης αὑτοῦ φύσεως οὐκ ἐφθόνησεν οὐσίᾳ μηδὲν ἐξ αὑτῆς ἐχούσῃ καλόν, δυναμένῃ δὲ πάντα γίνεσθαι.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.11c. AD 75–95

ὁ δὲ τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀρχιερέων οὐδενὸς ἀρετῇ δεύτερος Ἐλεάζαρος τῷ προειρημένῳ βασιλεῖ ταύτης ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς ὠφελείας οὐκ ἐφθόνησε πάντως ἀντειπὼν ἄν, εἰ μὴ πάτριον ἦν ἡμῖν τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν τῶν καλῶν ἀπόρρητον.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 21.8c. AD 100

ἕως ἔτι τὸ καλὸν σκεῦός ἐστιν μεθ̓ ὑμῶν, μὴ ἐλλείπητε μηδενὶ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς ἐκζητεῖτε ταῦτα καὶ ἀναπληροῦτε πᾶσαν ἐντολήν: ἔστιν γὰρ ἄξια.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 1st c. AD 2nd c. BC
BGU 6 1260Pathyris102 BC

ἐπελθὼν ἐπίτιμον παραχρῆμα χαλκοῦ τάλαντα ἓξ καὶ ἱερὰς βασιλεῦσι ἀργυρίου ἐπισήμου δραχμὰς ρκ καὶ μηθὲν ἧσσον κύριον εἶναι τὰ προγεγραμμένα. Ἑρμίας ὁ παρὰ Πανίσκου κεχρημάτικα

P.Grenf. 2 33Pathyris101 BC

τρισχιλίων τριακοσίων · καὶ μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι μήτʼ αὐτὸν Ψενενοῦπιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἁρσιῆσιν μήτʼ ἄλλον μηδένα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ περὶ τοῦ διασαφουμένου μέρους γῆς τρόπῳ μηδενί. εἰ δὲ μή, ἀποτεισάτω Ἁρσιήσει

P.Adl. 14Pathyris101 BC

ἐνλιπὸν μοι ἄπρατον γῆς ἀρουρῶν γ, καὶ μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι μήτʼ αὐτὸν Κολλούθην μήδʼ ἄλλον μηδένα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν Ὧρον μήδʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλον μηδένα τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῶν

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
λάβῃlambanō may take G2983 Verb · second aorist · active · subjunctive · third person · singular
258× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Revelation as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To take or receive something, like in Matthew 26:26, where Jesus takes bread and breaks it. It can also mean to accept or obtain something, and is often translated as receive or accept in the KJV.
Amplified meaning
receive, seize
Tyndale gloss
to take
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

λαμβάνω (lambanō) means both 'to take' and 'to receive,' covering a wide range of applications from literal actions like grasping or seizing to more abstract uses such as accepting ideas or concepts. It appears frequently in the New Testament, often in contexts involving physical actions (e.g., taking bread in Mt 26:26) or receiving something (e.g., receiving a message in Jn 6:21). The lexicons note that the word can also imply a sense of violence or urgency in some contexts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

λαμβάνω,

[in LXX chiefly for לקח, also for נשׂא, לכד, אחז, etc.;]

to take, lay hold of: absol., Mt 26:26, Mk 14:22; c. acc. rei, Mt 5:40 26:52, al. mult.; c. acc. pers., Mt 21:35, Mk 12:3, al.; pleonastic λαβών (M, Pr., 230; Bl., §74, 2), Mt 13:31 14:19, al.; so also indic., Mk 7:27, Jo 19:1, 40, Re 8:5, al.; metaph., c. acc. rei, ἀφορμήν, Ro 7:8, 11; ὑδόδειγμα, Ja 5:10; id. c. acc. pers.…

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

λαμβάνω; impf. ἐλάμβανον; fut. λήψομαι, (LT Tr WH λήμψομαι, an Alexandrian form; 568 8. v. M, μ); 2 aor. ἔλαβον (2 pers. plur. once [in Tdf. 7 after B*] ἐλάβατε, 1 Jn. ii. 27; see reff. s. v. ἀπέρχομαι, init.), impv. λάβε (Rey. x. 8 54.), not λαβέ (W. § 6,1 a.; B. 62 (54)); pf. εἴληφα, 2 pers. εἴληφας [and εἴληφες (Rev. xi. 17 WHI; see xomidw); on the use of the pf. interchangeably with an aor. (Rey. v. 7; viii. 5, ete.) οἵ. B. 197 (170) ; W. 272 (255); Jebb in Vincent and Dickson’s Mod. Grk. 2d ed. App. §§ 67, 68], ptep. εἰληφώς ; [Pass., pres. ptep. λαμβανόμενος ; pf. 3 pers. sing. εἴληπται, Jn. viii. 4 ὙΠ το. (rejected section)]; Sept. hundreds of times for n>), very often for 8wW3, also for 729 and several times for 108; [fr. Hom. down]; I. to take,i.e. 1. to take with the hand, lay hold of, any pers. or thing in order to use it: absol., where the context shows what is taken, Mt.…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

λαμβάνω in its ordinary sense of ‘‘ receive,” ‘‘ get,” as in Mt 78, Jn 357, is naturally very common, e.g. P Giss I. 67° (ii/a.p.) ἔλαβόν σου ἐπιστολήν, P Ryl II. 122} (a.p. 127) λαβὼν τὸ πιττάκιον τὸ ἀκόλουθον ποίει, “on receipt of this document, act in accordance with it” (Edd.), P Fay 1274 (ii/iii a.p.) | ἐὰ (= ἐὰν) λάβητε φαγὸν πέμψαι ἐμοὶ διὰ Karolrov, “if you get any lentils send them to me by Katoitus " (Edd.), and 76, 1355 (iv/A.D.) τὰ ἀργύρια ἃ ἔλαβες, “money which you received.” Similarly in connexion with money receipts, as 26. 1098 (early i/A.D.) ἀποχὴν θέλω λαβεῖν, “1 wish to get a receipt,” 20. 2113 (A.D. 134) ἀλλήλ[οις] ἀποχὰς τούς τε διδόντας καὶ τοὺς λαμβάν[ο]ντας, ‘‘that payer and payee shall mutually give receipts’’ (Edd.). Wilcken Ostr. i. p. 109 has pointed out that in the case of all ostraca receipts known to him the writers were Romans, but see 7hed Ostr 1058…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

λαμβάνω (lambanō) — to take.

λαμβάνω,

future λήψομαι (λήψω only late, variant in [LXX]; Ionic dialect λάψομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Doric dialectfuture 2nd pers. singular λαψῇ [Refs 5th c.BC+], infinitive λαμψεῖσθαι [Refs 2nd c.BC+]aorist 2 ἔλᾰβον, Epic dialect ἔλλᾰβον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect Iterat. λάβεσκον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; written λάβε in middle Ms. of [Refs 4th c.BC+] Attic dialectaccusative to [Refs 2nd c.AD+]: perfect εἴληφα [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect, Doric dialect, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive λελαβήκειν [Refs]: pluperfect εἰλήφειν [Refs 5th c.BC+] (κατα-); Doric dialect perfect subjunctive 3rd.pers. singular (παρ-) λελόνβῃ [Refs] —middle, aorist 2 ἐλαβόμην, Epic dialect ἐλλ-, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect reduplicate λελαβέσθαι [Refs]:—passive, future ληφθήσομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist ἐλήφθην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect ἐλάφθην [Refs 5th…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

λαμβάνω

lambano

a prolonged form of a primary verb, which is use only as an alternate

in certain tenses; to take (in very many applications, literally and

figuratively (properly objective or active, to get hold of; whereas

1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while

138 is more violent, to seize or remove)):--accept, + be amazed,

assay, attain, bring, X when I call, catch, come on (X unto), +

forget, have, hold, obtain, receive (X after), take (away, up).

see GREEK for 1209

see GREEK for 138

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

λαμβάνω

v.

I receive, take

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

λαμβάνω lambanō 258x

to take, take up, take in the hand, Mt. 10:38; 13:31, 33; to take on one’s self, sustain, Mt. 8:17; to take, seize, seize upon, Mt. 5:40; 21:34; Lk. 5:26; 1 Cor. 10:13; to catch, Lk. 5:5; 2 Cor. 12:16; to assume, put on, Phil. 2:7; to make a rightful or successful assumption of, Jn. 3:27; to conceive, Acts 28:15; to take by…

Read the full entry →
Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

λαμβάνω from Root ΛΑΒ The orig. sense of the word is two-fold, one (more active) to take, and the other (more passive) to receive

to take:

to take hold of, grasp, seize, Hom., etc.; the part seized in gen., the whole in acc., τὴν πτέρυγος λάβεν caught her by the wing, Il.; γούνων λάβε κούρην Od., etc.:—then, with gen. of part only, ποδῶν, γούνων, κόρυθος λάβεν took hold of the feet, etc., Il.

to take by violence, seize, carry off as prize or booty, Hom.

λ. δίκην, ποινάς, Lat. sumere poenas, to exact punishment, Eur., etc.; v. infr. II. 3.

of passions, feelings, etc., to seize, Hom., etc.; of fever and sudden illnesses, to attack, Hdt., attic

of a deity, to seize, possess, τινά Hdt.: of darkness, and the like, to occupy, possess, Aesch.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-2AAS-3S — Verb · second aorist · active · subjunctive · third person · singular
second aorist active subjunctive — a completed action, viewed as a whole.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-2AAS-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: second Aorist Voice: Active Mood: Subjunctive Person: third Number: Singular

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tak: Most of the very numerous examples of this word are still in good use and only a few call for special attention. "To take" in the sense of "capture" is still common, but when a person or living animal is in point, modern English usually adds "prisoner" or "captive." English Versions of the Bible not infrequently has this addition (Ge 14:14, etc.), but more commonly "take" is used without it (Jos 10:39; Job 5:13; Sirach 23:21; Joh 7:30, etc.). An occasional obscurity is thus caused, as in Ge 27:3, "take me venison" for "hunt venison for me." "To take advice" (2Ch…

Across the New Testament21 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 650 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 54c. AD 40

εἶθ’, οἷα φιλεῖ, προσπεριειργάζετο, τίς ἡ τῶν ὁρατῶν δὴ τούτων οὐσία καὶ εἰ ἀγένητοι πεφύκασιν ἢ γενέσεως ἔλαβον ἀρχὴν καὶ τίς ὁ τρόπος τῆς κινήσεως καὶ τίνες αἱ αἰτίαι δι’ ὧν ἕκαστα οἰκονομεῖται·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

ὡς Ἅβραμος ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους ἐκστρατεύσας ἐνίκησε καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους τῶν Σοδομιτῶν ἔσωσε καὶ τὴν λείαν ἣν ἔλαβον ἀφείλετο.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.5c. AD 100

λογισάμενος οὖν τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐὰν μελήσῃ μοι περὶ ὑμῶν τοῦ μέρος τι μεταδοῦναι ἀφ̓ οὗ ἔλαβον, ὅτι ἔσται μοι τοιούτοις πνεύμασιν ὑπηρετήσαντι εἰς μισθόν, ἐσπούδασα κατὰ μικρὸν ὑμῖν πέμπειν, ἵνα μετὰ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν τελείαν ἔχητε τὴν γνῶσιν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. BC 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Gen. 1 20Pathyris110 BC

Λατοπολίτου, ἣν ἐωνήσατο ἐκ βασιλικοῦ ἐν τῶι ε ἔτει πρὸς τὰ ταύτης ἐκφόρια, καὶ λαβὼν τὴν εἰθισμένην διαγραφὴν ἐπικεχωρηκέναι ταύτηι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δ μερίδα, ὃς καὶ παρὼν ἐπὶ τοῦ

P.Bad. 2 3Pathyris110 BC

Λατοπολίτου, ἣν ἐωνήσατο ἐκ βασιλικοῦ ἐν τῷ πέμπτωι ἔτει πρὸς τὰ τῆς γῆς ἐκφόρια λαβὼν τὴν εἰθισμένην διαγραφήν. ὁ Ἁρκοννῆσις ἐπικεχώρηκεν ταύτῃ τὴν τετάρτην μερίδα πρὸς πυροῦ ἀρτάβας δέκα

P.Grenf. 2 37Pathyris109 BC

τῆς κώμης καθέσταται Πατσεοῦς Πατῆτος ὁ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐπιδεικνὺς χειρογραφήσας ὡς εἴθισται καὶ διαστολὴν λαβὼν προ

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
τὸνho the G3588 Article · accusative · singular · masculine
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Revelation as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The definite article — the commonest word in the Greek New Testament at 19,867 occurrences. Greek uses it more freely than English does and can drop it deliberately, so its presence and its absence both carry weight for a translator; but no single occurrence carries a message of its own. Here it simply gathers “the things” into one definite bundle.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

the prepositive article (ἄρθρον προτακτικόν), originally a demonstr. pron. (so usually in Hom.), in general corresponding to the Eng. definite article.

As demonstr. pron.

As freq. in Hom., absol., he (she, it), his (etc.): Ac 17:28 (quoted from the poet Aratus).

Distributive, ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, the one . . . the other: I Co 7:7, Ga 4:22; pl., Ac 14:4, 17:32, Phl 1:16, al.; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δέ, Mt 16:14, Jo 7:12; οἱ μεν̀ . . . ὁ δέ, He 7:21, 23.

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὁ 435 ὁ tives of quantity, ὅλος, πᾶς, πολύς, see each in its own place. d. What has been said concerning adjectives holds true also of all other limitations added to substantives, as ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις, Ro. ix. 11; ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, Ro. xi. 27; 6 λόγος 6 τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1 Co. i. 18; ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις, Col. ii. 5; on the other hand, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 1 Th. i. 8; τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, 2 Co. viii. 4; see many other exx. of each usage in W. 131 (124) sqq.; [B. 91 (80) sqq.]. e. The noun has the article before it when a demonstrative pronoun (υὗτος, ἐκεῖνος) belonging to it either precedes or follows [W. § 18, 4; B. § 127, 29-31]; as, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, Jn. ix. 24 [οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρ. 1, Tr mrg. WH); Acts vi. 13; xxii. 26; ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Mt. xv. 8; 6 vids σου οὗτος, Lk. xv. 30; plur. Lk. xxiv. 17, and numberless other exx.; οὗτος 6 ἄνθρωπος, Lk. xiv. 30; οὗτος ὁ…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ὃ, ἡ τό. (1) Apart from connexion with μέν or δέ (see below) the demonstrative use of the art. in the NT is confined to a poetical quotation Ac 1778, but it is not uncommon in the papyri, e.g. P Par 45® (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski®, p. 85) τὰ (for ἃ) πράσεις (Δ πράσσεις), P Oxy VIII. 1160! (iii/iv A.D.) Ta (for ἃ) σεσύλληχα (for συνείληχα) δὲ κέρμα {ταν τηρῶ αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν δίκην, “1 am keeping for the trial the money that I have collected” (Ed.). For the distributive Opéev.. - 6 8€, as in 1 Cor7’, cf. P Lond 535 (B.c. 161) (=I. p. 19, U.P.Z. i. p. 239) kal τὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἐληφότων εἰς τὴν γινομένην ἡμῖν συντάξειν, τὰ δ᾽ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων {(.. ... > παρελκομένων. (2) The use of the art. as a relative, of which there is no trace in the NT, may again be illustrated by the following papyrus citations from ¢c. A.D. 346—P Lond 414® (= II. Ῥ. 292) γεινῴσκιν oe θέλω περὶ τοῦ βρεουίου…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

__C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing from ὃ, ἣ, οἳ, α; the nominative forms of the article are said by Hdn.Gr.1.474 to be oxytone, and by [Refs 2nd c.AD+] in Aeolic dialect accusative to [Refs 8th c.BC+] genitive and dative dual τοῖιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]— In Doric dialect and all other dialects except Attic dialect and Ionic dialect the feminine forms preserve the old ᾱ instead of changing it to η, hence Doric dialect etc. ἁ, τάν, τᾶ; the genitive plural τάων contracts in many dialects to τᾶ; the genitive…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be

supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one,

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

the prepositive article, answering, to a considerable extent, to the English definite article; but, for the principle and facts of its usage, consult a grammar; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, the one ... the other, Phil. 1:16, 17; Heb. 7:5, 6, 20, 21, 23, 24; pl. some ... others, Mt. 13:23; 22:5, 6; ὁ δέ, but he, Mt. 4:4; 12:48; οἱ δέ, but others, Mt. 28:17; used, in a poetic quotation, for a personal pronoun, Acts 17:28

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

in epic, the relative Pronoun, when it is written with the accent ὅ, ἥ, τό ῀ ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. Besides the common forms, note epic gen. sg. τοῖο for τοῦ; pl. nom. τοί, ταί; gen. fem. τάων [α^], dat. τοῖσι, τῇς and τῇσι; dual gen, and dat. τοῖιν:— in Trag. we find τοὶ μέν . . , τοὶ δέ . . , for οἱ μέν . . , οἱ δέ . . ; dat. pl. also τοῖσι, ταῖσι: the dual has commonly but one gender, τώ for τά, τοῖν for ταῖν.

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

joined with a Subst., not as the Art., but like Lat. ille, ὁ Τυδείδης Tydeus's famous son, Il.; Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων Nestor— that aged man, id. Il.; τιμῆς τῆς Πριάμου for honour, namely that of Priam, id. Il.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-ASM — Article · accusative · singular · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-ASM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

THE, an adjective or definitive adjective.

1. This adjective is used as a definitive, that is, before nouns which are specific or understood; or it is used to limit their signification to a specific thing or things, or to describe them; as the laws of the twelve tables. the independent tribunals of justice in our country, are the security or private rights, and the best bulwark against arbitrary power. the sun is the source of light and heat.

This he calls the preaching of the cross.

2. the is also used rhetorically before a noun in the singular number, to denote a species by way of distinction; a single thing representing the whole. the fig tree putteth forth her green figs; the almond tree shall flourish; the grasshopper shall be a burden.

3. In poetry, the sometimes loses the final vowel before another vowel.

Th' adorning thee with so much art,

Is but a barb'rous skill.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%the
the64% · 13160×<the>28% · 5846×those3% · 597×other renderings4% · 788×other renderings1% · 294×

20,685 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 83 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject34%adverbial32%object24%predicate5%indirect object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 19,783 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existἐγώ
ἐν
καίand, even, also,αὐτόςArticle the
εἰς
αὐτόςεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inἔρχομαιI come, go
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδέbut, on the otheπρός
εἰμίI am, exist
οὗτοςσύἐγώ
the19783×
what comes after →
θεόςGod, a god
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
ἸησοῦςJesus
λέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἐγώἸησοῦςJesusArticle the
πατήρfather, Father, ance
ἐγώσύαὐτός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 19,783× in the New Testament
Matthew Acts Luke John Revelation Mark Romans 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

40 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
στέφανόνstephanos crown G4735 Noun · accusative · singular · masculine
18× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Revelation than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
A crown is a wreath or garland given as a prize or symbol of honor, like the one worn by royalty or winners in public games, as seen in the New Testament.
Amplified meaning
wreath of honor, symbol of victory
Tyndale gloss
crown
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

στέφανος, or stephanos, is derived from the verb meaning 'to encircle.' It refers to a crown or garland, typically awarded for victory in public games, but also symbolizes honor and glory. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts related to rewards for righteousness and eternal life, as seen in passages like James 1:12 and 2 Timothy 4:8. Some lexicons note a distinction between στέφανος as a victory crown and διάδημα as a royal crown, though this distinction may not always be strictly observed.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — στέφανος, διάδημα from a scan

We must not confound these words because our English ‘crown’ stands for them both. I greatly doubt whether anywhere in classical literature στέφανος is used of the kingly, or imperial, crown. It is the crown of victory in the games, of civic worth, of military valour, of nuptial joy, of festal gladness—woven of oak, of ivy, of parsley, of myrtle, of olive, or imitating in gold these leaves or others—of flowers, as of violets or roses (see Athenzeus, xv. 9-33); the ‘wreath,’ in fact, or the ‘ garland,’ the German ‘ Kranz’ as distinguished from ‘ Krone ;’ but never, any more than ‘corona’ in Latin, the emblem and sign of royalty. The διάδημα was this βασιλείας γνώρισμα, as Lucian calls it (Pisc. 35 ; cf. Xenophon, Cyr. vill. 3.13; Plutarch, De Frat. Am. 18); being properly a white linen band or fillet, ‘tenia’ or ‘ fascia’ (Curtius, iii. 8), encircling the brow; so that no language is…

Read the full entry →
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

στέφανος, -ου, ὁ

(< στέφω, to encircle),

[in LXX chiefly for עֲטָרָה ;]

that which surrounds or encompasses (as a wall, a crowd: Hom., al.).

a crown, i.e. the wreath, garland or chaplet given as a prize for victory, as a festal ornament, or as a public honour for disting­uished service or personal worth (so to sovereigns, especially on the occasion of a παρουσία, q.v.; cf. Deiss., LAE, 372 ff.; on its use in LXX for the golden crown of royalty (prop., διάδημα, q.v., cf. Hort and Mayor on Ja 1:12): Mt 27:29, Mk 15:17, Jo 19:2, 5, I Co 9:25, Re 4:4, 10 6:2 9:7 12:1 14:14. Metaph.: Phl 4:1, Re 3:11; τ.…

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

στέφανος, -ov, 6, (στέφω [to put round; ef. Curtius § 224]), Sept. for Mwy, [fr. Hom. down], a crown (with which the head is encircled) ; a. prop. as a mark of royal or (in general) exalted rank [such pass. in the Sept. as 2S. xii. 30; 1 Chr. xx. 2; Ps. xx. (xxi.) 4; Ezek. xxi. 26; Zech. vi. 11, 14, (yet ef. 2 S.i. 10 Compl, Lag.), perhaps justify the doubt whether the distinction betw. στέφανος and διάδημα (q.v-) was strictly observed in Hellenistic Grk.]: Mt. xxvii. 29; Mk. xv. 17; Jn. xix. 2, 5; Rev. iv.4, 10; vi. 2; ix. 7; xiv. 14; with a gen. of the material, ἀστέρων δώδεκα, Rev. xii.1; the wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in the public games [cf. BB. DD. 5. v. Games]: 1 Co. ix. 25, ef. 2 Tim. ii. 5. b. metaph. a. the eternal blessedness which will be given asa prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ: 6 τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, the crown (wreath)…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

στέφανος. From denoting a “ garland” or “‘ wreath” generally, στέφανος came to denote a ‘‘ crown of victory,’’ and as such was applied by Paul to his converts, as in 1 Thess 2.5. It should be noted, however, that the distinction between στέφανος, ‘“‘crown of victory” (*‘ Kranz”’) and διάδημα, “crown of royalty” (‘‘ Krone”) must not be pressed too far as by Trench Sy. § xxiii., for στέφανος is not infrequently used in the latter sense: see Mayor’s note on Jas 17%, and add from our sources the use of στέφανος to denote the “crown-tax ’” (aurum coronarium) for the present made to a king on his accession or other important occasion, e.g. P Petr 11. 39(e)it 33 (iii/B.c.) (as amended Wilcken Ostr. 1. p. 275) ἄλλου (sc. στεφάνου) παρουσίας, P Cairo Zen I. 59036 (B.C. 257) where 3000 drachmae are collected as © στέφανος τῶι βασιλεῖ, and P Fay 14° (B.C. 124) ot προκεχιρισμένοι πράκτορες τοῦ…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

στέφανος (stephanos) — crown.

στέφᾰνος, ὁ,

(στέφω) that which surrounds or encompasses, πάντῃ γάρ σε περὶ σ. πολέμοιο δέδηεν the circling fight, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of the wall round a town, [Refs 6th c.BC+]; καλλίπαις σ. circle of fair children, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. crown, wreath, chaplet, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; δάφνας σ. [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; ῥόδινος, ῥοδόεις, [Refs 6th c.BC+]; σ. εἴρειν, πλέκειν, ἀνείρειν, [Refs 7th c.BC+]; θεῖσα ἀμφὶ βοστρύχοις[Refs 5th c.BC+]; μύρα, στεφάνους ἑτοίμασον for a feast, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; hung at the door on festive occasions, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II. b in plural, οἱ σ. the garland-market, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

στέφανος

stephanos

from an apparently primary stepho (to twine or wreathe); a chaplet (as

a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or a symbol of honor

generally; but more conspicuous and elaborate than the simple fillet,

1238), literally or figuratively:--crown.

see GREEK for 1238

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

στέφανος, ου, ὁ

n.m.

a crown, garland

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

στέφανος stephanos 18x

that which forms an encirclement; a crown, Mt. 27:29; Rev. 4:4, 10; wreath, conferred on a victor in the public games, 1 Cor. 9:25; met. a crown, reward, prize, 2 Tim. 4:8; Jas. 1:12; a crown, ornament, honor, glory

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

στέφανος στέφα^νος, ὁ, στέφω properly, that which surrounds, στ. πολέμοιο the circling crowd of fight, Il.; of the wall round a town, Pind.; καλλίπαις στ. a circle of fair children, Eur.

a crown, wreath, garland, chaplet, Hes., etc.: esp. at the public games, a crown of victory, Pind., Hdt., etc.:— these prize-crowns were mostly of leaves, of κότινος at the Olympic games, δάφνη at the Pythian, σέλινον at the Nemean, κισσός or πίτυς at the Isthmian.

generally, the meed of victory, the prize, victory, like Lat. palma, Soph.; στέφανον προτιθέναι to propose a prize, Thuc.

generally, a crown of glory, an honour, glory, Inscr. ap. Hdt.:— a crown as a badge of office or distinction, Dem.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-ASM — Noun · accusative · singular · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-ASM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kroun: The word crown in the Old Testament is a translation of five different Hebrew words, and in the New Testament of two Greek words. These express the several meanings, and must be examined to ascertain the same.

1. In Hebrew:

The five Hebrew words are as follows:

(1) qodhqodh, from qadhadh;

(2) zer, from zarar;

(3) nezer, or nezer, both from nazar;

(4) aTarah, from `atar;

(5) kether, from kathar.

(1) Qodhqodh means "the crown of the head," and is also rendered in the King James Version "top of the head," "scalp," "pate." It comes from qadhadh, meaning "to shrivel up," "contract," or bend the body or neck through courtesy. Both the Revised Version (British and American) and the American Standard Revised Version, in De 28:35 and 33:16, translation it "crown" instead of "top" as in the King James Version. Jacob in his prophecy concerning…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Crown

(1.) Denotes the plate of gold in the front of the high priest’s mitre (Ex. 29:6; 39:30). The same Hebrew word so rendered (ne’zer) denotes the diadem worn by Saul in battle (2 Sam. 1:10), and also that which was used at the coronation of Joash (2 Kings 11:12).

(2.) The more general name in Hebrew for a crown is ’atarah, meaning a “circlet.” This is used of crowns and head ornaments of divers kinds, including royal crowns. Such was the crown taken from the king of Ammon by David (2 Sam. 12:30). The crown worn by the Assyrian kings was a high mitre, sometimes adorned with flowers. There are sculptures also representing the crowns worn by the early Egyptian and…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

This ornament, which is both ancient and universal, probably originated from the fillets used to prevent the hair from being dishevelled by the wind. Such fillets are still common; they gradually developed into turbans, which by the addition of ornamental or precious materials assumed the dignity of mitres or crowns. Both the ordinary priests and the high priest wore them. The crown was a symbol of royalty, and was worn by kings, (2 Chronicles 23:11) and also by queens. (Esther 2:17) The head-dress of bridegrooms, (Ezekiel 24:17; Isaiah 61:10) Bar. 5:2, and of women, (Isaiah 3:20) a head-dress of great splendor, (Isaiah 28:5) a wreath of flowers, (Proverbs 1:9; 4:9) denote…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

There are two distinct Hebrew terms rendered crown. The one represents such headdresses as we should designate coronet, band, miter, tiara, garland, etc. The other is generally applied to the headdresses of kings.

The former was a simple fillet or diadem around the head, variously ornamented. Newly-married persons of both sexes wore crowns on their wedding-day, So 3:11 Eze 16:12.

The crowns of kings were sometimes white fillets, bound round the forehead, the ends falling back on the neck; or were made of gold tissue, adorned with jewels. That of the Jewish high priest was a fillet, or diadem, tied with a ribbon of a hyacinth color, Ex 28:36 39:30. Occasionally the crown was of pure gold, and was worn by kings,

Across the New Testament10 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 25 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 2.108c. AD 40

τὴν ὀφιομάχον οὖν γνώμην ἀντίταττε καὶ κάλλιστον ἀγῶνα τοῦτον διάθλησον καὶ σπούδασον στεφανωθῆναι κατὰ τῆς τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας νικώσης ἡδονῆς καλὸν καὶ εὐκλεᾶ στέφανον, ὃν οὐδεμία πανήγυρις ἀνθρώπων ἐχορήγησεν.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 3.148c. AD 75–95

ἐπῆν τε ἐσχάρα χρυσεία ὑπερανεστῶσα ἔχουσα κατὰ γωνίαν ἑκάστην στέφανον καὶ τοῦτον δʼ ἐκπεριοδεύοντα χρύσεον, ᾗ καὶ κρίκοι καὶ σκυταλίδες προσῆσαν, αἷς κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερέων ἐφέρετο.

The Shepherd of HermasThe Shepherd of Hermas 25.2.1c. AD 140

Ἐκέλευσε δὲ ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου στεφάνους ἐνεχθῆναι.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 7th c. AD 1st c. BC 2nd c. AD 2nd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 41Thebais3 BC

παρὰ Πετεύριος διεθέντος μου ὑπάρξει σοι εἰς στέφανον χαλκοῦ τάλαντα δεκάπεντε, τάλαντα ιε. εὐτύχει .

τὸ θεοῖς μόνοις δ ταύτην τὴν τιμὴν ὑπʼ ἀνθρώπων δικαίως ἀπονέμεσθαι, καὶ τὸν χρυσοῦν στέφανον ἔπεμψά γε χαρισθήσεσθαι, μὴ βουλόμενος ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐπιβαρεῖν ὑμᾶς. ὅσα δὲ εἴχετε

P.Oxy. 71 4824OxyrhynchosAD 67

ἀπογραφόμενος ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς κώμης ὀμνύω Νέρωνα Κλαύδιον Καίσαρα Σεβαστὸν Γερμανικὸν Αὐτοκράτορα μηδὲν ἐψεῦσθαι. Στέφανος Σαραπίωνος τοῦ Τρύφωνος ὀμώμοκατὸν ὅρκον. … νις ἔγραψα ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ. ἔτους ιγ Νέρωνος

behold I am coming quickly; do hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take the crown of you.
σου.su of you. G4771 Personal pronoun · second person · genitive · singular
2,892× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in Revelation than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This Greek word means 'you' and is used to address someone directly, like in John 1:30 and Matthew 26:64. It's a way to emphasize or contrast the person being spoken to. The KJV Bible translates it as 'thou'.
Tyndale gloss
you
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

σύ is the second-person singular pronoun meaning 'you' in Greek. It has various forms: genitive σοῦ, dative σοί, and accusative σέ. The word can be used for emphasis or contrast, particularly in the New Testament, as seen in verses like Matthew 26:64. It also appears in various dialects and has enclitic forms.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σύ,

pron. of 2nd pers.,

thou, you, gen., σοῦ, dat., σοί, acc., σέ, pl., ὑμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς (enclitic in oblique cases sing., except after prep. (BL, §48, 3), though πρὸς σέ occurs in Mt 25:39). Nom. for emphasis or contrast: Jo 1:30, 42 4:10 5:33, 39, 44, Ac 4:7, Eph 5:32; so also perhaps σὺ εἶπας, Mt 26:64, al. (M, Pr., 86); before voc., Mt 2:6, Lk 1:76, Jo 17:5, al.; sometimes without emphasis (M, Pr., 85f.), as also

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

σύ, pron. of the second pers. (Dor. and Aeol. τύ, Boeot. Tov), gen. σοῦ, dat. σοί, ace. σέ (which oblique cases are enclitic, unless a preposition precede; yet πρός σε is written [uniformly in Ree. (exe. Mt. xxvi. 18), in Grsb. (exe. Jn. xxi. 22, 23), in Treg. (exc. Mt. xxvi. 18; Acts xxiii. 30), in Lchm. (exe. Mt. xxvi.18; Jn. xvii. 11, 13; xxi. 22, 23; Acts xxiii. 30), in Tdf. (exe. Mt. xxvi. 18; Lk. i. 19; Jn. xvii. 11, 13; Jn. xxi. 22; Acts xxiii. 18, 30; 1 Tim. iii. 14; Tit. iii. 12); also by WH in Mt. xxv. 39], see ἐγώ, 2; Lipsius, Grammat. Untersuch. p. 62 sq. [W. §6, 3; B. 31 (27)]); plur. ὑμεῖς, εἴς. : Lat. tu, ete., vos, ete.; thou, ete., ye,ete. The nominatives ov and ὑμεῖς are expressed for emphasis — before a vocative, as σὺ Βηθλεέμ, Mt. ii. 6; σὺ παιδίον (Leian. dial. deor. 2, 1), Lk. i. 76; add, Jn. xvii. 5; Acts i. 24; 1 Tim. vi. 11, etc.; ὑμεῖς of Φαρισαῖοι, Lk. xi. 39…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σύ (su) — you.

σύ [ῠ],

thou: pronoun of the second person:—Epic dialect nominative τύνη [ῡ] [Refs 8th c.BC+] (Laconian dialect τούνη [Refs 5th c.AD+]; Aeolic dialect σύ [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τύ [ῠ] [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect τού [short syllable] [Refs 6th c.BC+] (also τούν [Refs]σύ, [Refs 8th c.BC+]—Gen. σοῦ, [Refs], elsewhere only Attic dialect, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; enclitic σου, [Refs 8th c.BC+] (also in Lyric poetry, [Refs 8th c.BC+] (which also occurs in Lyric poetry, [Refs 7th c.BC+], and as enclitic σευ, [Refs 8th c.BC+], σεο (enclitic) [Refs] σευ (enclitic) [Refs]:—Doric dialect τεῦ, τευ, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; rarely τέο, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect τεῦς [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τεοῦς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοι variant in [Refs]; enclitic τεος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; other Doric dialect forms are τίω, τίως, both [Refs 3rd c.BC+]—Dat. σοί, [Refs 8th c.BC+]…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

σύ

su

the person pronoun of the second person singular; thou:-- thou. See

also 4571, 4671, 4675; and for the plural 5209, 5210, 5213, 5216.

see GREEK for 4675

see GREEK for 4571

see GREEK for 4671

see GREEK for 5209

see GREEK for 5210

see GREEK for 5213

see GREEK for 5216

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σύ, σοῦ, σοί, σέ

Pers.pr.

you

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σύ sy 2x

you, gen., σοῦ, dat., σοί, acc., σέ, Mt. 1:20; 2:6

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-2GS — Personal pronoun · second person · genitive · singular
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked singular.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-2GS Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: second Case: Genitive Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
78%you
you78% · 2412×you yourselves7% · 221×you yourself5% · 168×your3% · 87×other renderings3% · 96×other renderings3% · 89×

3,073 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 37 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject28%object24%adverbial23%indirect object20%predicate5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,892 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
λέγωI say, speak
ἀμήνHebrδέbut, on the otheἐγώ
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώοὕτωthus, so, in thiμήNeg
ἐν
Article theεἰμίI am, existγίνομαιI come into bein
πρός
ἔρχομαιI come, goἐγώπέμπωI send
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakπαρακαλέωI summon, entreaθέλωI will, wish, de
σύof you.2892×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἐνἁμαρτίαa sin
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theεἰρήνηpeace, peace of οὐNeg
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐν
ἐν
Article theποῖοςIrgΧριστόςanointed, the Me

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceσύ · 2,892× in the New Testament
Matthew Luke John Acts Mark 2 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Romans 1 Thessalonians Revelation Hebrews Colossians

16 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 450 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 1.48c. AD 40

„οὐ φυτεύσεις σεαυτῷ ἄλσος, πᾶν ξύλον παρὰ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ“ (Deuter.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.101c. AD 75–95

παύσομαι δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ μετὰ τοσαύτης ὀργῆς τὰς τιμωρίας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν εἰσπραττόμενος καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον σοῦ παρακαλοῦντος.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.2c. AD 100

Μεγάλων μὲν ὄντων καὶ πλουσίων τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὑπέρ τι καὶ καθ̓ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερευφραίνομαι ἐπὶ τοῖς μακαρίοις καὶ ἐνδόξοις ὑμῶν πνεύμασιν: οὕτως ἔμφυτον τῆς δωρεᾶς πνευματικῆς χάριν εἰλήφατε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 35Ptolemais - Akko (Syrien)103 BC

τοῦ ἀποδοθῆι τὸν ἐπεσταλμένον ἡμῖν κατὰ μῆνα πυρὸν τοῖς παρʼ ἡμῶν. διʼ ἄλλων γεγράφαμεν ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν βουλόμεθα μηδεμιᾶς προσφωνήσεως προσπεπτωκυίας. ἑαυτῶν δὲ ἐπιμελόμενοι ἵνʼ ὑγιαίνητε, — ἔσμεν ἐν

P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

η Φατρήους καὶ … χαίρειν καὶ ἐρρωμένοις διευτυχεῖν. ἐρρώμεθα δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑμῶν τὴν ἀρίστην μνείαν ποιούμενοι παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Πηλουσίωι θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ

P.Grenf. 1 41Thebais3 BC

παρὰ Πετεύριος διεθέντος μου ὑπάρξει σοι εἰς στέφανον χαλκοῦ τάλαντα δεκάπεντε, τάλαντα ιε. εὐτύχει .

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.

Donate