What does ἐπιμελέομαι (epimeléomai) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιμελέομαι means to take care of someone or something with active, responsible attention. The New Testament uses the verb sparingly, but the contexts are unusually concrete.
Greek · G1959
ἐπιμελέομαι
To care for (physically or otherwise)
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ἐπιμελέομαι G1959
Pronunciation epimeléomai
What does ἐπιμελέομαι (epimeléomai) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιμελέομαι means to take care of someone or something with active, responsible attention. The New Testament uses the verb sparingly, but the contexts are unusually concrete.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐπιμελέομαι (G1959) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1959?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [how] can he care for (1), Take care (1), took care (1).
Where does ἐπιμελέομαι (epimeléomai) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 10:34. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), 1 Timothy (1).
What This Word Actually Means
ἐπιμελέομαι means to take care of someone or something with active, responsible attention. The New Testament uses the verb sparingly, but the contexts are unusually concrete. In Jesus’ parable, the Samaritan takes care of the wounded man and then entrusts continuing care to the innkeeper. In 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul asks how a man who cannot manage his own household could care for the church of God.
The word does not describe vague concern, image management, or distant supervision. It names costly attention that notices need, makes provision, follows through, and treats the vulnerable or the church as a trust from God.
How the Bible Uses It
ἐπιμελέομαι appears in a narrow but pastorally rich pattern. Luke 10 shows mercy becoming practical care for a wounded neighbor, including immediate treatment and entrusted follow-up. First Timothy 3 applies the same care logic to church oversight: a man’s household stewardship tests whether he can care for the church of God. The word joins compassion, competence, provision, and accountability.
- 1Tim.3.5
For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God?
Paul makes care for the church of God the issue beneath household management. Leadership is not merely public ability; it is tested capacity to tend what belongs to God.
- Luke.10.34
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
The Samaritan takes care of the wounded man by coming near, treating wounds, carrying him, and providing shelter. Care is embodied mercy, not sentiment alone.
- Luke.10.35
The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’
The Samaritan entrusts continued care to the innkeeper and promises repayment. Care includes follow-through and provision beyond the first visible act.
- 1Tim.3.4
An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity.
The surrounding qualification requires household management with dignity. This context explains why Paul asks about care for the church in the next verse.
- Titus.1.7
As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
The overseer is God’s steward. Though ἐπιμελέομαι is not used here, the stewardship frame supports the same accountable-care logic.
- Acts.20.28
Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
Overseers must watch over and shepherd the blood-bought church. This gives canonical weight to the kind of care 1 Timothy requires.
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 [how] can he care for 1× 1 Timothy 3:5
Take care 1× Luke 10:35
took care 1× Luke 10:34
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 10:34
Aligned rows 3
Books represented 2
Luke 2 1 Timothy 1
Source forms
ἐπεμελήθη 1x epemelēthē Luke 10:34
Ἐπιμελήθητι 1x Epimelēthēti Luke 10:35
ἐπιμελήσεται 1x epimelēsetai 1 Timothy 3:5
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Imperative Passive - 2nd Person Singular 1x Luke 10:35
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular 1x Luke 10:34
Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular 1x 1 Timothy 3:5
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Teach care as responsibility that comes near, provides help, and follows through.
- Use 1 Timothy 3:5 to test leadership care by faithful stewardship, not public confidence alone.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that ἐπιμελέομαι occurs throughout the Pastoral Epistles. Its direct Pastoral use is in 1 Timothy 3:5.
- Do not claim that care means control. The word names responsible attention to people and needs under God.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Active, deliberate care involving attention to practical needs and well-being of another.
Strong's G1959
Lexical occurrences 3 verses Greek text appearances 3 times Word forms 2 forms 3 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 10:25-37 Source Gloss
to care for (physically or otherwise)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Active, deliberate care involving attention to practical needs and well-being of another.
to take care of: with genitive, Luk.10:34-35, 1Ti.3:5.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 10:34 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπεμελήθη epemelhqh
I take care of, attend to
Read verse Luke 10:35 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Passive Deponent Imperative
Ἐπιμελήθητι epimelhqhti
I take care of, attend to
Read verse 1 Timothy 3:5 Verb Third Person Singular Future Middle Deponent Indicative
ἐπιμελήσεται;)· epimelhsetai
I take care of, attend to
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 2 Aligned forms 3 Tenses Aorist, Future Voices Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 2×
Aorist Passive Luke 10:34 1×
Future Passive 1 Tim 3:5 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Passive Luke 10:35 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 3 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 2 future 1
Voice
passive 3
Mood
indicative 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)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
physical care for wounded person, binding wounds and providing lodging
protective oversight and provision for person under authority's responsibility
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 3 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἐπιμελέομαι 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
ἐπιμελέομαι is a small word with a searching pastoral force. Luke 10 refuses to let care remain an idea. The Samaritan sees a wounded man, comes near, treats his wounds, carries him, pays for lodging, and arranges continued attention. First Timothy 3 then brings the word into church leadership. If a man cannot manage his own household, Paul asks how he can care for the church of God.
The connection is not that the church is a business to manage, but that care must be proven in ordinary responsibility before it is entrusted with God’s household. The word presses mercy and oversight together: real care notices need, bears cost, orders help, and remains accountable.
Anchor passage
1Tim.3.5
Doctrinal connections
- G1577 Ekklesia: The church is the object of care in 1 Timothy 3:5, so care is directed toward God’s gathered household.
- G1985 Episkopos: Overseer qualifications are tested by whether a man can care for the church, not merely hold a title.
- G4245 Presbyteros: Elder appointment in Titus belongs to the same ordered-care concern for local congregations.
- G1656 Eleos: Luke 10 shows mercy becoming concrete care for the wounded neighbor.
- G2041 Ergon: Care is a good work with visible action, provision, and follow-through.
- G3624 Oikos: Household management in 1 Timothy 3:4-5 provides the immediate testing ground for church care.
ἐπιμελέομαι is a verb of careful attention and responsible care. The New Testament occurrences are few, so the interpreter should give full weight to both contexts: direct neighbor mercy in Luke 10 and tested household-to-church care in 1 Timothy 3.
From Old to New Testament
Across Scripture, God condemns shepherds who feed themselves while neglecting the flock and commends care that protects the weak. The New Testament gathers that concern in Christlike mercy and in qualified oversight for God’s church.
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