ἐδίωκον

diṓkō

were persecuting

To pursue with intent, to follow after something or someone, whether in a physical, metaphorical, or judicial sense. In its primary sense, διώκω means 'to pursue' or 'to chase,' often with a sense of eagerness or urgency. It may denote literal pursuit (as in hunting or running after), earnest striving for a goal, or, negatively, the pursuit of someone in the sense of 'persecuting' or 'harassing' (legal, social, or physical pressure).

G1377

John 5:16 · Word #4

Lexicon G1377

Lemmaδιώκω
Transliterationdiṓkō
Strong'sG1377
DefinitionTo pursue with intent, to follow after something or someone, whether in a physical, metaphorical, or judicial sense. In its primary sense, διώκω means 'to pursue' or 'to chase,' often with a sense of eagerness or urgency. It may denote literal pursuit (as in hunting or running after), earnest striving for a goal, or, negatively, the pursuit of someone in the sense of 'persecuting' or 'harassing' (legal, social, or physical pressure).

Morphology V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state of being
Tense IMPF — Imperfect — Continuous or repeated past action
Voice ACT — Active — The subject performs the action
Mood IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality
Person 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they")
Number PL — Plural — More than one

Common Translation

Phrasewere persecuting
Literalthey-persecuted

Lexical Info

Lemmaδιώκω
Strong'sG1377

SIBI-P1 Translation G1377-22

they were pursuing

Morphological NotesVerb; imperfect tense (past ongoing), active voice, indicative mood, third person plural.
Rendering RationaleThe imperfect tense conveys continuous or repeated action in past time, and the active voice with third person plural indicates that "they" were performing the action. "They were pursuing" preserves the core sense of intentional, ongoing pursuit inherent in διώκω.

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