δέω
To bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively)
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does δέω (déō) mean in the Bible?
δέω (déō) is a Greek word meaning "to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively)". δέω (I), [in LXX chiefly for אסר ;] to tie, bind, fasten; __(1) with accusative of thing(s), before εἰς δεσμάς, Mat. Symbol of unjust restraint over the sovereign Son. This term runs through the canonical themes of Messiah.
Meaning
To bind physically or figuratively; in rabbinic usage, to forbid or declare forbidden.
to tie, bind, fasten; __(1) with accusative of thing(s), before εἰς δεσμάς, Mat.13:30; of an ass, Mat.21:2, Mrk.11:2, 4 Luk.19:30. __(2) with accusative of person(s), of swathing a dead body, ὀθονίοις, Jhn.19:40; δεδομένος τ. πόδας . . . κειρίαις (Bl., §34, 6; Kühner 3, iii, 125), Jhn.11:44; of binding with chains, ἀγγέλους, Rev.9:14; a demoniac, πέδαις κ. ἁλύσεσι, Mrk.5:3, 4; captives, Mat.12:29 14:3 22:13 27:2, Mrk.3:27 6:17 15:1, 7, Jhn.18:12, 24, Act.9:2, 14, 21, 21:11, 13 22:5, 29 24:27, Col.4:3, Rev.20:2; ἁλύσεσι, Act.12:6 21:33. Metaphorical, ὁ λόγος τ. Θεοῦ, 2Ti.2:9; of Satan binding by disease (MM, see word), Luk.13:16; of constraint or obligation, Act.20:22; of the marriage bond, 1Co.7:39; id. with dative of person(s), ἀνδρί, Rom.7:2; γυναικί, 1Co.7:27; in Rabbinic lang. (Dalman, Words, 213f.), to forbid, declare forbidden, Mat.16:19 18:18 (cf. κατα-, περι-, συν-, ὐπο-δέω; Cremer, 82).
Why This Word Matters
Symbol of unjust restraint over the sovereign Son. Acts 21:27-36
Demonstrates fulfillment of prophetic warning about imprisonment. Acts 21:7-14
Foreshadows literal imprisonment tied to gospel witness.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Indicative states a fact or reality 110×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 26×
Imperative command or strong request 4×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 8×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 6×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 133 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
New Testament Witnesses
Additional Occurrences
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain