What does ἀθλέω (athléō) mean in the Bible?
ἀθλέω (athléō): To struggle or compete strenuously, emphasizing athletic effort within formal contests or discipline.
Greek · G118
ἀθλέω
To contend in the competitive games
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἀθλέω G118
Pronunciation athléō
What does ἀθλέω (athléō) mean in the Bible?
ἀθλέω (athléō): To struggle or compete strenuously, emphasizing athletic effort within formal contests or discipline.
Full entry for ἀθλέω (G118) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G118?
The BSB source-word alignment has 2 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include competitor (1), he competes (1).
Where does ἀθλέω (athléō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 2 Timothy 2:5. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Timothy (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It competitor 1× 2 Timothy 2:5
he competes 1× 2 Timothy 2:5
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row 2 Timothy 2:5
Aligned rows 2
Books represented 1
2 Timothy 2
Source forms
ἀθλῇ 1x athlē 2 Timothy 2:5
ἀθλήσῃ 1x athlēsē 2 Timothy 2:5
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x 2 Timothy 2:5
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x 2 Timothy 2:5
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To struggle or compete strenuously, emphasizing athletic effort within formal contests or discipline.
Strong's G118
Lexical occurrences 2 verses Greek text appearances 2 times Word forms 1 form 2 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 2 Timothy 2:1-7 Source Gloss
to contend in the competitive games
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
To struggle or compete strenuously, emphasizing athletic effort within formal contests or discipline.
to contend in games, wrestle, combat: 2Ti.2:5.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
2 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
2 Timothy 2:5 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Subjunctive
ἀθλῇ aqlh
I compete
Read verse 2 Timothy 2:5 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
ἀθλήσῃ. aqlhsh
I compete
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 groups 1 Aligned forms 2 Tenses Present, Aorist Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 2×
Present Active 2 Tim 2:5 1×
Aorist Active 2 Tim 2:5 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 2 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 1 aorist 1
Voice
active 2
Mood
subjunctive 2
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 compete in athletic contests
Showing 1 selected witness from 2 lexical occurrence verses.
Why This Word Matters
The metaphor stresses disciplined obedience to the standards set for faithful ministry. 2 Timothy 2:1-7
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain