Quick Definition
διακονέω v. I wait at table, serve
Strong's Definition
from 1249; to be an attendant, i.e. wait upon (menially or as a host, friend, or (figuratively) teacher); technically, to act as a Christian deacon
KJV Usage: (ad-)minister (unto), serve, use the office of a deacon
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | διακονία · διάκονος
35.19 · Help, Care For · Serve
to serve, to render service, to help, service, help to render assistance or help by performing certain duties, often of a humble or menial nature In some languages it is essential in communicating the concept of ‘service’ to introduce a specific reference to ‘a servant,’ for example, ‘to help as a servant’ or ‘to assist as one who must,’ and in some contexts it may be useful to employ a phrase such as ‘to help in small things’ or ‘to do the low tasks.’
In rendering MAT 20:28 it may be necessary to be somewhat more specific about those who serve or are served, for example, ‘the Son of Man did not come in order for people to serve him but in order to serve people.’
MAT 20:28 · MAT 20:28 · MRK 10:45 · MRK 10:45 · LUK 10:40 · LUK 12:37 · LUK 17:8 · LUK 22:26 · LUK 22:27 · LUK 22:27 · JHN 12:26 · JHN 12:26 · ACT 19:22 · ROM 15:25 · 2TI 1:18 · PHM 1:13 · HEB 6:10 · HEB 6:10 · 1PE 1:12 · 1PE 4:10 · 1PE 4:11
35.37 · Help, Care For · Care For, Take Care Of
to take care of to take care of, by rendering humble service to In MAT 25:44, it may be possible to render ‘and we did not take care of you’ as ‘and we did not give you whatever you needed.’
MAT 4:11 · MAT 25:44 · MAT 27:55 · MRK 1:13 · MRK 15:41 · LUK 8:3 · 2CO 3:3 · 2CO 8:19 · 2CO 8:20 · HEB 6:10 · HEB 6:10
46.13 · Household Activities
to serve, to wait upon to serve food and drink to those who are eating
53.66 · Religious Activities · Roles and Functions
to be a deacon, to minister to to serve God in some special way, such as a deacon It seems quite evident that διακονέω[d] involved a number of different functions as persons served others, especially in connection with relief to the poor. In some instances it may be best to translate διακονέω[d] as ‘to have responsibility to help others’ or ‘to be responsible to take care of the needs of believers.’
57.230 · Possess, Transfer, Exchange · Keep Records
Collocation: διακονέω τραπέζαις
to handle finances (an idiom, literally: to serve tables) to be responsible for financial aspects of an enterprise It is also possible to interpret the phrase διακονέω τραπέζαις not as an idiom but simply as ‘to wait on tables, to serve meals’ (see 23.26 and 46.13), but even so the context relates to caring for needs.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
διακονέω, -d; impf. διηκόνουν (as if the verb were compounded of διά and axovéw, for the rarer and earlier form ἐδιακόνουν, cf. B. 35 (31) ; Ph. Bttm. Ausf. Spr. §86 Anm. 6; Kriiger § 28, 14, 13); [fut. διακονήσω]: 1 aor. διηκόynoa (for the earlier ἐδιακύόνησα) : Pass., pres. ptep. διακονούμενος ; 1 aor. inf. διακονηθῆναι. ptcp. διακονηθείς : (διάκονος, q. v-) ; in Grk. writ. fr. [Soph.], Hdt. down ; to be a servant, attendant, domestic; to serve, wait upon; 1. univ.: [absol. ὁ διακονῶν, Lk. xxii. 26]; with dat. of pers. to minister to one; render ministering offices to : In. xii. 26; Acts xix. 22; Philem. 13; Pass. to be served, ministered unto (W. § 39,1; [B. 188 (163)]): Mt. xx. 28; Mk. x. 45. 2. Like the Lat. ministrare, to wait at table and offer food and drink to the quests, (cf. W. 593 (552)]: with dat. of pers., Mt. iv. 11; viii. 15; Mk.i. 13, 31; Lk. iv. 39; xii. 37; xvii. 8; absol. 6 διακονῶν, Lk. xxii. 27; soalso of women preparing food, Lk. x. 40; Jn. xii. 2; (Menand. ap. Athen. 6 ο. 46, p. 245 c.; Anaer. 4, 6; al.; pass. διακονεῖσθαι ὑπό τινος, Diod. 5, 28; Philo, vit. contempl. § 9). 3. to minister i.e. supply food and the necessaries of life: with dat. of pers., Mt. xxv. 44; xxvil. 55; Mk. xv. 41; διηκόνουν αὐτοῖς ἐκ (Rec. ἀπὸ) τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐταῖς, Lk. viii. 3; to relieve one’s necessities (6. g. by collecting alms): Ro. xv. 25 ; Heb. vi. 10; τραπέζαις , to provide, take care of, distribute, the things necessary to sustain life, Acts vi. 2. absol., those are said διακονεῖν. i. 6. to take care of the poor and the sick, who administer the office of deacon (see διάκονος, 2) in the Christian churches, to serve as deacons: 1 Tim. iii. 10, 13; 1 Pet. iv. 11 [many take this last ex. in a general rather than an official sense]. 4. with ace. of the thing, to minister i. e. attend to, anything, that may serve another’s interests: χάρις διακονουμένη ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν, 2 Co. viii. 19; [ἁδροτής, ibid. 20]; ὅσα διηκόνησε, how many things I owe to his ministration, 2 Tim. i. 18; ἐπιστολὴ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν, an epistle written, as it were, by our serving as amanuenses, 2 Co. iii. 8. with ace. of the thing and dat. of pers., to minister a thing unto one, to serve one with or by supplying any thing: 1 Pet. i. 12; τὶ εἰς ἑαυτούς, i. 6. eis ἀλλήλους to one another, for mutual use, 1 Pet. iv. 10.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
διακονέω diakoneō 37x
to wait, attend upon, serve, Mt. 8:15; Mk. 1:31; Lk. 4:39; to be an attendant or assistant, Acts 19:22; to minister to, relieve, assist, or supply with the necessaries of life, provide the means of living, Mt. 4:11; 27:55; Mk. 1:13; 15:41; Lk. 8:3; to fill the office of διάκονος, deacon, perform the duties of deacon, 1 Tim. 3:10, 13; 1 Pet. 4:11; to convey in charge, administer, 2 Cor. 3:3; 8:19, 20; 1 Pet. 1:12; 4:10; pass. to receive service, Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
* διακονέω, ῶ
(< δίακονος);
generally, to minister, serve, wait upon, especially at table, to do one a service, care for one's needs: absol., Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45, Lk 10:40 22:26, 27, Jo 12:2, I Pe 4:11; ὅσα διηκόνησεν, II Ti 1:18; c. dat. pers., Mt 4:11 8:15 25:44 27:55, Mk 1:13, 31 15:41, Lk 4:39 8:3 12:37 17:8, Jo 12:26, Ac 6:2 19:22, Ro 15:25, Phm 13, He 6:10.
to serve as deacon: I Ti 3:10, 13.
C. acc. rei, to minister, supply, supply by ministration: I Pe 1:12 4:10; pass., II Co 3:3 8:19, 20.†
SYN.: λειτουργέω, q.v. (Cremer, 179).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
διακονέω. In P Oxy 11. 275! (a.p. 66) (= Selections, p. 55) ἃ lad is apprenticed by his father—S®.akovod(v)ra καὶ ποιοί[ῦ]ντα πάντα τὰ ἐπιτασσόμενα αὐτῷ, ‘to serve and to do everything commanded him.” For the construction with the dat., see BGU I. 261 (Ὁ ii/iii a.p.) ἔγραψες ‘Hpate . . ἵνα διακονέσσι (/. διακονήσει) ipiv (Δ ἡμῖν). The pass. is found OGTS 383° (middle of i/b.c.) τοῖς τε ἐκπώμασιν οἷς ἐγὼ καθειέρωσα διακονείσθωσαν.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
διακονέω (diakoneō) — to serve. διᾱκον-έω, Ionic dialect διηκ-, imperfect ἐδιακόνουν [NT+7th c.BC+]: future -ήσω[Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist διηκόνησα [Refs 1st c.AD+]; infinitive -ῆσαι[Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect δεδιακόνηκα [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—middle, imperfect διηκονούμην [Refs 2nd c.AD+]: future -ήσομαι[Refs]: aorist διηκονησάμην [Refs]:—passive, future δεδιακονήσομαι [Refs 1st c.AD+]: aorist ἐδιακονήθην [Refs 4th c.BC+]perfect δεδιακόνημαι, see below 11: (διάκονος):—minister, do service, absolutely, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with dative person, serve [Refs 4th c.BC+]; δ. ὑποθήκαις τινός [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δ. παρὰ τῷ δεσπότῃ [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; δ. πρὸς ὠνήν τε καὶ πρᾶσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, minister to one's own needs, serve oneself, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; διακονοῦντες καὶ διακονούμενοι ἑαυτοῖς acting as servants and serving themselves, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also simply like active, οἶνον ἡμῖν χρυσίῳ διακονούμενοι [Refs 2nd c.AD+]:—passive, to be served, οὐκ ἦλθε διακονηθῆναι ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι [NT]
2. to be a deacon, [NT]
II. c.accusative of things, render a service, τινὶ ὅ τι ἂν δεηθῇ [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, to be supplied, τῇ πόλει ἐδιακονήθησαν [αἱ πράξεις] [Refs 4th c.BC+]