διακονία
diakonía
G1248 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Service, the act of serving or attending to others, often in a practical or administrative sense; includes the provision of support, aid, or assistance within a community. The term may refer to specific duties carried out on behalf of others, such as caring for physical needs, organizing charitable distribution, or fulfilling an entrusted role within a group or assembly. In some contexts, it designates particular functions or offices, such as those of the so-called 'deacons', but more generally embraces any ministry or activity on behalf of others.
Semantic Range
service, attendance (to personal or material needs), provision of aid, practical ministry, charitable support, distribution of resources, administrative task, office or function (especially within community assemblies)
Root / Etymology
From the noun διάκονος (diákonos, 'servant' or 'attendant'), ultimately related to the verb διακονέω (diakoneō, 'to serve, to wait upon'). The precise ancient derivation is uncertain; it is sometimes linked to διά (through) and κόνις (dust), i.e., one who moves through dust to serve, but this is likely folk etymology and not widely accepted in modern scholarship.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, διακονία referred broadly to service, attendance, or assistance (often of a menial or laborious nature), distinct from more formal or prestigious types of service (as denoted by functions like λειτουργία or δοῦλος). By the Hellenistic and Koine periods, particularly in early Christian contexts, it was adopted to describe a variety of practical ministries, especially acts of hospitality, charitable aid, and the organization of relief for the needy (e.g., Acts 6, 2 Cor 8–9). In the New Testament, διακονία sometimes designates a specific functional role or office, but more commonly the emphasis is on the act of serving others within or outside the assembly, regardless of official status. The translation "ministry" in some English traditions can obscure the practical and often material connotation of the term in ancient use. Notably, διακονία lacks the sense of priesthood or liturgical function inherent in λειτουργία; instead, it often implies personal service, provision, or administrative support. Later Christian traditions derived the office of 'deacon' (from διάκονος) from such usage, but this is an institutional development absent from the word's earliest occurrences.
Translation Consistency
diakonia primarily denotes the act or work of serving — practical aid, attendance, distribution, and the entrusted office/function of service. "Serve" is the most natural, versatile English verb that covers both everyday and ecclesiastical senses (service/ministry) and will read smoothly when inflected across forms; it is preferable to the more technical noun "ministry."
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from διάκονος; attendance (as a servant, etc.); figuratively (eleemosynary) aid, (official) service (especially of the Christian teacher, or technically of the diaconate):--(ad-)minister(-ing, -tration, -try), office, relief, service(-ing).
Root Family
διακονία (diakonia) — service, attendance, administration, practical ministry
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1248-02 |
διακονίαν | diakonian | N ACC F SG |
ministry | service | a serving | 16 |
G1248-01 |
διακονίᾳ | diakonia | N DAT F SG |
ministry | to service | to serve | 10 |
G1248-03 |
διακονίας | diakonias | N GEN F SG |
ministry | of service | of serving | 7 |
G1248-04 |
διακονιῶν | diakonion | N GEN F PL |
of ministries | of services | of ministries | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
34 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1248-02 |
Luke 10:40 | διακονίαν | diakonian | N ACC F SG |
service | service | a serving |
G1248-03 |
Acts 1:17 | διακονίας | diakonias | N GEN F SG |
ministry | of service | of serving |
G1248-03 |
Acts 1:25 | διακονίας | diakonias | N GEN F SG |
ministry | of service | of serving |
G1248-01 |
Acts 6:1 | διακονίᾳ | diakonia | N DAT F SG |
ministration | to service | to serve |
G1248-01 |
Acts 6:4 | διακονίᾳ | diakonia | N DAT F SG |
ministry | to service | to serve |
G1248-02 |
Acts 11:29 | διακονίαν | diakonian | N ACC F SG |
relief | service | a serving |
G1248-02 |
Acts 12:25 | διακονίαν | diakonian | N ACC F SG |
ministry | service | a serving |
G1248-02 |
Acts 20:24 | διακονίαν | diakonian | N ACC F SG |
ministry | service | a serving |
G1248-03 |
Acts 21:19 | διακονίας | diakonias | N GEN F SG |
ministry | of service | of serving |
G1248-02 |
Romans 11:13 | διακονίαν | diakonian | N ACC F SG |
ministry | service | a serving |