κηρύσσω
To herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)
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What does κηρύσσω (kērýssō) mean in the Bible?
κηρύσσω (kērýssō) is a Greek word meaning "to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)". κηρύσσω [in LXX chiefly for קָרָא ;] to be a herald, to proclaim: Mrk. Highlights the authoritative announcement of the gospel as central to salvation. This term runs through the canonical themes of Kingdom, Redemption.
Full entry for κηρύσσω (G2784) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Public proclamation of divine truth, especially gospel, with authority and reach beyond private teaching
to be a herald, to proclaim: Mrk.1:45 7:36, Luk.4:18-19" (LXX) (but see Field, Notes, 174) Luk.8:39, Rom.2:21, 1Co.9:27, Gal.5:11, al.; in NT, chiefly of the proclamation of the Gospel, to proclaim, preach: τὸ εὐαγέλιον, Mat.4:23 9:35 24:14 26:13, Mrk.1:14 13:10 14:9 16:15, Gal.2:2, Col.1:23, 1Th.2:9; before εἰς, Mrk.1:39 13:10, Luk.4:44, 1Th.2:9; ἵνα, Mrk.6:12; with inf.. Rom.2:21; κ. Χριστόν, Ἰησοῦν, Act.8:5 9:20 19:13, 1Co.1:23 15:12, 2Co.1:19 11:4, Php.1:15; 1Ti.3:16 (cf. προ-κηρύσσω)
Why This Word Matters
Highlights the authoritative announcement of the gospel as central to salvation. 2 Timothy 4:1-5
Establishes proclamation as central to kingdom mission. Luke 8:1–3
Highlights authoritative gospel announcement. Luke 9:1–6
Emphasizes authoritative gospel proclamation. Mark 1:35–39
The minister acts as a herald who announces God's message rather than creating His own. Romans 10:14-21
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 19×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 11×
Indicative states a fact or reality 23×
Imperative command or strong request 4×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 4×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 58 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)
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
New Testament Witnesses
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain