Greek · G4100 · unreviewed
πιστεύω
To trust (in)
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πιστεύω G4100
Pronunciation pisteúō
What does πιστεύω (pisteúō) mean in the Bible?
πιστεύω (pisteúō) is a Greek word meaning "to trust (in)". πιστεύω, [in LXX chiefly for אמן hi. Trust in Christ’s resurrection secures righteousness. This term runs through the canonical themes of Faith, Messiah, Redemption.
Full entry for πιστεύω (G4100) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
to trust (in)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Belief directed toward a person (with ε�ς) expresses trust and reliance, not mere intellectual assent.
1intrans., to have faith (in), to believe; in cl., with accusative, dative, in NT also with prep, (on the significance of the various constructions, see M, Pr., 67f.; Vau. on Rom.4:5; Ellic. on 1Ti.1:16; Abbott, JV, 19-80): absol., Mat.24:23, 26 Mrk.13:21, 1Co.11:18; with accusative of thing(s), Act.13:41, 1Co.13:7; with dative of person(s) (to believe what one says), Mrk.16:[13, 14], 1Jn.4:1; τ. ψεύδει, 2Th.2:11; περί . . . ὅτι, Jhn.9:18; esp. and most frequently with reference to religious belief: absol., Mat.8:13, Mrk.5:36, Luk.8:50, Jhn.11:40, al.; before ὅτι, Mat.9:28, al.; with dative (see supr., and cf. DB, i, 829a), Jhn.3:12 5:24 6:30 8:31, Act.16:34, Gal.3:6" (LXX), 2Ti.1:12, 1Jn.5:10, al.; with prep., (expressing personal trust and reliance as distinct from mere credence or belief; see M, Pr., l.with; DB, i, 829b), to believe in or on: ἐν (Psa.77 (78):22, al.), Mrk.1:15 (see Swete, in l.); εἰς, Mat.18:6, Jhn.2:11 (see Westc., in l.), and freq., Act.10:43 19:4, Rom.10:14, Gal.2:16, Php.1:29, I Jhn.5:10, 1Pe.1:8; εἰς τ. ὄνομα, Jhn.1:12 2:23 3:18, 1Jn.5:13; ἐπί, with accusative, Mat.27:42, Act.9:42 11:17 16:31 22:19, Rom.4:5; ἐπί, with dative, Rom.9:33 (LXX) 10:11 (ib.), 1Ti.1:16, 1Pe.2:6" (LXX) ; ptcp. pres., οἱ π., as subst., Act.2:44, Rom.3:22, 1Co.1:21, al.; aor., Mrk.16:[16], Act.4:32; pf., Act.19:18 21:20 (on Johannine use of the tenses of π., see Westc, Epp. Jo., 120).
Why This Word Matters
Trust in Christ’s resurrection secures righteousness. 1 John 3:19-24
Identifies faith as the means of receiving messianic restoration. 1 John 4:13-16
Faith is the necessary response. 1 John 5:1-5
Central response required for life. 1 Timothy 1:8-11
Faith grounded in resurrection evidence. Acts 13:1-12
Marks progression from initial trust to confirmed faith. Acts 14:1-7
Marks the emergence of resurrection faith. Acts 16:25-34
Saving trust in Christ is the central aim of the Gospel.
The proconsul’s faith reflects the gospel’s effective power.
Marks genuine response to gospel proclamation.
Identifies faith in the Lord Jesus as the means of salvation.
Marks the genuine response that follows scriptural verification.
Marks genuine conversion in a skeptical environment.
Miracles lead to faith in the Lord, not mere amazement.
Paul views the gospel as a stewardship, reinforcing the seriousness of preserving and proclaiming it faithfully.
Faith in Jesus’ identity as the Christ is the defining mark of new birth.
Faith in Christ remains central; love flows from trust in Him.
Believers not only know about God’s love but actively depend on it.
Faith in Jesus as the Christ is the defining mark of new birth.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 77×
Present Active John 3:15 · John 3:16 · John 3:18 · John 3:36 · John 5:24 · John 6:35 · John 6:40 · John 6:47 · John 7:38 · John 11:25 · John 11:26 · John 12:44 · John 12:46 · John 14:12 · Acts 13:39 · Acts 24:14 54×
Aorist Active Luke 8:12 · John 7:39 · John 20:29 · Acts 19:2 · Eph 1:13 · 2 Thess 2:12 · Heb 4:3 · Mark 16:17 · Acts 11:17 · 2 Thess 1:10 · Mark 16:16 · Acts 11:21 · Luke 1:45 · Acts 4:32 · Jude 1:5 15×
Perfect Active Acts 15:5 · Titus 3:8 · Acts 19:18 · Acts 21:20 · John 8:31 · Acts 16:34 · Acts 18:27 · Acts 21:25 8×
Indicative states a fact or reality 113×
Aorist Active Matt 21:32 · Mark 16:13 · Mark 16:14 · John 2:11 · John 2:22 · John 2:23 · John 4:39 · John 4:41 · John 7:31 · John 8:30 · John 9:18 · John 10:42 · John 11:45 · John 12:42 · John 17:8 · Acts 4:4 48×
Present Active Matt 9:28 · John 3:12 · John 5:38 · John 5:47 · John 6:36 · John 8:45 · John 8:46 · John 10:25 · John 10:26 · John 14:1 · John 16:31 · John 1:50 · John 9:35 · John 11:26 · John 14:10 · Acts 26:27 36×
Perfect Active John 3:18 · 1 John 5:10 · John 6:69 · 1 John 4:16 · John 11:27 · 2 Tim 1:12 · John 16:27 · John 20:29 8×
Imperfect Active John 7:5 · John 12:11 · John 12:37 · Acts 18:8 · John 5:46 · John 2:24 7×
Future Active John 3:12 · John 5:47 · Matt 27:42 · Luke 16:11 · John 11:48 5×
Aorist Passive 2 Thess 1:10 · 1 Tim 3:16 · 1 Tim 1:11 · Titus 1:3 · Rom 3:2 5×
Perfect Passive 1 Cor 9:17 · Gal 2:7 2×
Pluperfect Active Acts 14:23 1×
Present Passive Rom 10:10 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 26×
Aorist Active Matt 24:23 · Matt 24:26 · Luke 22:67 · John 4:48 · John 8:24 · John 11:15 · John 13:19 · John 14:29 · Acts 13:41 · John 1:7 · John 11:42 · Acts 19:4 · Rom 10:14 · Mark 15:32 · John 6:30 · 1 John 3:23 20×
Present Active John 6:29 · John 10:38 · John 19:35 · John 20:31 · Mark 11:23 · John 17:21 6×
Imperative command or strong request 13×
Present Active Mark 1:15 · Mark 11:24 · Mark 13:21 · John 10:37 · John 10:38 · John 12:36 · John 14:11 · 1 John 4:1 · Mark 5:36 · John 4:21 11×
Aorist Active Luke 8:50 · Acts 16:31 2×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 12×
Aorist Active Matt 21:32 · John 5:44 · Acts 14:1 · Acts 15:7 · 2 Thess 2:11 · Heb 11:6 6×
Present Active Luke 24:25 · John 12:39 · Rom 15:13 · Phil 1:29 · 1 Tim 1:16 5×
Aorist Passive 1 Thess 2:4 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 240 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 113 aorist 97 perfect 17 imperfect 7 future 5 pluperfect 1
Voice
active 231 passive 9
Mood
indicative 112 participle 77 subjunctive 26 imperative 13 infinitive 12
NT Occurrences
Matthew 8:13 ἐπίστευσας aorist active indicative completed Matthew 9:28 Πιστεύετε present active indicative ongoing Matthew 18:6 πιστευόντων present active participle participle Matthew 21:22 πιστεύοντες present active participle participle Matthew 21:25 ἐπιστεύσατε aorist active indicative completed Matthew 21:32 ἐπιστεύσατε aorist active indicative completed Matthew 21:32 ἐπίστευσαν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 21:32 πιστεῦσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Matthew 24:23 πιστεύσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 24:26 πιστεύσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 27:42 πιστεύσομεν future active indicative prospective Mark 1:15 πιστεύετε present active imperative imperative Mark 5:36 πίστευε present active imperative imperative Mark 9:23 πιστεύοντι present active participle participle Mark 9:24 Πιστεύω present active indicative ongoing Mark 9:42 πιστευόντων present active participle participle Mark 11:23 πιστεύῃ present active subjunctive subjunctive Mark 11:24 πιστεύετε present active imperative imperative Mark 11:31 ἐπιστεύσατε aorist active indicative completed Mark 13:21 πιστεύετε present active imperative imperative Mark 15:32 πιστεύσωμεν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Mark 16:13 ἐπίστευσαν aorist active indicative completed Mark 16:14 ἐπίστευσαν aorist active indicative completed Mark 16:16 πιστεύσας aorist active participle participle Mark 16:17 πιστεύσασιν aorist active participle participle Luke 1:20 ἐπίστευσας aorist active indicative completed Luke 1:45 πιστεύσασα aorist active participle participle Luke 8:12 πιστεύσαντες aorist active participle participle Luke 8:13 πιστεύουσιν present active indicative ongoing Luke 8:50 πίστευσον aorist active imperative imperative Luke 16:11 πιστεύσει future active indicative prospective Luke 20:5 ἐπιστεύσατε aorist active indicative completed Luke 22:67 πιστεύσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Luke 24:25 πιστεύειν present active infinitive infinitive John 1:12 πιστεύουσιν present active participle participle John 1:50 πιστεύεις present active indicative ongoing John 1:7 πιστεύσωσιν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 2:11 ἐπίστευσαν aorist active indicative completed John 2:22 ἐπίστευσαν aorist active indicative completed John 2:23 ἐπίστευσαν aorist active indicative completed
+200 more occurrences
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
1 John 3:19-24 believe pisteúō Subjunctive · Aorist Active
To place trust and reliance upon.
1 John 4:13-16 rely pisteúō Indicative · Perfect Active
To place settled trust and dependence upon.
1 John 5:1-5 believes pisteúō
To place personal trust and reliance upon.
1 Timothy 1:8-11 entrusted pisteúō Indicative · Aorist Passive
To be given a sacred responsibility in trust.
Acts 13:1-12 Believed pisteúō
To trust or place confidence in.
Acts 14:1-7 Believed pisteúō Infinitive · Aorist Active
To trust or place faith in.
Acts 16:25-34 Believe pisteúō Participle · Perfect Active
To trust or rely upon.
Additional Occurrences
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.
1 Corinthians 13 — The More Excellent Way of Love Acts 10 — God Opens the Gospel Door to the Gentiles Acts 13 — The Spirit Sends the Mission and the Word Turns to the Gentiles Acts 14 — Through Many Hardships into the Kingdom Acts 16 — The Gospel Enters Macedonia: Opened Hearts, Broken Chains, and Household Faith Acts 18 — The Lord Strengthens the Mission in Corinth and Beyond Acts 19 — The Word of the Lord Grows Mightily in Ephesus Acts 24 — Paul Before Felix: Resurrection Hope, Clear Conscience, and Coming Judgment Acts 26 — Paul Before Agrippa: The Risen Christ Sends Light to Jews and Gentiles Acts 27 — The Storm, the Shipwreck, and the Promise of God Acts 8 — The Scattered Church Carries Christ Beyond Jerusalem Acts 9 — The Risen Christ Converts His Fiercest Persecutor John 1 — The Word Made Flesh, Witnessed, and Followed John 10 — The Good Shepherd, the Door, and the Son One with the Father John 11 — The Resurrection and the Life, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Plot to Kill Jesus John 12 — The Anointed King, the Lifted-Up Son of Man, and the Hour of Glory John 14 — The Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Father Revealed in the Son, and the Promise of the Spirit John 16 — The Spirit’s Convicting Witness, the Disciples’ Sorrow Turned to Joy, and Christ’s Victory over the World John 17 — The Son’s High Priestly Prayer: Glory, Preservation, Sanctification, Unity, Mission, and Love John 19 — The Crucified King: Behold the Man, Behold Your King, It Is Finished, and the Pierced Son John 2 — The First Sign, the True Temple, and the Glory of Jesus Revealed John 20 — The Risen Lord: Empty Tomb, Eyewitness Faith, Peace, Mission, Spirit, Thomas, and the Purpose of the Gospel John 3 — New Birth, Lifted-Up Son, and the Love of God for the World John 4 — Living Water, True Worship, and the Savior of the World John 5 — The Son Who Gives Life, Judges, and Is Witnessed by the Father John 6 — The Bread of Life, the Words of Eternal Life, and the Crisis of True Discipleship John 7 — The Feast, the Divided Crowd, and the Living Water of Jesus John 8 — The Light of the World, True Freedom, and the I AM Before Abraham John 9 — The Man Born Blind, the Light of the World, and the Blindness of Religious Unbelief Luke 24 — The Risen Christ Opens the Scriptures, Commissions Witnesses, and Ascends in Blessing Luke 8 — The Word Heard, the Kingdom Revealed, and the Lord’s Authority Displayed Mark 1 — The Beginning of the Gospel: The Servant-King Appears with Authority Mark 11 — The King Comes to Jerusalem: Fig Tree, Temple Judgment, Faith, Forgiveness, and Authority Mark 15 — The Crucified King: Condemnation, Mockery, Death, Confession, and Burial Mark 5 — The Authority of Jesus over Demons, Disease, and Death Mark 9 — Glory, Unbelief, Suffering, Humility, and Radical Discipleship Matthew 18 — Kingdom Humility, Care for the Little Ones, Discipline, and Forgiveness in Christ’s Community Matthew 21 — The King Enters Jerusalem, Judges Fruitless Religion, and Exposes Rejected-Son Leadership Romans 10 — Christ the End of the Law and the Righteousness Received by Faith Romans 13 — Submission to Governing Authorities, Love as the Fulfillment of the Law, and Life in the Light of the Coming Day Romans 15 — Bearing with the Weak, Welcoming One Another, and Paul’s Priestly Mission to the Gentiles Romans 3 — All Under Sin and the Righteousness of God Revealed Through Faith in Christ Romans 4 — Abraham Justified by Faith and the Promise Secured by Grace
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain