What does ἐμφανίζω (emphanízō) mean in the Bible?
Emphanizō means to make known, show, present, report, appear, or reveal. The governed uses demonstrate why the object and setting matter.
Greek · G1718
ἐμφανίζω
To exhibit (in person) or disclose (by words)
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ἐμφανίζω G1718
Pronunciation emphanízō
What does ἐμφανίζω (emphanízō) mean in the Bible?
Emphanizō means to make known, show, present, report, appear, or reveal. The governed uses demonstrate why the object and setting matter.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐμφανίζω (G1718) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1718?
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include presented their case (2), appeared (1), petition (1), presented (1), reveal (1).
Where does ἐμφανίζω (emphanízō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 27:53. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (5), Hebrews (2), John (2), Matthew (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Emphanizō means to make known, show, present, report, appear, or reveal. The governed uses demonstrate why the object and setting matter. Matthew 27:53 says that raised saints appeared to many. John 14:21-22 uses the verb for Jesus revealing Himself to loving disciples and for Judas's question about that disclosure. Acts uses it five times for petitioning, reporting, or presenting a legal case in the plots and hearings surrounding Paul.
Hebrews 9:24 says Christ entered heaven itself to appear before God on our behalf, while Hebrews 11:14 says that people who speak as the patriarchs did show that they seek a homeland. The verb therefore does not inherently mean private spiritual experience, public spectacle, legal accusation, or heavenly intercession. It names making something or someone evident; the clause identifies who discloses what, to whom, and for what purpose.
Teachers should preserve Jesus' promise in John without using it to erase the ordinary legal and visible uses elsewhere.
How the Bible Uses It
The governed local index counts about ten uses spanning visible appearance, relational self-disclosure, legal petition or report, heavenly appearance, and conduct that makes a homeland-seeking identity evident.
- John.14.21
Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
John 14:21 records Jesus' promise that the one who loves him and keeps his commandments will receive his self-disclosure: 'I will love him and reveal Myself to him.'
- John.14.22
Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”
Judas' question in John 14:22, 'why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world,' shows the first disciples themselves recognized this as a distinct, limited kind of disclosure rather than a public spectacle.
- Heb.9.24
Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God.
The passive infinitive describes Christ's appearing before God on behalf of His people within Hebrews' sanctuary argument.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It presented their case 2× Acts 25:2, Acts 25:15
appeared 1× Matthew 27:53
petition 1× Acts 23:15
presented 1× Acts 24:1
reveal 1× John 14:21
show 1× Hebrews 11:14
to appear 1× Hebrews 9:24
to reveal 1× John 14:22
you have reported 1× Acts 23:22
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 27:53 ἐνεφανίσθησαν to appeared Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural John 14:21 ἐμφανίσω to reveal Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular John 14:22 ἐμφανίζειν to to reveal Verb - Present Infinitive Active Acts 23:15 ἐμφανίσατε to petition Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural Acts 23:22 ἐνεφάνισας to you have reported Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Acts 24:1 ἐνεφάνισαν to presented Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Acts 25:2 ἐνεφάνισάν to presented their case Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Acts 25:15 ἐνεφάνισαν to presented their case Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Hebrews 9:24 ἐμφανισθῆναι to to appear Verb - Aorist Infinitive Passive Hebrews 11:14 ἐμφανίζουσιν to show Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 27:53
Aligned rows 10
Books represented 4
Matthew 1 John 2 Acts 5 Hebrews 2
Source forms
ἐνεφάνισαν 2x enephanisan Acts 24:1, Acts 25:15
ἐμφανίζειν 1x emphanizein John 14:22
ἐμφανίζουσιν 1x emphanizousin Hebrews 11:14
ἐμφανίσατε 1x emphanisate Acts 23:15
ἐμφανισθῆναι 1x emphanisthēnai Hebrews 9:24
ἐμφανίσω 1x emphanisō John 14:21
ἐνεφάνισάν 1x enephanisan Acts 25:2
ἐνεφάνισας 1x enephanisas Acts 23:22
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 3x Acts 24:1, Acts 25:2, Acts 25:15
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x Acts 23:15
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular 1x Acts 23:22
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural 1x Matthew 27:53
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Passive 1x Hebrews 9:24
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1x John 14:21
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Hebrews 11:14
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 1x John 14:22
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Keep Jesus' John 14 promise tied to loving obedience without making a particular sensation or experience the test of discipleship.
- In Acts, distinguish presenting a case from proving that the case is true; the narrative evaluates the accusation.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every G1718 use describes private spiritual revelation; Acts uses the verb for legal presentation and reporting.
- Do not claim that presenting an allegation before an authority establishes its truth.
- Do not claim that Hebrews 9:24 or John 14:21 makes human intermediaries necessary for access to Christ.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To manifest or disclose something directly, whether by personal appearance or explicit declaration to someone.
Strong's G1718
Lexical occurrences 10 verses Greek text appearances 10 times Word forms 3 forms 10 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to exhibit (in person) or disclose (by words)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 27:53 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐνεφανίσθησαν enefanisqhsan
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse John 14:21 Verb First Person Singular Future Active Indicative
ἐμφανίσω emfanisw
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse John 14:22 Verb Present Active Infinitive
ἐμφανίζειν emfanizein
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse Acts 23:15 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Imperative
ἐμφανίσατε emfanisate
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse Acts 23:22 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐνεφάνισας enefanisav
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse Acts 24:1 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐνεφάνισαν enefanisan
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse Acts 25:2 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐνεφάνισαν enefanisan
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse Acts 25:15 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐνεφάνισαν enefanisan
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse Hebrews 9:24 Verb Aorist Passive Infinitive
ἐμφανισθῆναι emfanisqhnai
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verse Hebrews 11:14 Verb Third Person Plural Present Active Indicative
ἐμφανίζουσιν emfanizousin
I make visible, report against, appear before
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 10 Tenses Aorist, Future, Present Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 7×
Aorist Active Acts 24:1 · Acts 25:2 · Acts 25:15 · Acts 23:22 4×
Aorist Passive Matt 27:53 1×
Future Active John 14:21 1×
Present Active Heb 11:14 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 2×
Present Active John 14:22 1×
Aorist Passive Heb 9:24 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Active Acts 23:15 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 10 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 7 present 2 future 1
Voice
active 8 passive 2
Mood
indicative 7 infinitive 2 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 27:53 ἐνεφανίσθησαν aorist passive indicative completed John 14:21 ἐμφανίσω future active indicative prospective John 14:22 ἐμφανίζειν present active infinitive infinitive Acts 23:15 ἐμφανίσατε aorist active imperative imperative Acts 23:22 ἐνεφάνισας aorist active indicative completed Acts 24:1 ἐνεφάνισαν aorist active indicative completed Acts 25:15 ἐνεφάνισαν aorist active indicative completed Acts 25:2 ἐνεφάνισάν aorist active indicative completed Hebrews 9:24 ἐμφανισθῆναι aorist passive infinitive infinitive Hebrews 11:14 ἐμφανίζουσιν present active indicative ongoing
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)
Word Origins
ἐμφανίζω is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Emphanizō keeps disclosure concrete without making every disclosure the same. In Matthew, people become visible to many. In John, Jesus promises to reveal Himself within a discourse about love, obedience, the Father, and abiding presence. In Acts, the same verb belongs to petitions, reports, and formal cases around Paul's custody, showing that ordinary legal presentation fits the lexical range.
Hebrews 9 raises the setting to heaven itself, where Christ appears before God on behalf of His people, and Hebrews 11 describes speech that makes the patriarchs' search for a homeland evident. Preachers can therefore honor John 14's intimacy while refusing to make a particular sensation the test of discipleship. They can also teach Christ's heavenly representation without claiming that the verb alone proves the whole doctrine.
In every use, the passage names what is disclosed and supplies its theological weight.
Anchor passage
John.14.21
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 27:53 uses the verb for visible appearance to many people.
- John 14:21-22 uses it for Jesus' promised self-disclosure and Judas's question.
- Acts 23-25 uses it for petitions, reports, and formal legal presentation.
- Hebrews 9:24 uses it for Christ appearing before God on behalf of His people.
- Hebrews 11:14 uses speech as evidence that the patriarchs seek a homeland.
The local index counts about ten uses in active and passive forms. The range includes making oneself known, causing a case to be presented, reporting information, becoming visible, appearing before someone, and showing an intention through speech.
From Old to New Testament
Biblical theophany, priestly representation, testimony, and formal accusation provide thematic backgrounds for particular passages. The verb itself does not merge those categories or establish a direct Old Testament lexical trajectory.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain