To deem entitled or fit
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Axioo is a Greek verb for considering someone worthy, deeming a person fit, judging something deserving, or thinking a course best. The centurion says he did not consider himself worthy for Jesus to enter his home, yet he trusts Jesus' authority to heal.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀξιόω (G515) · Open the biblical lexicon
Axioo is a Greek verb for considering someone worthy, deeming a person fit, judging something deserving, or thinking a course best. The centurion says he did not consider himself worthy for Jesus to enter his home, yet he trusts Jesus' authority to heal.
The BSB source-word alignment has 7 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include are worthy (1), deserves (1), has been counted worthy (1), I did not consider myself worthy (1), thought it best (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 7:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (2), Hebrews (2), 1 Timothy (1), 2 Thessalonians (1).
Axioo is a Greek verb for considering someone worthy, deeming a person fit, judging something deserving, or thinking a course best. The centurion says he did not consider himself worthy for Jesus to enter his home, yet he trusts Jesus' authority to heal. Paul judges John Mark unfit to accompany a mission after his earlier withdrawal, a serious vocational assessment that the wider canon does not turn into permanent human rejection.
First Timothy says elders who lead well are worthy of double honor, tying recognition to effective and laboring service rather than status alone. Second Thessalonians prays that God will count believers worthy of His calling and powerfully fulfill faithful desire and work. The verb does not assign intrinsic human value or teach that salvation, calling, or grace is earned.
It evaluates fitness, honor, action, or consequence within a stated relation. Teachers must distinguish humble self-assessment from shame, accountable role evaluation from contempt, appropriate honor from immunity, and grace-enabled vocation from merit-based acceptance before God.
Axioo expresses an evaluation of worthiness, fitness, deserving consequence, or a judged course of action; the evaluator, standard, object, and grace context determine the claim.
That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to You. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
The centurion's humility does not end in despair; it recognizes Jesus' authority and asks mercy for a servant under his care.
But Paul thought it best not to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work.
Paul judges John Mark unsuitable for this journey based on prior withdrawal, while the narrative records disagreement rather than declaring permanent worthlessness.
Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
The letter directs substantial honor toward elders whose effective leadership includes hard work in preaching and teaching, within surrounding accountability instructions.
To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith,
Paul's prayer places worthy walking and works of faith under God's calling and enabling power, excluding self-generated merit as their source.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. to deem entitled or fit
(ἄξιος), [in LXX chiefly for בְּעָא, בָּקַשׁ; frequently in Wis.1:1-16, 2 Mac ;]
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
7 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I account or treat as worthy
Read verseI account or treat as worthy
Read verseI account or treat as worthy
Read verseI account or treat as worthy
Read verseI account or treat as worthy
Read verseI account or treat as worthy
Read verseI account or treat as worthy
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.
How this verb appears across 7 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)
ἀξιόω is built from this root:
Worthiness language evaluates a relation; it does not place people on a single scale of human value. The centurion humbly declines to claim social entitlement before Jesus, yet his confidence in Jesus seeks healing for a servant. Paul makes a contested mission decision about John Mark based on prior conduct, but Scripture later records Mark as useful, warning against turning role fitness into permanent rejection.
First Timothy honors elders who lead well and labor in teaching, while the same section requires fair accusation procedures and public correction of persistent sin. Second Thessalonians prays that God will count believers worthy of His calling and fulfill their work by His power. Calling comes first; divine enablement produces fitting life. Churches should evaluate roles with evidence, clear standards, accountability, and paths for growth without confusing competence with dignity.
They should honor faithful labor without granting leaders immunity. Above all, they should proclaim salvation as grace, not a status earned through performance, suffering, ministry productivity, or human approval.
2Thess.1.11
The causative verb means to deem or treat as worthy, fit, deserving, or appropriate. It expresses an evaluator's judgment within a specific relation and does not itself define the standard or a person's intrinsic value.
Biblical honor, fitness, judgment, and calling are related but distinct. The gospel grounds acceptance in Christ's grace, then calls believers to walk in a fitting manner, while leadership evaluation remains evidence-based and accountable rather than a verdict on human dignity.