What does εὐθέως (euthéōs) mean in the Bible?
Eutheōs is an adverb meaning immediately, at once, or without delay. It often accelerates narrative, but the nature of the immediacy differs by context.
Greek · G2112
εὐθέως
Immediately
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εὐθέως G2112
Pronunciation euthéōs
What does εὐθέως (euthéōs) mean in the Bible?
Eutheōs is an adverb meaning immediately, at once, or without delay. It often accelerates narrative, but the nature of the immediacy differs by context.
Reader summary
Full entry for εὐθέως (G2112) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2112?
The BSB source-word alignment has 87 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include immediately (26), at once (19), . . . (9), As soon as (5), quickly (4).
Where does εὐθέως (euthéōs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 3:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (42), Matthew (18), Acts (10), Luke (7).
What This Word Actually Means
Eutheōs is an adverb meaning immediately, at once, or without delay. It often accelerates narrative, but the nature of the immediacy differs by context. Jesus comes up from baptism and the heavens open. James and John immediately leave their father when Jesus calls. Jesus compels the disciples at once to enter the boat after feeding the crowd. In Luke's household image, a master does not ordinarily tell a field servant to recline immediately.
Revelation says John was immediately in the Spirit when summoned to see the heavenly throne room. The adverb marks sequence or promptness, not moral excellence by itself. Immediate obedience may be exemplary, while other occurrences simply move the story forward or sharpen a contrast.
How the Bible Uses It
Eutheōs signals something happening at once: revelation after Jesus' baptism, disciples responding to His call, movement after a miracle, an expected household sequence, and John's visionary transition. Speed serves the scene but receives its meaning from the action.
- Matt.3.16
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.
Matthew 3:16 says Jesus came up immediately from the water, and the heavens opened with the Spirit descending. The rapid sequence joins baptism, divine revelation, and the Father's declaration without making the adverb the theological center.
- Mark.1.20
Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.
Mark 1:20 says James and John immediately left their father Zebedee with the hired men and followed Jesus. Promptness displays the commanding authority of Jesus' call and their decisive response.
- Mark.6.45
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.
Mark 6:45 says Jesus immediately made the disciples enter the boat while He dismissed the crowd. The urgency moves them away after the feeding and into the storm narrative where His identity is further revealed.
- Luke.17.7
Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?
Luke 17:7 asks whether a master would tell a servant returning from the field to recline immediately. The expected answer supports Jesus' lesson about humble duty, not an endorsement of exploitative labor systems.
- Rev.4.2
At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it.
Revelation 4:2 says John was immediately in the Spirit after the heavenly summons. The transition opens the throne-room vision and centers all that follows on divine sovereignty and worship.
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 immediately 26× Matthew 4:22, Matthew 8:3, Matthew 14:22, Matthew 14:31
at once 19× Matthew 4:20, Matthew 13:20, Matthew 14:27, Matthew 20:34
. . . 9× Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:29, Mark 1:30, Mark 3:6
As soon as 5× Mark 4:15, Mark 4:29, Mark 6:54, Mark 9:15
quickly 4× Matthew 13:5, Matthew 27:48, Mark 1:28, Mark 4:5
vvv 4× Matthew 13:21, Mark 1:43, Mark 4:17, Acts 9:20
directly 2× Matthew 26:49, Mark 14:45
right away 2× Matthew 21:3, Mark 1:21
soon 2× Mark 7:25, 3 John 1:14
Suddenly 2× Mark 1:23, Acts 12:10
- 1× Acts 16:10
[and] at once 1× Mark 4:16
all at once 1× Acts 10:16
as soon 1× Mark 11:2
As soon [as Jesus] 1× Mark 1:10
At that instant 1× Acts 9:18
Early 1× Mark 15:1
He immediately 1× Mark 8:10
imminent 1× Luke 21:9
shortly 1× Mark 11:3
While 1× Mark 14:43
without delay 1× Mark 6:27
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 3:16 εὐθὺς to . . . Adverb Matthew 4:20 εὐθέως to at once Adverb Matthew 4:22 εὐθέως to immediately Adverb Matthew 8:3 εὐθέως to immediately Adverb Matthew 13:5 εὐθέως to quickly Adverb Matthew 13:20 εὐθὺς to at once Adverb Matthew 13:21 εὐθὺς to vvv Adverb Matthew 14:22 εὐθέως to Immediately Adverb Matthew 14:27 Εὐθὺς to at once Adverb Matthew 14:31 Εὐθέως to Immediately Adverb
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 3:16
Aligned rows 87
Books represented 9
Matthew 18 Mark 42 Luke 7 John 6 Acts 10 Galatians 1 James 1 3 John 1 Revelation 1
Source forms
εὐθὺς 49x euthys Matthew 3:16, Matthew 13:20, Matthew 13:21, Matthew 21:3
εὐθέως 28x eutheōs Matthew 4:20, Matthew 4:22, Matthew 8:3, Matthew 13:5
Εὐθέως 5x Eutheōs Matthew 14:31, Matthew 24:29, Matthew 25:16, Luke 17:7
εὐθέως* 2x eutheōs Matthew 21:2, Matthew 26:74
Εὐθὺς 2x Euthys Matthew 14:27, Mark 9:24
εὐθύς 1x euthys John 13:30
Parsing patterns
Adverb 87x Matthew 3:16, Matthew 4:20, Matthew 4:22, Matthew 8:3
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not tell people that every faithful decision must be instantaneous or made without counsel.
- Do not use the disciples' immediate response to manipulate commitments that Christ has not commanded.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not tell people that every faithful decision must be instantaneous or made without counsel.
- Do not use the disciples' immediate response to manipulate commitments that Christ has not commanded.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Emphasizes immediacy without delay, often marking sudden transitions in narrative action or divine response.
Strong's G2112
Lexical occurrences 35 verses Greek text appearances 88 times 16 shown below Word forms 1 form 35 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 5:12-16 Source Gloss
immediately
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Emphasizes immediacy without delay, often marking sudden transitions in narrative action or divine response.
adv. (εὐθύς), [in LXX: Job.5:3 (פִּתְאוֹם), Wis.5:12, 1Ma.11:12, al. ;] straightway, at once, directly: Gal.1:16, Jas.1:24, 3Jn.14 (cf. Dalman, Words, 28 f.), Rev.4:2, and frequently in Mt, Lk, Jo, Ac (in Mk, εὐθύς), which see)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 88 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 3:16 Adverb
εὐθὺς euquv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 4:20 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 4:22 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 8:3 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 13:5 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 13:20 Adverb
εὐθὺς euquv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 13:21 Adverb
εὐθὺς euquv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 14:22 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 14:27 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 14:31 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 20:34 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 21:2 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 21:3 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 24:29 Adverb
Εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 25:15 Adverb
εὐθέως. euqewv
immediately, soon
Read verse Matthew 26:49 Adverb
εὐθέως euqewv
immediately, soon
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 patterns 1 Aligned forms 35
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 4:20 · Matt 4:22 · Matt 8:3 · Matt 13:5 · Matt 14:22 · Matt 14:31 · Matt 20:34 · Matt 21:2 · Matt 24:29 · Matt 25:15 · Matt 26:49 · Matt 26:74 · Matt 27:48 · Luke 5:13 · Luke 12:36 · Luke 12:54 35×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Physical healing occurs at once when Jesus touches the leper
Master returns suddenly and without warning to settle accounts
Jesus directly heals the man with dropsy without delay or hesitation
Person forgets his appearance right after looking in the mirror
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 35 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
εὐθέως is built from this root:
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
Eutheōs gives biblical scenes pace. At Jesus' baptism, events unfold in tight sequence as heaven identifies the beloved Son. The fishermen respond to Jesus without delay, revealing the authority of His call. After the feeding, Jesus promptly directs the disciples toward the next revealing test. Luke uses expected sequence in a household to teach humble service, and Revelation moves John at once into a vision dominated by God's throne.
These uses can encourage readiness, but they cannot sanctify haste. Scripture also commends counting the cost, seeking counsel, waiting on the Lord, and testing claims. The pastoral question is whether delay would resist a clear command or whether speed would bypass wisdom. Prompt obedience belongs where Christ has spoken plainly; impulsiveness should not borrow the authority of an adverb that often only advances the narrative.
Anchor passage
Mark.1.20
Doctrinal connections
- Christology: the rapid sequence at baptism reveals Jesus as Spirit-anointed and beloved Son.
- Discipleship: Jesus' authoritative call warrants decisive response.
- Revelation: immediate narrative transitions can unveil rather than explain divine action.
- Providence: Jesus directs the disciples from provision into a storm where His glory is further shown.
- Service and humility: Luke's analogy challenges claims to merit after doing commanded duty.
- Worship and sovereignty: John's immediate visionary transition brings the throne, not human urgency, to the center.
Eutheōs is an adverb related to euthys, "straight" or "immediate," and commonly marks temporal sequence as "immediately" or "at once." Its frequency and narrative force vary by author, especially in Mark.
From Old to New Testament
Prophets sometimes respond promptly to God's command, while wisdom also praises patience, counsel, and waiting. The canon therefore distinguishes clear-command obedience from restless haste or presumptuous action.
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