What does μέλω (mélō) mean in the Bible?
G3199 names what matters to someone or what someone cares about. In John, its two uses expose the difference between true care and self-interest.
Greek · G3199
μέλω
To concern
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μέλω G3199
Pronunciation mélō
What does μέλω (mélō) mean in the Bible?
G3199 names what matters to someone or what someone cares about. In John, its two uses expose the difference between true care and self-interest.
Reader summary
Full entry for μέλω (G3199) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3199?
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include seek favor (2), cared (1), cares (1), Do not let it concern (1), do You not care (1).
Where does μέλω (mélō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 22:16. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (2), John (2), Mark (2), 1 Peter (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G3199 names what matters to someone or what someone cares about. In John, its two uses expose the difference between true care and self-interest. The hired servant runs because the sheep do not matter to him; Judas speaks as if he cares for the poor, but the narrator says his concern is false. The word therefore helps teachers ask what love is protecting, what fear abandons, and what greed disguises.
It should not be turned into a private motive detector. John himself supplies the motives in these scenes. For John-focused use, let the immediate passage show whether concern is absent, claimed, or exposed, then connect the word to shepherding faithfulness and truthful stewardship.
How the Bible Uses It
G3199 is a concern-and-care verb in John. Its two uses place absent care beside false concern, helping readers see that John names motives only where the narrative itself reveals them.
- John.10.13
The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep.
The hired servant runs because the sheep do not matter to him. The word exposes the absence of shepherd-like care in contrast with the Good Shepherd.
- John.12.6
Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.
Judas speaks as if he cares for the poor, but the narrator says his concern is false. The word helps John distinguish claimed concern from exposed greed.
Passage context
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 seek favor 2× Matthew 22:16, Mark 12:14
cared 1× John 12:6
cares 1× 1 Peter 5:7
Do not let it concern 1× 1 Corinthians 7:21
do You not care 1× Luke 10:40
don’t You care 1× Mark 4:38
is concerned 1× 1 Corinthians 9:9
is unconcerned 1× John 10:13
was of concern 1× Acts 18:17
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 22:16 μέλει to seek favor Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 4:38 μέλει to don’t You care Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 12:14 μέλει to seek favor Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Luke 10:40 μέλει to do You not care Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 10:13 μέλει to is unconcerned Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 12:6 ἔμελεν to cared Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 18:17 ἔμελεν to was of concern Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 7:21 μελέτω to Do not let it concern Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 9:9 μέλει to is concerned Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Peter 5:7 μέλει to cares Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 22:16
Aligned rows 10
Books represented 7
Matthew 1 Mark 2 Luke 1 John 2 Acts 1 1 Corinthians 2 1 Peter 1
Source forms
μέλει 7x melei Matthew 22:16, Mark 4:38, Mark 12:14, Luke 10:40
ἔμελεν 2x emelen John 12:6, Acts 18:17
μελέτω 1x meletō 1 Corinthians 7:21
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 7x Matthew 22:16, Mark 4:38, Mark 12:14, Luke 10:40
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x John 12:6, Acts 18:17
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 7:21
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use the word to follow John's revealed motives, not to guess motives the passage does not reveal.
- Distinguish true shepherding care from performative concern by staying inside the scene's own evidence.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim G3199 lets a teacher diagnose hidden motives wherever the word appears. John supplies the motive in these scenes.
- Do not make Judas's false concern cancel the Bible's real call to care for the poor. The passage exposes Judas, not mercy.
Pastoral applicationPassage context
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To be a matter of concern or care to someone; implies being regarded as worthy of attention.
Strong's G3199
Lexical occurrences 0 verses Greek text appearances 10 times Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 10:40 Source Gloss
to concern
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
To be a matter of concern or care to someone; implies being regarded as worthy of attention.
1intrans., to be an object of care, be a care; commonly in third of person(s): with dative of person(s), Act.18:17; very frequently impers., 1Co.7:21; before ὅτι, Mrk.4:38, Luk.10:40; with genitive of thing(s) (as frequently in Att..), 1Co.9:9; before περί, Mat.22:16, Mrk.12:14, Jhn.10:13 12:6, 1Pe.5:7.
2Trans., in act. and mid., to care for (not in LXX or NT).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 22:16 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
μέλει melei
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse Mark 4:38 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
μέλει melei
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse Mark 12:14 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
μέλει melei
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse Luke 10:40 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
μέλει melei
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse John 10:13 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
μέλει melei
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse John 12:6 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἔμελεν emelen
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse Acts 18:17 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἔμελεν. emelen
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse 1 Corinthians 7:21 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
μελέτω· meletw
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse 1 Corinthians 9:9 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
μέλει melei
it is a care, it concerns
Read verse 1 Peter 5:7 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
μέλει melei
it is a care, it concerns
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.
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 10 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 8 imperfect 2
Voice
active 10
Mood
indicative 9 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 22:16 μέλει present active indicative ongoing Mark 4:38 μέλει present active indicative ongoing Mark 12:14 μέλει present active indicative ongoing Luke 10:40 μέλει present active indicative ongoing John 10:13 μέλει present active indicative ongoing John 12:6 ἔμελεν imperfect active indicative background Acts 18:17 ἔμελεν imperfect active indicative background 1 Corinthians 7:21 μελέτω present active imperative imperative 1 Corinthians 9:9 μέλει present active indicative ongoing 1 Peter 5:7 μέλει present active indicative ongoing
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)
Sampled Scripture Occurrences
Representative Scripture witnesses for this entry: passage, original form, and sense in context.
Biblical Witnesses
Martha is distracted by many tasks, implying concern or worry about serving
Word Origins
μέλω is a primary verb - no further derivation.
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
John uses G3199 to make concern morally visible. In the shepherd discourse, the hired servant's lack of care explains why he abandons the sheep when danger comes. In the Bethany meal, Judas's stated care for the poor is unmasked as greed by the narrator. Those two scenes should keep teaching concrete. Concern is not a vague feeling; it shows itself in protection, truthfulness, and faithful stewardship.
The teacher should avoid using the word to guess hidden motives in other passages. John gives the motive in these scenes, so the word should help readers receive John's judgment rather than practice suspicion beyond the text.
Anchor passage
John.10.13
Doctrinal connections
- John.10.13 - The hired servant runs because the sheep do not matter to him. The word exposes the absence of shepherd-like care in contrast with the Good Shepherd.
- John.12.6 - Judas speaks as if he cares for the poor, but the narrator says his concern is false. The word helps John distinguish claimed concern from exposed greed.
To matter, concern, or care about is a reviewed display gloss for G3199. In this John-focused companion, the local discourse foregrounding data shows 2 John use(s), with tense patterns summarized as Present 1, Imperfect 1. Use these grammar signals as support for reading the passage, not as a replacement for context.
From Old to New Testament
The broader Scripture connection should remain modest: care, concern, and exposed motive is visible in the cited passages, while the full theological claim must come from each passage's context rather than from the word alone.
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