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προσεύχομαι

proseúchomai

G4336 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To address a deity or higher power with words of request, praise, or thanksgiving; to engage in prayer, particularly in the sense of direct communication or petition. In Hellenistic and Koine usage, it generally denotes the act of praying, whether requesting aid, offering thanks, or expressing devotion. The verb encompasses both formal and informal prayer acts, communal or individual, and does not specify content but rather the act of engaging in prayer.

Semantic Range

to pray, to address a deity with supplication, to offer prayers of thanksgiving or praise, to make entreaty, to seek favor or guidance through prayer

Root / Etymology

From the preposition πρός ('toward, to') and the verb εὔχομαι ('to vow, wish, pray'). The compound thus emphasizes directedness or intentional approach in prayer ('to pray toward'). The root εὐχ- is found in classical sources where it primarily meant 'to vow' or 'to express a wish,' but in later Greek, it took on the broader sense of 'to pray.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, εὔχομαι often meant 'to vow' or 'to wish,' and prayers were frequently associated with vows or binding requests toward deities. The compound προσεύχομαι, which is rare or absent in early classical texts, became the standard verb for 'to pray' in Hellenistic and later Greek, especially in religious, Jewish, and Christian contexts. In the Septuagint and New Testament, προσεύχομαι refers to prayer generally, with an implied focus on direct address to the God of Israel (or, by extension, to other deities in non-Jewish texts). The act encompassed a full range of types—supplication, thanksgiving, praise, and intercession—without specifying the form or content. Standard English translations often render it simply as 'pray,' which captures the general meaning but does not reflect any specific liturgical nuance. While εὔχομαι could refer to any form of wish or vow, προσεύχομαι became semantically narrowed in Jewish and Christian Greek to denote prayer as communication with God, rather than a generic wish or vow. In contrast, παραιτέομαι ('to beseech') or δέομαι ('to beg') denote more urgent or supplicatory tones. The noun προσευχή ('prayer') is closely related and similarly widespread in Jewish and Christian Greek.

Translation Consistency

primary "pray" 50 occurrences

This verb best captures the normal, natural English rendering of προσεύχομαι across its range (petition, thanksgiving, devotion). It matches the majority of attested translations (praying/prayed/pray) and can be inflected for person/tense/mood to cover all forms while remaining idiomatic for both individual and communal prayer.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from πρός and εὔχομαι; to pray to God, i.e. supplicate, worship:--pray (X earnestly, for), make prayer.

Root Family

εὐχ- (euchḗ) — to wish, to pray, to vow

Root εὐχ- to pray, to vow, to wish
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G2171 εὐχή votive petition
G2172 εὔχομαι I am praying

Word Forms

24 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4336-03 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying 17
G4336-09 προσευχόμενοι proseuchomenoi V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL praying praying (for themselves) praying (for themselves) 11
G4336-21 προσηύξατο proseuxato V AOR MID IND 3P SG he prayed he prayed he prayed 7
G4336-02 προσεύχεσθαι proseuchesthai V PRS MID INF to pray to be praying to be praying 6
G4336-19 προσεύξασθαι proseuxasthai V AOR MID INF to pray to pray to pray 6
G4336-06 προσηύχετο proseucheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG he prayed he was praying he was praying 5
G4336-11 προσευχόμενος proseuchomenos V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG praying praying (directing oneself to God) praying 5
G4336-16 προσευξάμενοι proseuxamenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL having prayed having prayed having prayed 5
G4336-23 προσεύξωμαι proseuxomai V AOR MID SUBJ 1P SG I will pray I might pray I might pray 4
G4336-10 προσευχόμενον proseuchomenon V PRS MID PTCP NOM N SG praying praying praying 3

Occurrences in Scripture

88 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4336-03 Matthew 5:44 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-01 Matthew 6:5 προσεύχῃ proseuche V PRS MID SUBJ 2P SG you pray you may be praying you may be praying
G4336-02 Matthew 6:5 προσεύχεσθαι proseuchesthai V PRS MID INF to pray to be praying to be praying
G4336-01 Matthew 6:6 προσεύχῃ proseuche V PRS MID SUBJ 2P SG you pray you may be praying you may be praying
G4336-15 Matthew 6:6 πρόσευξαι proseuxai V AOR MID IMP 2P SG pray Pray pray
G4336-09 Matthew 6:7 προσευχόμενοι proseuchomenoi V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL when you pray praying (for themselves) praying (for themselves)
G4336-03 Matthew 6:9 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-19 Matthew 14:23 προσεύξασθαι proseuxasthai V AOR MID INF to pray to pray to pray
G4336-22 Matthew 19:13 προσεύξηται proseuxetai V AOR MID SUBJ 3P SG pray he might pray he might pray
G4336-09 Matthew 23:14 προσευχόμενοι proseuchomenoi V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL praying praying (for themselves) praying (for themselves)
G4336-03 Matthew 24:20 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-23 Matthew 26:36 προσεύξωμαι proseuxomai V AOR MID SUBJ 1P SG pray I might pray I might pray
G4336-11 Matthew 26:39 προσευχόμενος proseuchomenos V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG praying praying (directing oneself to God) praying
G4336-03 Matthew 26:41 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-21 Matthew 26:42 προσηύξατο proseuxato V AOR MID IND 3P SG away and prayed he prayed he prayed
G4336-21 Matthew 26:44 προσηύξατο proseuxato V AOR MID IND 3P SG he prayed he prayed he prayed
G4336-06 Mark 1:35 προσηύχετο proseucheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG he was praying he was praying he was praying
G4336-19 Mark 6:46 προσεύξασθαι proseuxasthai V AOR MID INF to pray to pray to pray
G4336-03 Mark 11:24 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IND 2P PL you pray be praying be praying
G4336-09 Mark 11:25 προσευχόμενοι proseuchomenoi V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL praying praying (for themselves) praying (for themselves)
G4336-09 Mark 12:40 προσευχόμενοι proseuchomenoi V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL prayers praying (for themselves) praying (for themselves)
G4336-03 Mark 13:18 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-03 Mark 13:33 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-23 Mark 14:32 προσεύξωμαι proseuxomai V AOR MID SUBJ 1P SG I pray I might pray I might pray
G4336-06 Mark 14:35 προσηύχετο proseucheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG he prayed he was praying he was praying
G4336-03 Mark 14:38 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-21 Mark 14:39 προσηύξατο proseuxato V AOR MID IND 3P SG he prayed he prayed he prayed
G4336-10 Luke 1:10 προσευχόμενον proseuchomenon V PRS MID PTCP NOM N SG praying praying praying
G4336-12 Luke 3:21 προσευχομένου proseuchomenou V PRS MID PTCP GEN M SG praying of one praying praying
G4336-11 Luke 5:16 προσευχόμενος proseuchomenos V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG praying praying (directing oneself to God) praying
G4336-19 Luke 6:12 προσεύξασθαι proseuxasthai V AOR MID INF to pray to pray to pray
G4336-03 Luke 6:28 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-10 Luke 9:18 προσευχόμενον proseuchomenon V PRS MID PTCP ACC M SG praying praying praying
G4336-19 Luke 9:28 προσεύξασθαι proseuxasthai V AOR MID INF to pray to pray to pray
G4336-02 Luke 9:29 προσεύχεσθαι proseuchesthai V PRS MID INF he was praying to be praying to be praying
G4336-10 Luke 11:1 προσευχόμενον proseuchomenon V PRS MID PTCP ACC M SG praying praying praying
G4336-02 Luke 11:1 προσεύχεσθαι proseuchesthai V PRS MID INF to pray to be praying to be praying
G4336-03 Luke 11:2 προσεύχησθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID SUBJ 2P PL you pray be praying be praying
G4336-02 Luke 18:1 προσεύχεσθαι proseuchesthai V PRS MID INF to pray to be praying to be praying
G4336-19 Luke 18:10 προσεύξασθαι proseuxasthai V AOR MID INF to pray to pray to pray
G4336-06 Luke 18:11 προσηύχετο proseucheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG prayed he was praying he was praying
G4336-14 Luke 20:47 προσεύχονται proseuchontai V PRS MID IND 3P PL pray they are praying they are praying
G4336-03 Luke 22:40 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-06 Luke 22:41 προσηύχετο proseucheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG prayed he was praying he was praying
G4336-06 Luke 22:44 προσηύχετο proseucheto V IMPF MID IND 3P SG he prayed he was praying he was praying
G4336-03 Luke 22:46 προσεύχεσθε proseuchesthe V PRS MID IMP 2P PL pray be praying be praying
G4336-16 Acts 1:24 προσευξάμενοι proseuxamenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL they prayed having prayed having prayed
G4336-16 Acts 6:6 προσευξάμενοι proseuxamenoi V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL having prayed having prayed having prayed
G4336-18 Acts 8:15 προσηύξαντο proseuxanto V AOR MID IND 3P PL prayed they prayed prayed
G4336-05 Acts 9:11 προσεύχεται proseuchetai V PRS MID IND 3P SG he is praying he/she is praying he is praying
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