To see/experience
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θεωρέω (theōreō) means to see, behold, watch, observe, notice, or perceive. It often presents a person attending to a scene or considering what is before him, but it is not a technical guarantee of prolonged scrutiny or correct interpretation.
Reader summary
Full entry for θεωρέω (G2334) · Open the biblical lexicon
θεωρέω (theōreō) means to see, behold, watch, observe, notice, or perceive. It often presents a person attending to a scene or considering what is before him, but it is not a technical guarantee of prolonged scrutiny or correct interpretation.
The BSB source-word alignment has 58 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include saw (7), they saw (5), you see (5), I see (3), sees (3).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 27:55. Its strongest book concentrations include John (24), Acts (14), Luke (7), Mark (7).
θεωρέω (theōreō) means to see, behold, watch, observe, notice, or perceive. It often presents a person attending to a scene or considering what is before him, but it is not a technical guarantee of prolonged scrutiny or correct interpretation. Women watch Jesus’ crucifixion from a distance after following and serving Him. The Jerusalem rulers observe Peter and John’s boldness and then recognize their association with Jesus.
Paul surveys Athenian religious life before addressing the Areopagus. In John, looking to the Son belongs with believing and the promise of resurrection life, while Peter enters the empty tomb and observes the linen cloths before the narrative unfolds toward fuller understanding. Observation can therefore supply evidence, expose assumptions, prepare testimony, or remain incomplete.
The verb does not imply detached neutrality; observers bring fears, loyalties, questions, and expectations. Faithful use should respect eyewitness presence without claiming that seeing alone creates faith. It should also avoid treating disabled people as lacking spiritual access, since the Gospel’s decisive seeing is reception of the Son through truthful witness and belief.
θεωρέω commonly describes attending to or observing what is present. The selected texts move from faithful witnesses at the cross to observed boldness, cultural discernment, believing regard for the Son, and evidence inside the empty tomb.
And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him.
The women remain present as witnesses to the crucifixion after a history of following and service. Their distant watching reflects the dangerous scene, not indifference to Jesus’ suffering.
When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
The rulers observe apostolic boldness, assess the speakers’ social standing, and recognize their association with Jesus. What they see unsettles their categories but does not automatically produce obedience.
Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.
Paul’s observation of the city and its objects of worship becomes the point of contact for a truthful challenge concerning the unknown God, creation, repentance, judgment, and resurrection.
For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Looking to the Son is joined to believing in Him and to the Father’s promise of eternal life and resurrection. The participle is not bare visual exposure but receptive regard within Jesus’ bread-of-life discourse.
Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.
Peter goes inside and observes the grave cloths as concrete evidence in an empty tomb. John carefully distinguishes stages of arrival, seeing, believing, and understanding rather than treating one glance as the whole resurrection response.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. To gaze upon intently; in NT often implies experiential knowledge through sustained observation or witness.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 57 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
Read verseI behold, look at, experience
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.
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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 56 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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)
θεωρέω is built from these roots:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Attentive observation can serve truth, but it does not stand outside the moral life of the observer. The women at the cross remain present to Jesus’ suffering when danger and grief could drive them away. Their watching becomes part of the Gospel’s witness. In Acts, rulers see boldness and recognize that ordinary men have been with Jesus, yet they still attempt to suppress the message.
Paul observes Athens more patiently: he knows enough about its worship to speak specifically, but he does not flatter idolatry or stop at description. John gives observation a christological center. Looking to the Son belongs with believing and resurrection life. At the tomb, Peter sees actual linen cloths, while the narrative allows evidence, memory, and understanding to develop.
Churches should cultivate careful attention to people, texts, communities, and facts. They should honor witnesses, resist snap judgments, and test interpretations. Yet they must not imagine that technique alone creates spiritual sight. Observation becomes faithful when it serves love of truth, listens to Scripture, receives Christ, and remains open to correction.
John.6.40
The verb can describe watching a scene, observing a person, noticing a condition, or perceiving a conclusion. Participles may present sustained regard, but lexical form alone does not prove deeper or more spiritual seeing than neighboring verbs. Narrative sequencing often supplies the exegetical value.
Israel is called to observe God’s works, remember witnessed deliverance, and interpret signs through covenant revelation. Prophets inspect cities, worship, and conduct before speaking God’s word. The Gospels gather witnesses around Jesus’ ministry, cross, and empty tomb, while apostolic preaching explains those observed events through Scripture and the resurrection.