What does αἰνέω (ainéō) mean in the Bible?
G134 is the verb for praising, especially praising God. In its New Testament settings, the word is used with the range and pressure described by its local passages rather than by a bare gloss alone.
Greek · G134
αἰνέω
To praise (God)
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.
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αἰνέω G134
Pronunciation ainéō
What does αἰνέω (ainéō) mean in the Bible?
G134 is the verb for praising, especially praising God. In its New Testament settings, the word is used with the range and pressure described by its local passages rather than by a bare gloss alone.
Reader summary
Full entry for αἰνέω (G134) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G134?
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include praising (5), Praise (2), to praise (1).
Where does αἰνέω (ainéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (3), Luke (3), Revelation (1), Romans (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G134 is the verb for praising, especially praising God. In its New Testament settings, the word is used with the range and pressure described by its local passages rather than by a bare gloss alone. It appears in scenes of revelation, healing, worship, Gentile inclusion, and final summons. Praise is spoken or embodied acknowledgment of God\'s worth and mighty works, not mood management.
This companion therefore treats the word as a Scripture-governed guide, not as a shortcut around exegesis. It helps teachers lead people from the works of God to the fitting response of praise. It should help readers ask better questions of the passage: who is speaking or acting, what covenant or gospel reality is in view, and how the surrounding context limits or strengthens the claim.
It should not be reduced to music, platform activity, or emotional pressure.
How the Bible Uses It
G134 appears where God\'s acts become public praise among angels, disciples, healed people, Gentiles, and final worshipers.
- Luke.2.13
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:
The heavenly host praises God at the announcement of Christ\'s birth.
- Luke.24.53
Praising God continually in the temple.
After the resurrection and ascension, the disciples remain in the temple praising God.
- Acts.2.47
Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The early church praises God as communal life and mission unfold.
- Rom.15.11
And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.”
Paul quotes the call for all Gentiles to praise the Lord.
- Rev.19.5
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!”
Revelation summons all God\'s servants to praise Him.
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 praising 5× Luke 2:13, Luke 2:20, Acts 2:47, Acts 3:8
Praise 2× Romans 15:11, Revelation 19:5
to praise 1× Luke 19:37
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 2:13 αἰνούντων to praising Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Plural Luke 2:20 αἰνοῦντες to praising Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural Luke 19:37 αἰνεῖν to to praise Verb - Present Infinitive Active Acts 2:47 αἰνοῦντες to praising Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural Acts 3:8 αἰνῶν to praising Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 3:9 αἰνοῦντα to praising Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular Romans 15:11 Αἰνεῖτε to Praise Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural Revelation 19:5 Αἰνεῖτε to Praise Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 2:13
Aligned rows 8
Books represented 4
Luke 3 Acts 3 Romans 1 Revelation 1
Source forms
Αἰνεῖτε 2x Aineite Romans 15:11, Revelation 19:5
αἰνοῦντες 2x ainountes Luke 2:20, Acts 2:47
αἰνεῖν 1x ainein Luke 19:37
αἰνοῦντα 1x ainounta Acts 3:9
αἰνούντων 1x ainountōn Luke 2:13
αἰνῶν 1x ainōn Acts 3:8
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 2x Romans 15:11, Revelation 19:5
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 2x Luke 2:20, Acts 2:47
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 1x Luke 19:37
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular 1x Acts 3:9
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Plural 1x Luke 2:13
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x Acts 3:8
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Lead people from the works of God to praise rather than using praise language to bypass understanding.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that G134 covers every worship word.
- Do not claim that visible enthusiasm is always proof of praise.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to praise (God)
Strong's G134
Lexical occurrences 8 verses Greek text appearances 9 times Word forms 3 forms 8 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to praise (God)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 2:13 Verb Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine
αἰνούντων ainountwn
I praise
Read verse Luke 2:20 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
αἰνοῦντες ainountev
I praise
Read verse Luke 19:37 Verb Present Active Infinitive
αἰνεῖν ainein
I praise
Read verse Luke 24:53 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
αἰνοῦντες ainountev
I praise
Read verse Acts 2:47 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
αἰνοῦντες ainountev
I praise
Read verse Acts 3:8 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
αἰνῶν ainwn
I praise
Read verse Acts 3:9 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Masculine
αἰνοῦντα ainounta
I praise
Read verse Romans 15:11 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Imperative
Αἰνεῖτε aineite
I praise
Read verse Revelation 19:5 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Imperative
Αἰνεῖτε aineite
I praise
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 3 Aligned forms 8 Tenses Present Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 5×
Present Active Luke 2:20 · Acts 2:47 · Luke 2:13 · Acts 3:8 · Acts 3:9 5×
Imperative command or strong request 2×
Present Active Rom 15:11 · Rev 19:5 2×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Present Active Luke 19:37 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 7 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 7
Voice
active 7
Mood
participle 4 imperative 2 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Luke 2:13 αἰνούντων present active participle participle Luke 19:37 αἰνεῖν present active infinitive infinitive Acts 2:47 αἰνοῦντες present active participle participle Acts 3:8 αἰνῶν present active participle participle Acts 3:9 αἰνοῦντα present active participle participle Romans 15:11 Αἰνεῖτε present active imperative imperative Revelation 19:5 Αἰνεῖτε present active imperative imperative
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)
Word Origins
αἰνέω is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Teach G134 as public response to God\'s revealed work. A faithful teacher should begin with the nearest passage, observe who acts, what is being named, what problem or promise is in view, and what response the text calls for, then move carefully to related passages. A faithful treatment names the act of God first and then shows why praise is the fitting answer.
The entry should help readers read Scripture more carefully, not replace the work of tracing the sentence, paragraph, book, and covenant setting. This keeps the word useful for shepherds, teachers, leaders, groups, families, and disciples without letting the word carry claims that belong to the whole passage or canon.
Anchor passage
Luke.2.13
Doctrinal connections
- Worship and revelation
- Mission to the nations
- Resurrection-shaped praise
The verb normally describes praise directed to God and is active, verbal, and public in many contexts.
From Old to New Testament
The Psalms and prophetic calls for all nations to praise the Lord stand behind these uses.
Canonical parallel
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