Quick Definition
ἐπακολουθέω v. I follow close after, endorse
Strong's Definition
from 1909 and 190; to accompany
KJV Usage: follow (after)
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | ἀκολουθέω
25.79 · Attitudes and Emotions · Be Eager, Be Earnest, In a Devoted Manner
to devote oneself to, to give oneself to to give or commit oneself wholeheartedly to something In a number of languages the concept of ‘devoting oneself to’ or ‘giving oneself wholly to’ is often expressed as ‘to do with one’s whole heart’ or ‘to want to do nothing else but.’
13.113 · Be, Become, Exist, Happen · Happen
to happen along with, to happen at the same time, to accompany to happen in conjunction with some other happening
41.47 · Behavior and Related States · Imitate Behavior
Collocation: ἐπακολουθέω τοῖς ἴχνεσιν
to imitate, to do as others do (an idiom, literally: to follow in the tracks) to behave in the same manner as someone else
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἐπ-ακολουθέω, -@; 1 aor. ἐπηκολούθησα ; to follow (close) upon, follow afier; in the N. T. only metaph. τοῖς ἔχνεσί twos, to tread in one’s footsteps, i. e. to imitate his example, 1 Pet. ii. 21; with the dat. of a pers. 1 Tim. v. 24 (opp. to mpodyw, to go before; the meaning is, ‘ the sins of some men are manifest now, even before they are called to account, but the misdeeds of others are exposed vy. 10; used, with the dat. of the pers. to be mentally supplied, of the miracles accompanying the preaching of Christ’s ministers, Mk. xvi. 20. (Arstph., Thue., Xen., Plato, sqq.; occasionally in Sept.)
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἐπακολουθέω epakoloutheō 4x
to follow upon; to accompany, be attendant, Mk. 16:20; to appear later, 1 Tim. 5:24; met. to follow one’s steps, to imitate, 1 Pet. 2:21; to follow a work, pursue, prosecute, be studious of, devoted to, 1 Tim. 5:10*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἐπ-ακολουθέω, -ῶ
[in LXX (chiefly metaph.) for אָחַר, הָלַךְ, etc. ;]
to follow after; in NT metaph.; absol.: Mk 16:20 (illustrated by use in verifying accounts; v. MM, Exp., xiv; Milligan; NTD, 78); c. dat. pers., of sins, I Ti 5:24 (cf. Ellic. and CGT, in l); τ. ἴχνεσιν, I Pe 2:21; ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ, I Ti 5:10.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἐπακολουθέω. From its original meaning “‘ follow,” ‘‘ follow after,’’ this verb came to be used in a number of closely related senses from iii/B.c. onwards. Thus it means ‘‘am_ personally present at,” ‘‘see to,” in P Petr II. 40(4)® (iii/B.c.) καλῶς οὖν ποιήσεις ἀποστείλας τινὰ τῆι ἢ, ὃς ἐπακολουθήσει τῆι ἐγχύσει τοῦ γινομένου σου γλεύκους, “it were well for you, then, to send some one on the 8th who will see to the pouring out of the must which conies to you”’ (Ed.): cf. P Oxy VII. 1024%* (A.D. 129) ἣν καταθήσεται eis τὴν γῆν ὑγιῶς ἐπακολουθούντων τῶν εἰωθότων, ‘under the observance of the usual officers” (Ed.), and 26. 103118 (A.D. 228). Hence the meaning develops to ‘conform to,’’ ‘‘concur with,” as P Lille I. 4°? (B.c. 218-7) τῆς πρὸς Θ. ἐπιστολῆς ὑπογέγραφα ὑμῖν τὸ ἀντίγραφον, ὅπως ἐπακολουθοῦντες ποιῆτε κατὰ [τα]ῦτα, ‘‘pour que vous vous y conformiez” (Ed.), P Fay 24'* (A.D. 158) ἐγρ(άφη) δ(ιὰ) Ba. . . . s vopo[γ]ρίάφου) ἐπακολουθοῦντος Διοδώρου ὑπηρέτου, “ written by 5... ..- , scribe of the nome, with the concurrence of Diodorus, clerk,” and similarly P Grenf 11. 62!4(a.p. 211). The derived meaning ‘‘ensue,” “ is common, as P Ryl II. 12619 (Α. Ὁ. 28-9) ἐξ οὗ βλάβος μοι ἐπηκλούθ(ησεν) (1. ἔπηκολ ---Ξ οὐκ ὀλίγον, ‘by which no small loss resulted to me,’’ BGU I. 72!? (A.D. 191) οὗ χολικὴν βλάβην ἐπεκολούθησεν, 10. 214 (A.D. 209) ὡς ἐκ τούτου οὐκ ὀλίγη μοι ζημία ἐπηκολούθησεν, P Oxy X. 1255} (A.D. 292) τῶν μετρημάτων γ[ι]νομένῳ[ν] εἰς τὸ μηδεμίαν μέμψιν ἐπακολουθῆσαι, and from the inscrr. Sy// 32535 (i/B.c.). Another development of meaning is ‘‘ ratify,” asin P Gen 1. 22! (A.p. 37-8) ᾿Εἰπίμαχος Ζωπύρου ἐ[π]ηκολλούθηκα τῇ [πρ]οκειμένῃ διαγραφῇ, P Oxy II. 2609 (a.p. 59), Ρ Ryl 11. 12220 (A.D. 127), P Flor 1. 139 (A.D. 153), and more particularly ‘* verify,’ “check” an account, as in the signatures to a series of tax receipts P Tebt I. 100 °f (B.c. 117-6) Δρεῦος ἐπηκλούθηκα (/. ἐπηκολ ---), ᾿Ακουσίλαος ἐπηκολούθηκα͵ This last usage throws an interesting side-light on [Mk] 16?° τοῦ κυρίου... Tov λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων : the signs did not merely follow, they acted as a kind of authenticating signature to the word (cf. Milligan Documents, p. 78f.). We need only cite further the usage in registration documents, e.g. P Oxy II. 244° (A.D. 23) τοὺς ἐπακολουθ(οῦντας) ἄρνας [κ]αὶ ἐρίφους, ‘the lambs and kids that may be produced’’ (Edd.), 16. 2454 (A.D. 26). See also the important discussion on the verb in Wilcken Ostr i. pp. 76f., 640, and cf. Archiv ii. p. 103, iii. p- 14. In P Oxy VI. 9094 (A.D. 225) the mother of certain minors is described as ἐπακολουθήτρια, ‘fa concurring party”: cf. P Lips I. 95 (A.p. 233) and see Crest. ΤΙ. i. Ρ. 250f. For the subst. ἐπακολούθησις cf. P Ryl 11. 23314 (ii/A.D.) μηδὲν χωρὶς ἐπακολουθήσεως αὐτοῦ ἀγοράζεται, “‘nothing is being bought without his cognizance” (Edd.), P Oxy XII. 14738 (A.D. 201) γ]ράμματα ἐκδιδομένη τῆς ἐπακολουθήσεως τῷ ᾿Ὡρείωνι, ‘delivering to Horion the documents of settlement” (Edd.). Note the syncopated form which persists in MGr ἀκλουθῶ, and cf. P Tebt I. 1007° (quoted above) for its early date, B.c. 117-16. ‘ result,
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἐπακολουθέω (epakoloutheō) — to follow after. ἐπᾰκολουθ-έω, follow close upon, follow after, pursue, τινί [Refs 5th c.BC+]; move with, τῷ ἄλλῳ σώματι [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. pursue as an enemy, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. attend to, follow mentally, understand, τῷ λόγῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. attend to, follow, i.e. obey or comply with, ταῖς τῶν συμμάχων γνώμαις [Refs 5th c.BC+]; αὐτῶν τῇ προαιρέσει Philipp. cited in [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ταῖς τῶν ποιητῶν βλασφημίαις ἐ. follow them (as authorities), [Refs 5th c.BC+]
5. attend to, i.e. execute, a task, τῷ πραττομένῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; wait upon, of bees, τοῖς βασιλεῦσι [Refs 4th c.BC+]
6. supervise, attend to, τῇ ἐγχύσει τοῦ γλεύκους [Refs 3rd c.BC+], etc.: absolutely, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
7. concur, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
8. verify, check, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. accompany, result, accrue, τινί [Refs 1st c.BC+]
II.2. τὰ ἐπακολουθοῦντα σημεῖα confirmatory, authenticating signs [NT]
II.3. of the offspring of cattle, πρόβατα σὺν τοῖς -οῦσι ἄρνασι [Refs 1st c.AD+]