πιστεύω
pisteúō
G4100 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To trust, to believe, to consider something or someone as trustworthy or reliable. The verb primarily indicates the act of believing or having confidence in the truth, reliability, or trustworthiness of something or someone. Contextually, it may range from accepting a statement as true, to placing personal trust in a person (such as a leader or deity), to formally entrusting something valuable, including responsibility or information, to another.
Semantic Range
to trust, to have confidence in, to believe (a statement or person), to entrust something to someone, to be convinced of truth, to rely upon, to give credence to, to put confidence in
Root / Etymology
Derived from πίστις (pistis, 'trust, faith, belief'), itself from the stem πειθ- (peith-, 'to persuade, be convinced'). The formation pisteúō is a denominative verb from the noun πίστις.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, πιστεύω generally meant 'to trust,' 'have confidence in,' or 'to rely on,' whether relating to people, statements, or documents. In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, the range expanded in religious, social, and legal contexts. The Septuagint often uses πιστεύω to translate various Hebrew verbs connoting trust, belief, or faithfulness, particularly with respect to Israelite trust in their deity. In the New Testament, πιστεύω typically describes confidence in the truth or divine reliability of a proclamation, message, or person, notably in relation to Jesus as a figure of trust or authority. In some legal or administrative settings, it can mean 'to entrust' possessions or responsibilities to another. English translations frequently render it as 'believe,' 'have faith,' or 'trust,' but these may not always convey the full dynamics of relational trust, reliance, and entrusting present in Koine Greek usage. While often found in connection with divine subjects, πιστεύω is also used for secular or interpersonal beliefs and trust, including believing reports, trusting leaders, or entrusting items or people for safekeeping.
Translation Consistency
'Trust' best captures the primary relational and confidence-based sense of pisteúō (having faith in or relying on someone) while also naturally covering contexts of entrusting. It is simple, natural English and aligns with the dominant renderings in the data (e.g., 'trusting', 'trusted'), allowing consistent treatment of all forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from πίστις; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):--believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
Root Family
πιστεύω (pisteuō) — to trust, to believe, to consider trustworthy, to entrust
Word Forms
55 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4100-30 |
πιστεύετε | pisteuete | V PRS ACT IND 2P PL |
believe | you are trusting | you are trusting | 25 |
G4100-33 |
πιστεύων | pisteuon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
believing | the one trusting | the one trusting | 24 |
G4100-06 |
ἐπίστευσαν | episteusan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
believed | they trusted | they trusted | 22 |
G4100-39 |
πιστεύουσιν | pisteuousin | V PRS ACT IND 3P PL |
who believe | they trust | they trust | 14 |
G4100-09 |
ἐπίστευσεν | episteusen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
believed | trusted | trusted | 14 |
G4100-49 |
πιστεύσητε | pisteusete | V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P PL |
believe | you might trust | you might trust | 11 |
G4100-28 |
πιστεύεις | pisteueis | V PRS ACT IND 2P SG |
believe | you are trusting | you are trusting | 8 |
G4100-42 |
πιστεύσαντες | pisteusantes | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M PL |
having believed | having trusted | having trusted | 7 |
G4100-36 |
πιστεύοντες | pisteuontes | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL |
believing | those trusting | believing | 7 |
G4100-08 |
ἐπιστεύσατε | episteusate | V AOR ACT IND 2P PL |
you believed | you trusted | you trusted | 7 |
Occurrences in Scripture
244 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4100-07 |
Matthew 8:13 | ἐπίστευσας | episteusas | V AOR ACT IND 2P SG |
you-have-believed | you trusted | you believed |
G4100-30 |
Matthew 9:28 | πιστεύετε | pisteuete | V PRS ACT IND 2P PL |
Do you believe | you are trusting | you are trusting |
G4100-38 |
Matthew 18:6 | πιστευόντων | pisteuonton | V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL |
believing | of the ones trusting | of the ones trusting |
G4100-36 |
Matthew 21:22 | πιστεύοντες | pisteuontes | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL |
believing | those trusting | believing |
G4100-08 |
Matthew 21:25 | ἐπιστεύσατε | episteusate | V AOR ACT IND 2P PL |
did you believe | you trusted | you trusted |
G4100-08 |
Matthew 21:32 | ἐπιστεύσατε | episteusate | V AOR ACT IND 2P PL |
you believed | you trusted | you trusted |
G4100-06 |
Matthew 21:32 | ἐπίστευσαν | episteusan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
believed | they trusted | they trusted |
G4100-40 |
Matthew 21:32 | πιστεῦσαι | pisteusai | V AOR ACT INF |
believe | to trust | believe |
G4100-49 |
Matthew 24:23 | πιστεύσητε | pisteusete | V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P PL |
believe | you might trust | you might trust |
G4100-49 |
Matthew 24:26 | πιστεύσητε | pisteusete | V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P PL |
believe | you might trust | you might trust |