What does δοκιμάζω (dokimázō) mean in the Bible?
Δοκιμάζω means to test, examine, discern, or approve after examination. Jesus rebukes people able to assess weather but unwilling to discern the decisive time of His ministry.
Greek · G1381
δοκιμάζω
To test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve
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δοκιμάζω G1381
Pronunciation dokimázō
What does δοκιμάζω (dokimázō) mean in the Bible?
Δοκιμάζω means to test, examine, discern, or approve after examination. Jesus rebukes people able to assess weather but unwilling to discern the decisive time of His ministry.
Reader summary
Full entry for δοκιμάζω (G1381) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1381?
The BSB source-word alignment has 22 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include test (3), to interpret (2), approve (1), examines (1), has proven (1).
Where does δοκιμάζω (dokimázō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 12:56. Its strongest book concentrations include Romans (4), 1 Corinthians (3), 1 Thessalonians (3), 2 Corinthians (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Δοκιμάζω means to test, examine, discern, or approve after examination. Jesus rebukes people able to assess weather but unwilling to discern the decisive time of His ministry. Paul describes humanity refusing to approve the knowledge of God, teaches that the coming Day will test each person's work, tests the sincerity of generous love, and commands believers to examine their own work.
The verb can refer both to the process of evaluation and to the approval that follows a favorable result. Testing is not automatically suspicious or destructive. Its standard, examiner, object, and outcome matter. Biblical discernment brings claims, motives, conduct, and labor under God's revealed truth rather than personal preference.
How the Bible Uses It
Δοκιμάζω joins examination with discerned approval. It calls people to recognize God's time, test work and love, and submit judgment to a truthful standard.
- Luke.12.56
You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?
Jesus exposes selective competence: the crowds assess weather signs yet refuse to discern the redemptive significance of His presence and call.
- Rom.1.28
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
Humanity does not approve retaining God in knowledge, and the resulting depraved mind shows the moral consequence of rejected truth.
- 1Cor.3.13
His workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.
The Day will test the quality of ministry work, distinguishing durable building from labor that cannot survive God's evaluation.
- 2Cor.8.8
I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through the earnestness of others.
Paul does not coerce the Corinthians' gift; he uses others' earnestness as an occasion to demonstrate whether their love is genuine.
- Gal.6.4
Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else.
Self-examination concerns one's own work before God and interrupts comparison-based boasting against a neighbor.
Passage context
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 test 3× 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 John 4:1
to interpret 2× Luke 12:56
approve 1× Romans 2:18
examines 1× 1 Thessalonians 2:4
has proven 1× 2 Corinthians 8:22
he approves 1× Romans 14:22
I am testing 1× 2 Corinthians 8:8
may be able to test and prove 1× Philippians 1:10
must examine 1× 1 Corinthians 11:28
must first be tested 1× 1 Timothy 3:10
refined 1× 1 Peter 1:7
should test 1× Galatians 6:4
Test and prove 1× Ephesians 5:10
they did not see fit 1× Romans 1:28
those approved 1× 1 Thessalonians 2:4
to try 1× Luke 14:19
will be able to test and approve 1× Romans 12:2
will prove 1× 1 Corinthians 3:13
you recommend 1× 1 Corinthians 16:3
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 12:56 δοκιμάζειν to to interpret Verb - Present Infinitive Active Luke 12:56 δοκιμάζειν to to interpret Verb - Present Infinitive Active Luke 14:19 δοκιμάσαι to to try Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active Romans 1:28 ἐδοκίμασαν to they did not see fit Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Romans 2:18 δοκιμάζεις to approve Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Romans 12:2 δοκιμάζειν to will be able to test and approve Verb - Present Infinitive Active Romans 14:22 δοκιμάζει to he approves Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 3:13 δοκιμάσει to will prove Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 11:28 δοκιμαζέτω to must examine Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 16:3 δοκιμάσητε to you recommend Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 12:56
Aligned rows 22
Books represented 11
Luke 3 Romans 4 1 Corinthians 3 2 Corinthians 3 Galatians 1 Ephesians 1 Philippians 1 1 Thessalonians 3 1 Timothy 1 1 Peter 1 1 John 1
Source forms
δοκιμάζειν 4x dokimazein Luke 12:56, Romans 12:2, Philippians 1:10
δοκιμάζετε 3x dokimazete 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 John 4:1
δοκιμαζέτω 2x dokimazetō 1 Corinthians 11:28, Galatians 6:4
δεδοκιμάσμεθα 1x dedokimasmetha 1 Thessalonians 2:4
δοκιμάζει 1x dokimazei Romans 14:22
δοκιμάζεις 1x dokimazeis Romans 2:18
δοκιμαζέσθωσαν 1x dokimazesthōsan 1 Timothy 3:10
δοκιμαζομένου 1x dokimazomenou 1 Peter 1:7
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 4x Luke 12:56, Romans 12:2, Philippians 1:10
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 3x 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 John 4:1
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x 1 Corinthians 11:28, Galatians 6:4
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 1x 2 Corinthians 8:22
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Romans 1:28
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 1x Luke 14:19
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x 1 Corinthians 16:3
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 3:13
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use clear scriptural standards and proportionate evidence; discernment becomes abusive when leaders invent secret tests or demand unquestioning submission.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that δοκιμάζω always implies the tested person or work will fail.
- Do not use testing language to excuse suspicion without evidence or to replace the church's duty of fair judgment.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Testing with expectation of approval; discerning what genuinely measures up to standard.
Strong's G1381
Lexical occurrences 22 verses Greek text appearances 23 times 16 shown below Word forms 5 forms 22 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 John 4:1-6 Source Gloss
to test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 23 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 12:56 Verb Present Active Infinitive
δοκιμάζειν· dokimazein
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Luke 12:56 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Indicative
δοκιμάζετε; dokimazete
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Luke 14:19 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
δοκιμάσαι dokimasai
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Romans 1:28 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐδοκίμασαν edokimasan
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Romans 2:18 Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Indicative
δοκιμάζεις dokimazeiv
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Romans 12:2 Verb Present Active Infinitive
δοκιμάζειν dokimazein
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Romans 14:22 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
δοκιμάζει. dokimazei
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse 1 Corinthians 3:13 Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
δοκιμάσει. dokimasei
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse 1 Corinthians 11:28 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
δοκιμαζέτω dokimazetw
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse 1 Corinthians 16:3 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive
δοκιμάσητε dokimashte
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse 2 Corinthians 8:8 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
δοκιμάζων. dokimazwn
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse 2 Corinthians 8:22 Verb First Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐδοκιμάσαμεν edokimasamen
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse 2 Corinthians 13:5 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Imperative
δοκιμάζετε. dokimazete
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Galatians 6:4 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
δοκιμαζέτω dokimazetw
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Ephesians 5:10 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
δοκιμάζοντες dokimazontev
I put to the test, prove, examine
Read verse Philippians 1:10 Verb Present Active Infinitive
δοκιμάζειν dokimazein
I put to the test, prove, examine
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 5 Aligned forms 22 Tenses Present, Aorist, Future, Perfect Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 5×
Present Active Luke 12:56 · Rom 12:2 · Phil 1:10 4×
Aorist Active Luke 14:19 1×
Imperative command or strong request 6×
Present Active 2 Cor 13:5 · 1 Thess 5:21 · 1 John 4:1 · 1 Cor 11:28 · Gal 6:4 5×
Present Passive 1 Tim 3:10 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 6×
Aorist Active Rom 1:28 · 2 Cor 8:22 2×
Present Active Rom 2:18 · Rom 14:22 2×
Future Active 1 Cor 3:13 1×
Perfect Passive 1 Thess 2:4 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active 1 Cor 16:3 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 4×
Present Active 2 Cor 8:8 · Eph 5:10 · 1 Thess 2:4 3×
Present Passive 1 Pet 1:7 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 22 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 16 aorist 4 future 1 perfect 1
Voice
active 19 passive 3
Mood
indicative 6 imperative 6 infinitive 5 participle 4 subjunctive 1
NT Occurrences
Luke 12:56 δοκιμάζειν present active infinitive infinitive Luke 12:56 δοκιμάζειν present active infinitive infinitive Luke 14:19 δοκιμάσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Romans 1:28 ἐδοκίμασαν aorist active indicative completed Romans 2:18 δοκιμάζεις present active indicative ongoing Romans 12:2 δοκιμάζειν present active infinitive infinitive Romans 14:22 δοκιμάζει present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 3:13 δοκιμάσει future active indicative prospective 1 Corinthians 11:28 δοκιμαζέτω present active imperative imperative 1 Corinthians 16:3 δοκιμάσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive 2 Corinthians 8:22 ἐδοκιμάσαμεν aorist active indicative completed 2 Corinthians 8:8 δοκιμάζων present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 13:5 δοκιμάζετε present active imperative imperative Galatians 6:4 δοκιμαζέτω present active imperative imperative Ephesians 5:10 δοκιμάζοντες present active participle participle Philippians 1:10 δοκιμάζειν present active infinitive infinitive 1 Thessalonians 2:4 δεδοκιμάσμεθα perfect passive indicative resultant 1 Thessalonians 2:4 δοκιμάζοντι present active participle participle 1 Thessalonians 5:21 δοκιμάζετε present active imperative imperative 1 Timothy 3:10 δοκιμαζέσθωσαν present passive imperative imperative 1 Peter 1:7 δοκιμαζομένου present passive participle participle 1 John 4:1 δοκιμάζετε 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)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
To evaluate authenticity through careful examination.
To evaluate and approve after examination.
Additional Occurrences
1-john Test dokimázō
to examine for genuineness
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 22 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
δοκιμάζω is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Leadership and service are not impulsive appointments but require observable faithfulness. 1 John 4:1-6
Calls the church to active discernment rather than passive acceptance of spiritual claims. 1 Timothy 3:8-13
Discernment is an active responsibility of believers, not a passive assumption.
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
Biblical testing aims at truthful recognition. Jesus' hearers possess observational skill but evade the greater demand to discern God's action in their time. Romans 1 shows evaluation corrupted when people reject the knowledge of God itself. First Corinthians places ministry under the searching fire of the coming Day, where impressive appearance cannot preserve worthless work.
Second Corinthians tests love through willing generosity rather than command, and Galatians redirects examination from rivalry to one's own labor. Healthy churches therefore test doctrine, character, plans, and fruit by Scripture while remembering that final approval belongs to God. Discernment should produce humble obedience and what is good, not a culture of suspicion, endless delay, or confidence in human scrutiny.
Anchor passage
Luke.12.56
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 12:54-59, discerning the present time
- Romans 1:18-32, rejected knowledge and disordered judgment
- 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, work tested on the Day
- 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, sincere love expressed in generosity
- Galatians 6:1-5, self-examination without comparison
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, testing everything and holding fast good
Δοκιμάζω belongs to the semantic field of examination and proven approval. Depending on syntax and result, translations may emphasize test, discern, approve, or prove genuine.
From Old to New Testament
Metals, hearts, and covenant faithfulness are tested throughout Israel's Scriptures. The apostles apply that proving pattern to teaching, ministry, love, and life before Christ's Day.
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