What does λειτουργία (leitourgía) mean in the Bible?
Ministry or service names work whose recipient and purpose the passage must identify. Luke speaks of Zechariah completing his priestly service before returning home.
Greek · G3009
λειτουργία
Ministry or service names work whose recipient and purpose the passage must identify. Luke speaks of Zechariah completing his priestly service before returning home.
Reading a lexicon entry
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λειτουργίαG3009
Pronunciationleitourgía
What does λειτουργία (leitourgía) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for λειτουργία (G3009) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3009?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include service (3), ministry (1), of service (1), worship (1).
Where does λειτουργία (leitourgía) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 1:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Hebrews (2), Philippians (2), 2 Corinthians (1), Luke (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Ministry or service names work whose recipient and purpose the passage must identify. Luke speaks of Zechariah completing his priestly service before returning home. Paul describes a gift that supplies believers' needs and produces thanksgiving to God. He also honors Epaphroditus, who nearly died while serving the work of Christ and addressing Paul's needs. Hebrews uses the same noun for Jesus' more excellent ministry as mediator of a better covenant.
These settings cannot be made equal simply because an English translation uses service in each. Practical help can be acknowledged as ministry without making every helper a priest or mediator like Jesus. Likewise, honoring Epaphroditus' costly work does not require leaders to demand illness or dangerous overwork from others. Read the actor, work and recipient, then attend to the thanks, care or distinctive authority the passage actually supplies.
How the Bible Uses It
The six Greek witnesses name priestly duty, covenant ministry, worship vessels, faith expressed as service, relief giving and help to Paul. Each preserves its own actor, object and theological setting.
- Luke.1.23
And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
Zechariah finishes the days of his temple service and returns home, placing the noun within his explicitly described priestly assignment.
- 2Cor.9.12
For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God.
The contribution supplies the saints' needs and overflows in thanksgiving, identifying practical beneficiaries and a response to God rather than merely naming a ceremony.
- Php.2.30
Because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of service to me.
Epaphroditus nearly dies in the work of Christ while making up the service to Paul; the preceding verses report mercy, return and welcome rather than a demand that others repeat his danger.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itservice3×Luke 1:23, Philippians 2:17, Philippians 2:30
ministry1×Hebrews 8:6
of service1×2 Corinthians 9:12
worship1×Hebrews 9:21
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 1:23λειτουργίαςtoserviceNoun - Genitive Feminine Singular2 Corinthians 9:12λειτουργίαςtoof serviceNoun - Genitive Feminine SingularPhilippians 2:17λειτουργίᾳtoserviceNoun - Dative Feminine SingularPhilippians 2:30λειτουργίαςtoserviceNoun - Genitive Feminine SingularHebrews 8:6λειτουργίαςtoministryNoun - Genitive Feminine SingularHebrews 9:21λειτουργίαςtoworshipNoun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 1:23
Aligned rows6
Books represented4
Luke12 Corinthians1Philippians2Hebrews2
Source forms
λειτουργίας5xleitourgiasLuke 1:23, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Philippians 2:30, Hebrews 8:6
λειτουργίᾳ1xleitourgiaPhilippians 2:17
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular5xLuke 1:23, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Philippians 2:30, Hebrews 8:6
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular1xPhilippians 2:17
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Recognize needed material help without coercing a gift or promising a purchased spiritual return.
- Provide care and reasonable limits for workers rather than making exhausted health a badge of devotion.
Avoid claiming...
- Every occurrence refers to one fixed contemporary liturgy or ceremonial office.
- Faithful service requires physical danger or makes a contributor equal to Jesus as covenant mediator.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Service undertaken at personal cost or sacrifice, often religious ministry or Christian charity
Strong'sG3009
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms2 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
public function (as priest ("liturgy") or almsgiver)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 1:23Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
λειτουργίαςleitourgiav
a charitable gift, public service
Read verse2 Corinthians 9:12Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
λειτουργίαςleitourgiav
a charitable gift, public service
Read versePhilippians 2:17Noun Dative Singular Feminine
λειτουργίᾳleitourgia
a charitable gift, public service
Read versePhilippians 2:30Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
λειτουργίας.leitourgiav
a charitable gift, public service
Read verseHebrews 8:6Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
λειτουργίας,leitourgiav
a charitable gift, public service
Read verseHebrews 9:21Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
λειτουργίαςleitourgiav
a charitable gift, public service
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 2 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns2Aligned forms6Case patternGenitive (5)Number patternSingular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Genitive · Singular · FeminineLuke 1:23 · 2 Cor 9:12 · Phil 2:30 · Heb 8:6 · Heb 9:215×
Dative · Singular · FemininePhil 2:171×
Word Origins
λειτουργία is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Service receives its significance from the particular work and relationship a text describes. Luke's priest returns home after completing assigned days. Paul's collection supplies real needs and brings thanksgiving, while his account of Epaphroditus calls for welcome and honor after a dangerous illness from which God showed mercy. Hebrews speaks differently about Jesus' more excellent ministry because He mediates a better covenant; that comparison cannot be transferred to every person who helps.
The shared noun gives a reader a range of settings, not a permission to collapse their responsibilities and authority. Teach believers to recognize material care and often overlooked assistance as meaningful work. At the same time, refuse financial compulsion, avoid celebrating preventable harm to workers, and let the passages describe their own sacrificial or priestly language without assigning a new office to the helper.
Anchor passage
2Cor.9.12
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 1:8-10 and 21-23 place Zechariah's completed service within his priestly division's temple duty and return to his household.
- Second Corinthians 9:7-14 describes chosen rather than compelled giving, supplied needs, thanksgiving and the recipients' prayers for the contributors.
- Philippians 2:25-30 names Epaphroditus' illness, God's mercy, Paul's care in sending him back, and the welcome appropriate to his costly service.
- Philippians 2:16-18 describes Paul's possible pouring out alongside the sacrifice and service of their faith, with shared joy rather than a fundraising threat.
- Hebrews 8:4-8 identifies Jesus' more excellent ministry with His mediation of a better covenant founded on better promises, preserving His distinctive role.
- Hebrews 9:19-26 describes sprinkled worship vessels before explaining Christ's entry into heaven and once-for-all sacrifice, distinguishing the covenant settings.
The licensed Greek evidence supports ministry or service in priestly and practical settings. The six tagged witnesses show that the noun's meaning must be read through the work and recipient, not restricted to a modern ceremony or expanded into identical spiritual authority for every actor.
From Old to New Testament
Hebrews 9:19-21 itself recalls Moses proclaiming covenant commands and sprinkling the tabernacle and vessels. The later verses distinguish Christ's heavenly appearance and once-for-all sacrifice. This explicit canonical movement provides a connection to the earlier covenant, while Luke's priestly duty and Paul's relief work remain different settings rather than new instructions to reproduce sacrificial sprinkling.