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λόγος is a broad word for word, message, saying, matter, account, or speech, and context must decide the sense. In the Pastoral Epistles, it carries several ministry-critical uses: trustworthy sayings, the word of God, words of faith, the pattern of sound words, the word that cannot be chained, the word of truth, the preached word, faithful word for elders, and sound speech that cannot be condemned.
Reader summary
Full entry for λόγος (G3056) · Open the biblical lexicon
λόγος is a broad word for word, message, saying, matter, account, or speech, and context must decide the sense. In the Pastoral Epistles, it carries several ministry-critical uses: trustworthy sayings, the word of God, words of faith, the pattern of sound words, the word that cannot be chained, the word of truth, the preached word, faithful word for elders.
The BSB source-word alignment has 331 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include word (124), words (51), message (30), . . . (8), saying (8).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:32. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (65), John (40), Luke (33), Matthew (33).
This entry includes 11 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
λόγος is a broad word for word, message, saying, matter, account, or speech, and context must decide the sense. In the Pastoral Epistles, it carries several ministry-critical uses: trustworthy sayings, the word of God, words of faith, the pattern of sound words, the word that cannot be chained, the word of truth, the preached word, faithful word for elders, and sound speech that cannot be condemned.
This range makes λόγος especially important for teaching and church order. The word is not a magic term for any religious statement. It names speech or message that must be received, nourished on, guarded, handled accurately, preached patiently, held firmly, and embodied in uncondemned speech. Because λόγος can also describe empty or spreading talk, the Pastoral Epistles force a moral distinction between God's word and destructive words.
The church lives by the faithful word, not by the mere abundance of words.
In the Pastoral Epistles, λόγος ranges from trustworthy sayings to the preached and guarded word. It highlights the church's dependence on faithful speech from God and warns against words that spread error, quarrels, or shame.
This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
A trustworthy saying states the gospel mission of Christ Jesus. λόγος can name a faithful summary that deserves full acceptance.
Because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
The word of God and prayer sanctify what is received with thanksgiving. λόγος marks God's speech as governing grateful use.
Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Timothy must hold to the pattern of sound teaching, literally sound words. Faithful ministry preserves apostolic form and content.
For which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained!
Paul is chained, but the word of God is not chained. The message outruns the messenger's suffering.
Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.
The worker must accurately handle the word of truth. λόγος requires responsible handling, not merely confident delivery.
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.
Timothy must preach the word with readiness, reproof, rebuke, encouragement, patience, and instruction. The word governs proclamation.
He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.
An elder must hold firmly to the faithful word as taught. Church oversight depends on adherence to the entrusted message.
And wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.
Sound speech that cannot be condemned belongs to exemplary ministry. λόγος also reaches the character of public speech.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. Word embodying a conception or idea, not mere sound; in NT especially God's authoritative speech and teaching
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 330 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read versea word, speech, divine utterance, analogy
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 8 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 330 lexical occurrence verses.
λόγος is built from this root:
Identifies the seed as the gospel proclamation.
Affirms the enduring authority of Christ.
Refers to the proclaimed message of the kingdom.1 Peter 1:13-25
Highlights the eternal authority of Christ’s declaration.2 Timothy 2:14-19
Highlights the authoritative command of Christ.2 Timothy 2:8-13
Identifies Jesus as eternal divine revelation.2 Timothy 4:1-5
Establishes Christ's eternal divine identity. Wuest and Mounce help keep lexical nuance clear without weakening John's high Christology.Acts 6:1-7
Highlights Christ’s life-giving authority through speech.John 1:1-18
The apostles’ devotion to the word safeguards doctrinal clarity and gospel advance.
The gospel message entrusted to the church must be handled with accuracy and reverence.
Paul emphasizes that the gospel proclamation cannot be restricted or imprisoned by human authorities.
The content of preaching is God's revealed message, not human opinion.
Identifies the preached gospel as the enduring instrument of regeneration.
Identifies the Son as the personal self-revelation of God, eternal yet manifested in history.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
λόγος helps explain why the Pastoral Epistles are so concerned with speech. The church is formed by words, but not by all words equally. A trustworthy saying can summarize the gospel. God's word sanctifies creaturely gifts when received with thanksgiving. Sound words must be held as a pattern. The word of God remains unchained even when the apostle suffers. The word of truth must be handled accurately, and the word must be preached with patience and instruction.
Elders must hold firmly to the faithful word, and teachers must speak in a way opponents cannot rightly condemn. This range does not make every human word sacred. It forces discernment. Ministry is faithful when its speech is governed by God's revealed word, shaped by apostolic teaching, and guarded against quarrelsome or empty talk.
2Tim.2.9
λόγος has a wide semantic range. It may mean a saying, spoken word, message, account, matter, or teaching content. The Pastoral Epistles narrow each use by surrounding modifiers: trustworthy, of God, of truth, sound, faithful, and preached. Let those modifiers govern interpretation.
The canon repeatedly shows God creating, calling, warning, promising, and saving by His word. The Pastoral Epistles place that word in the church's teaching office, where it must be guarded, handled, preached, and spoken faithfully.