What does ἀκριβῶς (akribōs) mean in the Bible?
Carefully or accurately describes attention to how something is investigated, taught, known, or done. Luke says he investigated events carefully before composing his orderly account.
Greek · G199
ἀκριβῶς
Carefully or accurately describes attention to how something is investigated, taught, known, or done. Luke says he investigated events carefully before composing his orderly account.
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ἀκριβῶςG199
Pronunciationakribōs
What does ἀκριβῶς (akribōs) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀκριβῶς (G199) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G199?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (1), {are} fully (1), accurately (1), carefully (1), more accurately (1).
Where does ἀκριβῶς (akribōs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:8. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (5), 1 Thessalonians (1), Ephesians (1), Luke (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Carefully or accurately describes attention to how something is investigated, taught, known, or done. Luke says he investigated events carefully before composing his orderly account. Acts describes Apollos teaching accurately about Jesus while still needing Priscilla and Aquila to explain the way of God more accurately. Ephesians calls believers to pay careful attention to their walk, choosing wisdom rather than folly.
The word therefore commends precision in these contexts without implying that a person has nothing more to learn. It also appears in Herod's instruction to search for the Child, where the wider narrative exposes an evil purpose. Careful method is valuable, but the adverb alone cannot certify the investigator's motives or make every inquiry righteous.
How the Bible Uses It
Luke's careful investigation, Apollos's accurate yet teachable instruction, and the call to wise walking show attention serving different tasks, with hostile inquiry providing a moral counterexample.
- Luke.1.3
Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke's careful investigation supports his orderly account for Theophilus, following his acknowledgment of prior accounts and the handed-down eyewitness testimony.
- Acts.18.25
He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Apollos teaches accurately about Jesus despite a stated limitation in his knowledge, followed by a more accurate explanation from Priscilla and Aquila.
- Eph.5.15
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
The exhortation concerns careful walking as wise rather than unwise people, with attention to the time and understanding the Lord's will.
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. . .1×Luke 1:3
{are} fully1×1 Thessalonians 5:2
accurately1×Acts 18:25
carefully1×Matthew 2:8
more accurately1×Acts 18:26
more carefully1×Acts 23:15
more information1×Acts 23:20
Pay careful1×Ephesians 5:15
vvv1×Acts 24:22
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:8ἀκριβῶςtocarefullyAdverbLuke 1:3ἀκριβῶςto. . .AdverbActs 18:25ἀκριβῶςtoaccuratelyAdverbActs 18:26ἀκριβέστερονtomore accuratelyAdjective - Accusative Neuter Singular - ComparativeActs 23:15ἀκριβέστερονtomore carefullyAdjective - Accusative Neuter Singular - ComparativeActs 23:20ἀκριβέστερονtomore informationAdverbActs 24:22ἀκριβέστερονtovvvAdjective - Accusative Neuter Singular - ComparativeEphesians 5:15ἀκριβῶςtoPay carefulAdverb1 Thessalonians 5:2ἀκριβῶςto{are} fullyAdverb
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 2:8
Aligned rows9
Books represented5
Matthew1Luke1Acts5Ephesians11 Thessalonians1
Source forms
ἀκριβῶς5xakribōsMatthew 2:8, Luke 1:3, Acts 18:25, Ephesians 5:15
ἀκριβέστερον4xakribesteronActs 18:26, Acts 23:15, Acts 23:20, Acts 24:22
Parsing patterns
Adverb6xMatthew 2:8, Luke 1:3, Acts 18:25, Acts 23:20
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular - Comparative3xActs 18:26, Acts 23:15, Acts 24:22
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Correct incomplete teaching without assuming every prior statement was false.
- Do not treat technical precision as proof that an inquiry is harmless.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim accurate teaching makes a person beyond correction; Apollos receives a more accurate explanation.
- Do not claim careful investigation guarantees righteousness; Herod's search and Paul's enemies show harmful purposes.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Precision and thoroughness in action; demands careful, exacting attention rather than casual or approximate treatment
Strong'sG199
Lexical occurrences5 versesGreek text appearances9 timesWord forms1 form5 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkActs 18:24-28Source Gloss
exactly
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 2:8Adverb
ἀκριβῶςakribwv
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verseLuke 1:3Adverb
ἀκριβῶς,akribwv
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verseActs 18:25Adverb
ἀκριβῶςakribwv
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verseActs 18:26Adverb
ἀκριβέστερονakribesteron
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verseActs 23:15Adverb
ἀκριβέστερονakribesteron
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verseActs 23:20Adverb
ἀκριβέστερονakribesteron
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verseActs 24:22Adverb
ἀκριβέστερονakribesteron
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verseEphesians 5:15Adverb
ἀκριβῶςakribwv
carefully, exactly, strictly
Read verse1 Thessalonians 5:2Adverb
ἀκριβῶςakribwv
carefully, exactly, strictly
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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns1Aligned forms5
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 2:8 · Luke 1:3 · Acts 18:25 · Eph 5:15 · 1 Thess 5:25×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Carefully or precisely.
Additional Occurrences
Luke 1:1–4ἀκριβῶςakribōs
Accurately, carefully
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀκριβῶς is built from this root:
ἀκριβέστατοςG196
Why This Word Matters
Emphasizes the need for doctrinal precision.Acts 18:24-28
For the Preacher and Teacher
Apollos provides a particularly useful picture of accuracy that remains teachable. Acts affirms his fervor and accurate teaching about Jesus, yet states a limit in what he knows. Priscilla and Aquila take him aside and explain God's way more accurately. The comparative wording permits growth without requiring the reader to deny every earlier true statement. Luke's careful investigation likewise serves a specific purpose: an orderly account supporting certainty about the teaching received.
Ephesians extends carefulness into conduct shaped by wisdom and the Lord's will. Herod and the plot against Paul warn that the language of careful inquiry can also cover destructive purposes. A teacher should therefore value precision, welcome appropriate correction, and ask what an investigation is actually serving.
Anchor passage
Acts.18.25
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 1:1-4 places careful investigation alongside eyewitness testimony and an orderly account for Theophilus.
- Acts 18:25-26 affirms accurate teaching while allowing a fuller explanation through Priscilla and Aquila.
- Ephesians 5:15-17 connects careful walking with wisdom, use of time, and the Lord's will.
- Matthew 2:8-16 exposes Herod's claimed worship purpose through the narrative of his murderous response.
- Acts 23:15-16 uses more careful examination as a pretext in the plot against Paul.
- First Thessalonians 5:2 couples clear awareness with the warning that the Lord's day comes unexpectedly.
The licensed Greek comparison includes carefully and accurately, with comparative forms meaning more accurately. The supplied Acts witnesses allow both true instruction and further learning; precision is not equivalent to exhaustive knowledge.
From Old to New Testament
Careful inquiry may be compared thematically with Scripture's wider call to truthful witness and wise action. The Greek adverb supplies no hidden link to an earlier Hebrew testing term and cannot make human accuracy the ground of salvation.