To spread/surpass
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διαφέρω (diapherō) has a flexible range that includes carrying through, differing, surpassing, and recognizing what is of greater value. Paul's contexts show why one English gloss cannot govern the whole entry.
Reader summary
Full entry for διαφέρω (G1308) · Open the biblical lexicon
διαφέρω (diapherō) has a flexible range that includes carrying through, differing, surpassing, and recognizing what is of greater value. Paul's contexts show why one English gloss cannot govern the whole entry.
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include are worth more (1), differs (1), he is no different (1), is best (1), is superior (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:26. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (3), Acts (2), Galatians (2), Luke (2).
διαφέρω (diapherō) has a flexible range that includes carrying through, differing, surpassing, and recognizing what is of greater value. Paul's contexts show why one English gloss cannot govern the whole entry. In 1 Corinthians 15 one star differs from another in glory as part of an analogy for resurrection bodies. In Galatians 2 the reputation of highly esteemed leaders makes no difference to Paul because God shows no favoritism and the gospel, not status, controls the meeting.
In Philippians 1 believers are to discern and approve what is excellent as love grows in knowledge and depth of insight. The verb can therefore mark real distinction without endorsing partiality. It helps teachers separate differences that display God's ordered variety, status differences that must not rule the church, and moral distinctions that mature love must learn to recognize.
Paul uses διαφέρω for differing glory, status that makes no difference before God, and discernment of what truly excels. Context determines whether distinction is descriptive, rejected, or morally approved.
The sun has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
Paul uses differing splendor within creation to support his analogy of continuity and transformed glory in the resurrection body.
But as for the highly esteemed—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—those leaders added nothing to me.
The public standing of Jerusalem's leaders does not alter Paul's gospel or create favoritism before God. Their real recognition concerns the grace entrusted to him.
So that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
Abounding love must learn to discern what is excellent so believers may live with purity and fruit toward the day of Christ.
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 surpass or excel; also to matter or make a difference in significance or value.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek 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 carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
Read verseI carry through, differ, surpass, excel
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 13 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 4 selected witnesses from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
διαφέρω is built from these roots:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
διαφέρω teaches that not all distinctions have the same moral meaning. First Corinthians 15 observes differing splendor among heavenly bodies as one part of Paul's larger defense of bodily resurrection. Difference there serves order and prepares readers for transformation from perishability to imperishability. Galatians 2 confronts another kind of distinction: the reputation of influential leaders cannot control the truth of the gospel because God shows no favoritism.
Paul still receives their recognition of his mission, but he will not ground his commission in status. Philippians 1 then turns distinction into a task of mature love. Knowledge and depth of insight enable believers to test and approve what is excellent as they prepare for the day of Christ. The church must therefore refuse partiality without losing discernment.
Faithful love sees real differences, weighs them by God's truth, and gives greatest value to what produces righteousness through Jesus Christ.
Php.1.9-11
The verb's basic movement involves carrying in different directions and, by extension, differing or surpassing. With an impersonal construction it can mean that something matters; with an object of evaluation it can concern what is excellent. Translation must follow syntax rather than force the display gloss into every verse.
Wisdom literature trains God's people to distinguish better from worse, while the law and prophets condemn partiality in judgment. Paul joins those concerns to Christ: discernment seeks what is excellent, and human reputation cannot override gospel truth. The canonical connection is moral and theological rather than a one-to-one lexical bridge.
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