What does ἐπέχω (epéchō) mean in the Bible?
ἐπέχω (epéchō) is a Greek word meaning "to hold fast/out".
Greek · G1907
ἐπέχω
To hold fast/out
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.
ἐπέχω G1907
Pronunciation epéchō
What does ἐπέχω (epéchō) mean in the Bible?
ἐπέχω (epéchō) is a Greek word meaning "to hold fast/out".
Full entry for ἐπέχω (G1907) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1907?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [the man] gave them his attention (1), as you hold forth (1), Pay close attention (1), stayed (1), When [Jesus] noticed (1).
Where does ἐπέχω (epéchō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 14:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (2), 1 Timothy (1), Luke (1), Philippians (1).
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 [the man] gave them his attention 1× Acts 3:5
as you hold forth 1× Philippians 2:16
Pay close attention 1× 1 Timothy 4:16
stayed 1× Acts 19:22
When [Jesus] noticed 1× Luke 14:7
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 14:7 ἐπέχων to When [Jesus] noticed Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 3:5 ἐπεῖχεν to [the man] gave them his attention Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 19:22 ἐπέσχεν to stayed Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Philippians 2:16 ἐπέχοντες to as you hold forth Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 1 Timothy 4:16 ἔπεχε to Pay close attention Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 14:7
Aligned rows 5
Books represented 4
Luke 1 Acts 2 Philippians 1 1 Timothy 1
Source forms
ἐπεῖχεν 1x epeichen Acts 3:5
ἐπέσχεν 1x epeschen Acts 19:22
ἔπεχε 1x epeche 1 Timothy 4:16
ἐπέχοντες 1x epechontes Philippians 2:16
ἐπέχων 1x epechōn Luke 14:7
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Acts 19:22
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Acts 3:5
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular 1x 1 Timothy 4:16
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 1x Philippians 2:16
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x Luke 14:7
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to hold fast/out
Strong's G1907
Lexical occurrences 5 verses Greek text appearances 5 times Word forms 3 forms 5 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to hold fast/out
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 14:7 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἐπέχων epecwn
I hold forth, pay attention, note, delay
Read verse Acts 3:5 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἐπεῖχεν epeicen
I hold forth, pay attention, note, delay
Read verse Acts 19:22 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέσχε epescen
I hold forth, pay attention, note, delay
Read verse Philippians 2:16 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἐπέχοντες, epecontev
I hold forth, pay attention, note, delay
Read verse 1 Timothy 4:16 Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Imperative
ἔπεχε epece
I hold forth, pay attention, note, delay
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 5 Tenses Present, Imperfect, Aorist 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 2×
Present Active Luke 14:7 · Phil 2:16 2×
Indicative states a fact or reality 2×
Imperfect Active Acts 3:5 1×
Aorist Active Acts 19:22 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Present Active 1 Tim 4:16 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 3 imperfect 1 aorist 1
Voice
active 5
Mood
indicative 2 participle 2 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
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
ἐπέχω 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.
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