What does ἐπαινέω (epainéō) mean in the Bible?
Ἐπαινέω means to praise, commend, or express approval. Paul shows that faithful praise must answer to God's standards rather than flatter people.
Greek · G1867
ἐπαινέω
To applaud
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.
ἐπαινέω G1867
Pronunciation epainéō
What does ἐπαινέω (epainéō) mean in the Bible?
Ἐπαινέω means to praise, commend, or express approval. Paul shows that faithful praise must answer to God's standards rather than flatter people.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐπαινέω (G1867) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1867?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include commended (1), extol (1), I commend (1), I have no praise to offer (1), I will not (1).
Where does ἐπαινέω (epainéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 16:8. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (4), Luke (1), Romans (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Ἐπαινέω means to praise, commend, or express approval. Paul shows that faithful praise must answer to God's standards rather than flatter people. Romans 15 summons all nations to praise the Lord as the hope of the Gentiles is fulfilled in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11, however, Paul explicitly withholds praise because the church's gatherings humiliate those who have little and do more harm than good.
The same verb can therefore voice worship or evaluate conduct. Christian commendation is not automatic affirmation, and correction is not the absence of love. Praise belongs where God's grace and truth are honored; it must be withheld when church practice contradicts the gospel displayed at the Lord's table.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses ἐπαινέω for praise directed to God and for commendation either given or withheld from churches. Truth and gospel-shaped conduct determine whether praise is fitting.
- 1Cor.11.22
Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!
Paul refuses to commend a meal practice that despises God's church and humiliates the poor, because the gathering contradicts the meaning of the Lord's Supper.
- Rom.15.11
And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.”
The quotation gathers Gentile nations into praise of the covenant Lord as Paul's argument celebrates Christ's welcome and God's mercy.
- 1Cor.11.17
In the following instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good.
The gatherings receive no praise because faction and inequality make them harmful rather than edifying.
Book contextPassage 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 commended 1× Luke 16:8
extol 1× Romans 15:11
I commend 1× 1 Corinthians 11:2
I have no praise to offer 1× 1 Corinthians 11:17
I will not 1× 1 Corinthians 11:22
Shall I praise 1× 1 Corinthians 11:22
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 16:8 ἐπῄνεσεν to commended Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Romans 15:11 ἐπαινεσάτωσαν to extol Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1 Corinthians 11:2 Ἐπαινῶ to I commend Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1 Corinthians 11:17 ἐπαινῶ to I have no praise to offer Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1 Corinthians 11:22 ἐπαινέσω to Shall I praise Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular 1 Corinthians 11:22 ἐπαινῶ to I will not Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 16:8
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 3
Luke 1 Romans 1 1 Corinthians 4
Source forms
ἐπαινῶ 2x epainō 1 Corinthians 11:17, 1 Corinthians 11:22
ἐπαινεσάτωσαν 1x epainesatōsan Romans 15:11
ἐπαινέσω 1x epainesō 1 Corinthians 11:22
Ἐπαινῶ 1x Epainō 1 Corinthians 11:2
ἐπῄνεσεν 1x epēnesen Luke 16:8
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 3x 1 Corinthians 11:2, 1 Corinthians 11:17, 1 Corinthians 11:22
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Romans 15:11
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Luke 16:8
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 11:22
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Commend specific evidence of grace, and explain clearly when praise must be withheld because conduct contradicts Christ.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not use ἐπαινέω to make constant affirmation a pastoral duty when Scripture requires correction.
- Do not infer that withholding praise licenses humiliation; Paul's rebuke protects those the Corinthians were shaming.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to applaud
Strong's G1867
Lexical occurrences 6 verses Greek text appearances 6 times Word forms 3 forms 6 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to applaud
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 16:8 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπῄνεσεν ephnesen
I praise, commend
Read verse Romans 15:11 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Imperative
ἐπαινέσατε epainesate
I praise, commend
Read verse 1 Corinthians 11:2 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
Ἐπαινῶ epainw
I praise, commend
Read verse 1 Corinthians 11:17 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐπαινῶ, epainw
I praise, commend
Read verse 1 Corinthians 11:22 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
ἐπαινέσω epainesw
I praise, commend
Read verse 1 Corinthians 11:22 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐπαινῶ. epainw
I praise, commend
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 6 Tenses Present, Aorist Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 4×
Present Active 1 Cor 11:2 · 1 Cor 11:17 · 1 Cor 11:22 3×
Aorist Active Luke 16:8 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Active Rom 15:11 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active 1 Cor 11:22 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 6 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 3 aorist 3
Voice
active 6
Mood
indicative 4 subjunctive 1 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Luke 16:8 ἐπῄνεσεν aorist active indicative completed Romans 15:11 ἐπαινεσάτωσαν aorist active imperative imperative 1 Corinthians 11:17 ἐπαινῶ present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 11:2 Ἐπαινῶ present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 11:22 ἐπαινέσω aorist active subjunctive subjunctive 1 Corinthians 11:22 ἐπαινῶ present active indicative ongoing
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
ἐπαινέω is built from these roots:
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
Praise shapes communities because it announces what they should value. Paul directs ultimate praise to the Lord whose mercy gathers the nations in Christ. That worship also gives him a standard for evaluating the church. He cannot praise Corinthian gatherings that shame the poor and fracture the one body at the Lord's table. His refusal is pastoral truthfulness, not contempt.
Churches need both dimensions. We should name and celebrate evidences of grace, faithful labor, repentance, generosity, and truth. We should also withhold institutional self-congratulation when ministry harms the vulnerable or contradicts the message proclaimed. Flattery offers approval without truth; harshness offers criticism without love or hope. Gospel commendation stands before God, praises what reflects His grace, corrects what dishonors Christ, and turns every worthy human act toward thanksgiving to the Lord.
Anchor passage
1Cor.11.22
Doctrinal connections
- Romans 15:7-13, Christ's welcome and the nations praising God
- 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, gatherings, the poor, and the Lord's Supper
- Psalm 117, all nations summoned to praise the Lord
- Proverbs 27:2, praise received from another rather than one's own mouth
- Matthew 25:21, the master's commendation of faithful service
- Philippians 4:8, attending to what is commendable
Ἐπαινέω combines the idea of praise with a prefix that can intensify or direct approval. The object may be God, a person, or conduct. Negation in 1 Corinthians is rhetorically important: Paul distinguishes places where he can commend the church from the matter he must rebuke.
From Old to New Testament
The Psalms summon Israel and the nations to praise the Lord for steadfast love. Wisdom treats commendation as weighty and warns against self-praise. In the church, worship of God trains truthful evaluation under the cross and the Lord's table.
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