What does γυμνάζω (gymnázō) mean in the Bible?
γυμνάζω (gymnázō): Rigorous mental or physical discipline through repeated practice, developing skill and moral character.
Greek · G1128
γυμνάζω
To train
Reading a lexicon entry
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γυμνάζωG1128
Pronunciationgymnázō
What does γυμνάζω (gymnázō) mean in the Bible?
γυμνάζω (gymnázō): Rigorous mental or physical discipline through repeated practice, developing skill and moral character.
Full entry for γυμνάζω (G1128) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1128?
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include trained (2), have been trained (1), train (1).
Where does γυμνάζω (gymnázō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 1 Timothy 4:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Hebrews (2), 1 Timothy (1), 2 Peter (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Ittrained2×Hebrews 5:14, 2 Peter 2:14
have been trained1×Hebrews 12:11
train1×1 Timothy 4:7
Show sample aligned rows
1 Timothy 4:7γύμναζεtotrainVerb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person SingularHebrews 5:14γεγυμνασμέναtotrainedVerb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Neuter PluralHebrews 12:11γεγυμνασμένοιςtohave been trainedVerb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Masculine Plural2 Peter 2:14γεγυμνασμένηνtotrainedVerb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row1 Timothy 4:7
Aligned rows4
Books represented3
1 Timothy1Hebrews22 Peter1
Source forms
γεγυμνασμένα1xgegymnasmenaHebrews 5:14
γεγυμνασμένην1xgegymnasmenēn2 Peter 2:14
γεγυμνασμένοις1xgegymnasmenoisHebrews 12:11
γύμναζε1xgymnaze1 Timothy 4:7
Parsing patterns
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Feminine Singular1x2 Peter 2:14
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Neuter Plural1xHebrews 5:14
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Masculine Plural1xHebrews 12:11
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular1x1 Timothy 4:7
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Rigorous mental or physical discipline through repeated practice, developing skill and moral character.
Strong'sG1128
Lexical occurrences4 versesGreek text appearances4 timesWord forms2 forms4 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study link1 Timothy 4:6-10Source Gloss
to train
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Rigorous mental or physical discipline through repeated practice, developing skill and moral character.
(γυμνός), [in LXX: 2Ma.10:15 * ;]
1properly, to exercise naked.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
4 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
1 Timothy 4:7Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Imperative
γύμναζεgumnaze
I train by physical exercise
Read verseHebrews 5:14Verb Perfect Passive Participle Accusative Plural Neuter
γεγυμνασμέναgegumnasmena
I train by physical exercise
Read verseHebrews 12:11Verb Perfect Passive Participle Dative Plural Masculine
γεγυμνασμένοιςgegumnasmenoiv
I train by physical exercise
Read verse2 Peter 2:14Verb Perfect Passive Participle Accusative Singular Feminine
γεγυμνασμένηνgegumnasmenhn
I train by physical exercise
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.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups2Aligned forms4TensesPresent, PerfectVoicesActive, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Imperativecommand or strong request1×
Present Active1 Tim 4:71×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality3×
Perfect PassiveHeb 5:14 · Heb 12:11 · 2 Pet 2:143×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 4 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
perfect3present1
Voice
passive3active1
Mood
participle3imperative1
NT Occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
To engage in disciplined practice for improvement.
Showing 1 selected witness from 4 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
γυμνάζω is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Godliness requires intentional spiritual discipline, not passive growth.1 Timothy 4:6-10