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Greek · G2919 · unreviewed

κρίνω

By implication, to try, condemn, punish

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κρίνω G2919
Pronunciation krínō

What does κρίνω (krínō) mean in the Bible?

κρίνω (krínō) is a Greek word meaning "by implication, to try, condemn, punish". κρίνω, [in LXX chiefly for שׁפט, also for ריב ,דּין, etc. Warns against assuming God’s role in judging fellow believers. This term runs through the canonical themes of Justice, Kingdom, Messiah.

Full entry for κρίνω (G2919) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

by implication, to try, condemn, punish
Extended definition

Core judicial term encompassing mental assessment, decision-making, and God's final condemnation; ranges from opinion to verdict.

1to separate, select, choose (cl.; in LXX: 2Ma.13:15).
2to approve, esteem: Rom.14:5.
3to be of opinion, judge, think: Luk.7:43, 1Co.11:13; before τοῦτο ὅτι, 2Co.5:14; with accusative and inf., Act.16:15; with accusative and pred., Act.13:46 26:8.
4to decide, determine, decree: with accusative, Act.16:4, Rom.14:13, 1Co.7:37, 2Co.2:1; with inf. (Field, Notes, 167), Act.20:16 25:25, 1Co.2:2 5:3, Tit.3:12 (cf. 1Ma.11:33, Wis.8:9, al.); with accusative and inf., Act.21:25 27:1.
5to judge, adjudge, pronounce judgment: absol., Jhn.8:16, 26; before κατά, with accusative, Jhn.7:24 8:15; κρίσιν κ., Jhn.7:24; τ. δίκαιον, Luk.12:57 (Deiss., LAE, 118); in forensic sense, Jhn.18:31, Act.23:3, al.; pass., Rom.3:4 (LXX); of God's judgment, Jhn.5:30 8:50, Rom.2:16 3:6, 2Ti.4:1, 1Pe.4:5, al.
6= κατακρίνω, to condemn (cl.): Act.13:27; of God's judgment, Jhn.3:18 5:22 12:47, 48, Act.7:7, Rom.2:12, 1Co.11:32, Heb.10:30" (LXX), Jas.5:9, Rev.19:2, al.
7As in LXX (for שׁפט), to rule, govern ( 4Ki.15:5, Psa.2:10, al.): Mat.19:28, Luk.22:30, 1Co.6:3.
8to bring to trial (cl.); mid., to go to law: with dative of person(s), Mat.5:40; before μετά, with genitive of person(s) (of the opponent), ἐπί, with genitive (of the judge), 1Co.6:1, 6 (cf. ἀνα-, ἀπο-, ἀντ-απο- (-μαι), δια-, ἐν-, ἐπι-, κατα-, συν-, ὑπο- (-μαι), συν-υπο- (-μαι)).
Synonymssee: δικάστης.
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Why This Word Matters
Warns against assuming God’s role in judging fellow believers. 1 Peter 4:1-6
It exposes the hypocrisy of condemning others while committing similar sins. Acts 17:22-31
Distinguishes hypocritical condemnation from righteous discernment. Acts 20:13-16
Condemning judgment is prohibited in kingdom ethics. Luke 6:37–42
Judgment mediated through Christ's word. Matthew 7:1–6
Affirms future accountability through the risen Christ. Romans 14:1-12
Shows deliberate decision-making in ministry.
Anchors ethical endurance in certainty of divine accountability.
Grammatical Forms

How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.

Tenses
Present Future Aorist Perfect Pluperfect Imperfect
Voices
Active Passive
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 22×
Present Active John 8:50 · Acts 23:3 · Rom 2:1 · Rom 2:3 · Rom 14:4 · Rom 14:22 · Jas 4:11 · Jas 4:12 · Matt 19:28 · Luke 22:30 · John 12:48 · 1 Pet 1:17 · 1 Pet 2:23 14×
Aorist Active Acts 13:27 · Acts 21:25 · Acts 3:13 · 2 Cor 5:14 · Rev 18:8 5×
Present Passive Acts 26:6 · 1 Cor 11:32 2×
Perfect Passive Acts 16:4 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 58×
Present Active John 5:22 · John 7:51 · Rom 2:16 · Rom 14:5 · 1 Cor 5:13 · Jas 4:11 · Rev 19:11 · Matt 7:2 · Luke 12:57 · John 8:15 · Acts 13:46 · 1 Cor 5:12 · John 5:30 · John 12:47 · Acts 15:19 · Rom 2:1 21×
Future Active John 12:48 · Rom 2:27 · Rom 3:6 · Heb 10:30 · Heb 13:4 · Luke 19:22 · Acts 7:7 · 1 Cor 6:2 · 1 Cor 6:3 9×
Present Passive John 3:18 · Acts 26:8 · 1 Cor 6:2 · 1 Cor 6:6 · 1 Cor 10:29 · Acts 23:6 · Acts 24:21 · Rom 3:7 8×
Aorist Active Acts 25:25 · 1 Cor 2:2 · 2 Cor 2:1 · Luke 7:43 · Rev 16:5 · Rev 18:20 · Rev 19:2 7×
Perfect Active 1 Cor 5:3 · Titus 3:12 · Acts 16:15 · 1 Cor 7:37 4×
Aorist Passive Rev 20:12 · Rev 20:13 · Acts 27:1 3×
Perfect Passive John 3:18 · John 16:11 2×
Future Passive Matt 7:2 · Rom 2:12 2×
Pluperfect Active Acts 20:16 1×
Imperfect Passive 1 Cor 11:31 1×
Imperative command or strong request 12×
Present Active Matt 7:1 · Luke 6:37 · John 7:24 · 1 Cor 4:5 · Rom 14:3 · Col 2:16 7×
Aorist Active John 18:31 · Acts 4:19 · Rom 14:13 · 1 Cor 10:15 · 1 Cor 11:13 5×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 13×
Present Passive Acts 25:10 · Acts 25:20 · Rom 3:4 · 1 Cor 6:1 · Jas 2:12 5×
Present Active John 8:26 · Acts 17:31 · 1 Cor 5:12 · 2 Tim 4:1 4×
Aorist Passive Matt 5:40 · Acts 25:9 · Rev 11:18 3×
Aorist Active 1 Pet 4:5 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 9×
Aorist Passive Matt 7:1 · Luke 6:37 · Jas 5:9 · 2 Thess 2:12 · 1 Pet 4:6 5×
Aorist Active John 3:17 · John 12:47 2×
Present Active John 8:16 · Rom 14:13 2×
114 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 112 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
completed 10 ongoing 28 prospective 11 resultant 7 imperative 12 background 1 subjunctive 9 infinitive 12 participle 22
Tense
present 61 aorist 31 future 11 perfect 7 imperfect 1 pluperfect 1
Voice
active 81 passive 31
Mood
indicative 57 participle 22 imperative 12 infinitive 12 subjunctive 9
NT Occurrences
Matthew 5:40 κριθῆναι aorist passive infinitive infinitive Matthew 7:1 κρίνετε present active imperative imperative Matthew 7:1 κριθῆτε aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 7:2 κρίνετε present active indicative ongoing Matthew 7:2 κριθήσεσθε future passive indicative prospective Matthew 19:28 κρίνοντες present active participle participle Luke 6:37 κρίνετε present active imperative imperative Luke 6:37 κριθῆτε aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive Luke 7:43 ἔκρινας aorist active indicative completed Luke 12:57 κρίνετε present active indicative ongoing Luke 19:22 κρίνω future active indicative prospective Luke 22:30 κρίνοντες present active participle participle John 3:17 κρίνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 3:18 κρίνεται present passive indicative ongoing John 3:18 κέκριται perfect passive indicative resultant John 5:22 κρίνει present active indicative ongoing John 5:30 κρίνω present active indicative ongoing John 7:24 κρίνετε present active imperative imperative John 7:24 κρίνετε present active imperative imperative John 7:51 κρίνει present active indicative ongoing John 8:11 κρίνω present active indicative ongoing John 8:15 κρίνετε present active indicative ongoing John 8:15 κρίνω present active indicative ongoing John 8:16 κρίνω present active subjunctive subjunctive John 8:50 κρίνων present active participle participle John 12:47 κρίνω present active indicative ongoing John 12:47 κρίνω aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 12:48 κρίνοντα present active participle participle John 12:48 κρινεῖ future active indicative prospective John 16:11 κέκριται perfect passive indicative resultant John 18:31 κρίνατε aorist active imperative imperative Acts 3:13 κρίναντος aorist active participle participle Acts 4:19 κρίνατε aorist active imperative imperative Acts 7:7 κρινῶ future active indicative prospective Acts 13:27 κρίναντες aorist active participle participle Acts 13:46 κρίνετε present active indicative ongoing Acts 15:19 κρίνω present active indicative ongoing Acts 16:15 κεκρίκατέ perfect active indicative resultant Acts 16:4 κεκριμένα perfect passive participle participle Acts 17:31 κρίνειν present active infinitive infinitive +72 more 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)

Canonical Themes
Justice Kingdom MessiahRevelation
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
1 Peter 4:1-6 judge krínō Infinitive · Aorist Active
to evaluate and render verdict
Acts 17:22-31 Judge krínō Infinitive · Present Active
To evaluate and render verdict.
Acts 20:13-16 Decided krínō Indicative · Pluperfect Active
To determine or resolve.
Luke 6:37–42 κρίνετε krínō Imperative · Present Active
judge
Matthew 7:1–6 κρίνω krínō Indicative · Present Active
to judge or condemn
Romans 14:1-12 κρίνω krínō Participle · Present Active
To judge, evaluate.
Additional Occurrences
John 12:37-50 κίνω krínō
to judge
Luke 6:37–42 μὴ κρίνετε krínō
Do not judge
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.

κρίνω · ἑαυτοῦ G2919, G1438
judge for yourselves, discern responsibly
κρίνω · κρίμα G2919, G2917
Judge, judgment
κρίνω · κρίσις G2919, G2920
to judge; judgment, condemnation
κρίσις · κρίνω G2920, G2919
Judgment; the ruler of this world stands condemned.
ἄγγελος · κρίνω G32, G2919
to judge angels
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.

1 Corinthians 4 — Stewards of Christ, Fools for Christ, and a Father’s Admonition 1 Corinthians 5 — Purge the Evil, Keep the Feast, and Guard the Holiness of the Church Acts 17 — The Gospel Reasoned from Scripture and Proclaimed to the Nations Acts 24 — Paul Before Felix: Resurrection Hope, Clear Conscience, and Coming Judgment John 16 — The Spirit’s Convicting Witness, the Disciples’ Sorrow Turned to Joy, and Christ’s Victory over the World John 3 — New Birth, Lifted-Up Son, and the Love of God for the World John 5 — The Son Who Gives Life, Judges, and Is Witnessed by the Father John 7 — The Feast, the Divided Crowd, and the Living Water of Jesus John 8 — The Light of the World, True Freedom, and the I AM Before Abraham Luke 6 — The Lord of the Sabbath Forms a Kingdom People Matthew 19 — Marriage from Creation, Children Received, Riches Renounced, and the Reward of Following Christ Matthew 7 — Kingdom Discernment, the Narrow Way, and the Wise Builder Romans 14 — Receiving One Another, Honoring the Lord, and Pursuing Peace in Matters of Conscience Romans 2 — God’s Righteous Judgment and the Exposure of Religious Presumption

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

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

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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