ὑπακούω (G5219) — Greek Lexicon

ὑπακούω

hypakoúō

G5219 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To obey, to listen or hearken to with the implication of submitting to authority; in particular, to pay attention and act in accordance with instructions, directives, or commands issued by someone in a position of authority. Contextually, it can range from general attentive listening to active obedience or compliance with a superior's will.

Semantic Range

to obey, to heed, to listen attentively, to comply, to submit (to authority), to act on the basis of what is heard, to be subject to

Root / Etymology

Formed from ὑπό ('under') + ἀκούω ('to hear'), literally conveying 'to hear under' or 'listen as a subordinate.' This etymology points to the idea of responding appropriately to someone in authority by listening and complying.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ὑπακούω carried the basic sense of subordination—responding to someone by listening and submitting to their directives, such as a servant to a master, or a citizen to a magistrate. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, including the New Testament and Septuagint, the term consistently denotes the act of not only hearing but also acting in accordance with what is commanded, requested, or expected, often in contexts of established hierarchies (children to parents, slaves to masters, disciples to teachers, or inferiors to superiors). The concept is broader than mere passive listening; it connotes active compliance or adherence. Standard English translations like 'obey' or 'be obedient to' express the main sense but can obscure the nuance that ὑπακούω includes willing attentiveness to authority, not mere compulsion. The word is semantically distinct from words like πείθω (to persuade, to trust) or ἀκούω (to hear, listen) on their own, as ὑπακούω specializes in the dynamic of response within a hierarchical relationship. In New Testament contexts, it is often found in discussions of familial, spiritual, or social submission. Its use in the Septuagint often mirrors its application in social and ritual obedience within the Israelite and Judean community structures.

Translation Consistency

primary "obey" 19 occurrences

“Obey” is the most natural, common English rendering for ὑπακούω in its typical biblical sense of listening with submission and acting on a superior’s instruction. It matches the majority of existing P2 renderings, captures both attentive hearing and compliant action (covering the SILEX range of obey/heed/submit), and will produce natural inflected forms (obeys, obeyed, obeying) across all SIDANCE entries.

Alternatives (2 occurrences):

"answer" (1x) "obedient" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ὑπό and ἀκούω; to hear under (as a subordinate), i.e. to listen attentively; by implication, to heed or conform to a command or authority:--hearken, be obedient to, obey.

Root Family

ὑπακούω (hypakouō) — to hear under, to obey, to heed

Root ὑπακου- to hear under, to obey, to heed

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G5219-03`	ὑπακούετε	upakouete	`V PRS ACT IND 2P PL`	obey	you are obeying	obey	5
`G5219-04`	ὑπακούουσιν	upakouousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they obey	they are obeying	they are obeying	5
`G5219-09`	ὑπήκουσεν	upekousen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	obeyed	he obeyed	he obeyed	3
`G5219-01`	ὑπακούει	upakouei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	obeys	obeys	obeys	2
`G5219-08`	ὑπηκούσατε	upekousate	`V AOR ACT IND 2P PL`	you obeyed	you obeyed	you obeyed	2
`G5219-05`	ὑπακοῦσαι	upakousai	`V AOR ACT INF`	to answer	to obey	to answer	1
`G5219-02`	ὑπακούειν	upakouein	`V PRS ACT INF`	to obey	to obey	to obey	1
`G5219-06`	ὑπήκουον	upekouon	`V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL`	became obedient	they were obeying	were obeying	1
`G5219-07`	ὑπήκουσαν	upekousan	`V AOR ACT IND 3P PL`	obeyed	they obeyed	obeyed	1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G5219-04`	Matthew 8:27	ὑπακούουσιν	upakouousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	obey	they are obeying	they are obeying
`G5219-04`	Mark 1:27	ὑπακούουσιν	upakouousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they obey	they are obeying	they are obeying
`G5219-01`	Mark 4:41	ὑπακούει	upakouei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	obeys	obeys	obeys
`G5219-04`	Luke 8:25	ὑπακούουσιν	upakouousin	`V PRS ACT IND 3P PL`	they obey	they are obeying	they are obeying
`G5219-09`	Luke 17:6	ὑπήκουσεν	upekousen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	it-would-obey	he obeyed	it would obey
`G5219-06`	Acts 6:7	ὑπήκουον	upekouon	`V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL`	became obedient	they were obeying	were obeying
`G5219-05`	Acts 12:13	ὑπακοῦσαι	upakousai	`V AOR ACT INF`	to answer	to obey	to answer
`G5219-02`	Romans 6:12	ὑπακούειν	upakouein	`V PRS ACT INF`	to obey	to obey	to obey
`G5219-03`	Romans 6:16	ὑπακούετε	upakouete	`V PRS ACT IND 2P PL`	you obey	you are obeying	you are obeying
`G5219-08`	Romans 6:17	ὑπηκούσατε	upekousate	`V AOR ACT IND 2P PL`	you obeyed	you obeyed	you obeyed
`G5219-07`	Romans 10:16	ὑπήκουσαν	upekousan	`V AOR ACT IND 3P PL`	obeyed	they obeyed	obeyed
`G5219-03`	Ephesians 6:1	ὑπακούετε	upakouete	`V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL`	obey	you are obeying	obey
`G5219-03`	Ephesians 6:5	ὑπακούετε	upakouete	`V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL`	be obedient	you are obeying	be obedient
`G5219-08`	Philippians 2:12	ὑπηκούσατε	upekousate	`V AOR ACT IND 2P PL`	you obeyed	you obeyed	you obeyed
`G5219-03`	Colossians 3:20	ὑπακούετε	upakouete	`V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL`	obey	you are obeying	obey
`G5219-03`	Colossians 3:22	ὑπακούετε	upakouete	`V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL`	obey	you are obeying	obey
`G5219-04`	2 Thessalonians 1:8	ὑπακούουσιν	upakouousin	`V PRS ACT PTCP DAT M PL`	obeying	they are obeying	obeying
`G5219-01`	2 Thessalonians 3:14	ὑπακούει	upakouei	`V PRS ACT IND 3P SG`	obeys	obeys	obeys
`G5219-04`	Hebrews 5:9	ὑπακούουσιν	upakouousin	`V PRS ACT PTCP DAT M PL`	who obey	they are obeying	obeying
`G5219-09`	Hebrews 11:8	ὑπήκουσεν	upekousen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	obeyed	he obeyed	he obeyed
`G5219-09`	1 Peter 3:6	ὑπήκουσεν	upekousen	`V AOR ACT IND 3P SG`	obeyed	he obeyed	she obeyed

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