Greek · G1781 · unreviewed

ἐντέλλομαι

To enjoin

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ἐντέλλομαι G1781
Pronunciation entéllomai

What does ἐντέλλομαι (entéllomai) mean in the Bible?

ἐντέλλομαι (entéllomai) is a Greek word meaning "to enjoin". ἐν-τέλλω [in LXX, as in NT (and mostly in Hdt.

Full entry for ἐντέλλομαι (G1781) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

to enjoin
Extended definition

Commands with emphasis on the specific content or instruction being given, not merely the act of ordering.

-ομαι, to command, enjoin, instruct: before περί Heb.11:22; with inf., Mat.19:7; with dative of person(s), Act.1:2; οὕτως, Act.13:47; καθώς, Jhn.14:31 (ἐντολὴν ἔδωκεν, WH); before λέγων, Mat.17:9; with inf., Jhn.8:5; ἵνα, Mrk.13:34; with accusative of thing(s), Mat.28:20, Mrk.10:3, Jhn.15:14, 17; before περί, with genitive of person(s), Mat.4:6 and Luk.4:10 (LXX); διαθήκην ἐ. πρός, with accusative of person(s), Heb.9:20 (LXX) (cf. Sir.45:3).

Synonymsκελεύω, to command, of verbal orders in general; παραγγέλλω, to charge, esp. of the transmitted orders of a military com­mander; ἐντέλλω points rather to the contents of the command (see Thayer, see word κελεύω)
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Grammatical Forms

How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.

Tenses
Aorist Future Present Perfect
Voices
Middle
Indicative states a fact or reality 13×
Aorist Middle Matt 17:9 · Matt 19:7 · Mark 10:3 · Mark 13:34 · John 14:31 · Heb 9:20 · Heb 11:22 · Matt 28:20
Future Middle Matt 4:6 · Luke 4:10
Present Middle John 15:14 · John 15:17
Perfect Middle Acts 13:47
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality
Aorist Middle Acts 1:2
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 15 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
completed 9 ongoing 2 prospective 2 resultant 1 participle 1
Tense
aorist 10 present 2 future 2 perfect 1
Voice
middle 15
Mood
indicative 14 participle 1

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)

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

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

Sources