To dispute
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G1256 describes sustained verbal engagement and can refer to reasoning from Scripture, public discussion, extended teaching, argument over status, or formal dispute. The verb does not determine whether a conversation is faithful; subject, content, manner, audience, and outcome distinguish patient explanation from prideful quarrel or harmful agitation.
Reader summary
Full entry for διαλέγομαι (G1256) · Open the biblical lexicon
G1256 describes sustained verbal engagement and can refer to reasoning from Scripture, public discussion, extended teaching, argument over status, or formal dispute. The verb does not determine whether a conversation is faithful; subject, content, manner, audience, and outcome distinguish patient explanation from prideful quarrel or harmful agitation.
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include he reasoned (3), [and] reasoned (1), addresses (1), arguing (1), debating (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 9:34. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (10), Hebrews (1), Jude (1), Mark (1).
G1256 describes sustained verbal engagement and can refer to reasoning from Scripture, public discussion, extended teaching, argument over status, or formal dispute. The verb does not determine whether a conversation is faithful; subject, content, manner, audience, and outcome distinguish patient explanation from prideful quarrel or harmful agitation. In Acts.
17. 2, Following his synagogue custom, Paul reasons from the Scriptures over three Sabbaths as he explains and proves the Messiahs suffering and resurrection. In Mark. 9. 34, the disciples fall silent when Jesus asks about their road discussion because they had been arguing over which of them was greatest. G1256 opens teaching on conversation that takes truth seriously, reasons from Scripture, addresses righteousness and judgment, and remains alert to the pride that turns discussion into rivalry.
It corrects both anti-intellectual faith that avoids questions and combative habits that treat winning, volume, or humiliation as evidence that truth has been served. G1256 presents discussion as morally shaped action: Paul reasons from the Scriptures about the Messiah, the disciples argue over which of them is greatest, and Felix becomes afraid as Paul explains righteousness, self-control, and coming judgment.
The same conversational capacity can serve gospel witness, expose pride, or confront a conscience, depending on content and posture. For G1256, responsible teaching keeps lexical meaning, passage context, canonical synthesis, and present application distinguishable. G1256 does not promise that sound reasoning will persuade every hearer, authorize endless confrontation, or make a teachers endurance, platform, or rhetorical dominance proof of faithfulness.
G1256 appears across passages that develop Scriptural reasoning, public witness, difficult conversation, prideful argument, conscience, and accountable persuasion. For G1256, the immediate setting decides which part of the range is active, so the witnesses must remain distinct rather than being merged into one formula.
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Following his synagogue custom, Paul reasons from the Scriptures over three Sabbaths as he explains and proves the Messiahs suffering and resurrection.
But they were silent, for on the way they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
The disciples fall silent when Jesus asks about their road discussion because they had been arguing over which of them was greatest.
As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you.”
Pauls discussion of righteousness, self-control, and coming judgment frightens Felix, who postpones further hearing rather than responding.
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.
Greek word. To converse, discuss, or reason together with someone through dialogue and debate.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
13 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
Read verseI converse, address, preach, lecture
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 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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 12 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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 passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
διαλέγομαι is built from these roots:
Shows gospel proclamation engages the mind through Scripture.Acts 17:1-9
Shows gospel proclamation involves thoughtful engagement.Acts 17:16-21
Highlights Scripture-centered persuasion.Acts 18:1-4
G1256 presents discussion as morally shaped action: Paul reasons from the Scriptures about the Messiah, the disciples argue over which of them is greatest, and Felix becomes afraid as Paul explains righteousness, self-control, and coming judgment. The same conversational capacity can serve gospel witness, expose pride, or confront a conscience, depending on content and posture.
G1256 describes sustained verbal engagement and can refer to reasoning from Scripture, public discussion, extended teaching, argument over status, or formal dispute. The selected witnesses keep the teaching concrete: Acts. 17. 2 shows that following his synagogue custom, Paul reasons from the Scriptures over three Sabbaths as he explains and proves the Messiahs suffering and resurrection, while Mark.
9. 34 Shows that the disciples fall silent when Jesus asks about their road discussion because they had been arguing over which of them was greatest. Acts. 24. 25 adds that pauls discussion of righteousness, self-control, and coming judgment frightens Felix, who postpones further hearing rather than responding. G1256 opens teaching on conversation that takes truth seriously, reasons from Scripture, addresses righteousness and judgment, and remains alert to the pride that turns discussion into rivalry.
It corrects both anti-intellectual faith that avoids questions and combative habits that treat winning, volume, or humiliation as evidence that truth has been served. A church teaching G1256 faithfully will name both the promise and the boundary carried by these contexts, attend to vulnerable hearers, and refuse to make the lexical item prove more than its passages support.
G1256 does not promise that sound reasoning will persuade every hearer, authorize endless confrontation, or make a teachers endurance, platform, or rhetorical dominance proof of faithfulness.
Acts.17.2
G1256 is a Greek middle-form verb for conversing, discussing, reasoning, or disputing; its construction can name the persons addressed, the subject considered, or the scriptural basis of the exchange.
Israel reasons, disputes, teaches, and is summoned to covenant deliberation before God. Acts depicts apostolic reasoning centered on the Scriptures and Jesus, while the Gospels also expose arguments driven by status and the letters command speech marked by truth, gentleness, and self-control.